The automotive crisis affects at least three major German political parties: the SPD through worker constituencies and trade unions (IG Metall); the FDP and CDU through business interests; and the FDP's cultural identity is bound up with the 'autoban liberal' fantasy of unlimited speed in Porsches, which is threatened by the shift to electric vehicles.

causalpending

Speaker

Adam Tooze

Evidence Quote

The FDP Liberals are 'autoban liberals' whose idea of freedom is going fast in a Porsche on the autobahn at 250km/h—an aristocratic class fantasy that is now threatened

Source

Germany’s Political Collapse | Ones and Tooze Ep. 166 | An FP PodcastForeign Policy
Created: 8/11/2026, 7:00:36 AM

My Notes

Loading notes...