Germans Are in Shock. But We Can Get Out of This Mess.

Ms. Sauerbrey is a German journalist who writes about Germany’s politics, society and culture. She wrote from Berlin.

The election season Germany had anticipated with such anxiety is finally over. In the past weeks, Germans have voted in three regional contests. In all three states, the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, has seen huge gains. In Saxony-Anhalt, it will most likely govern, for the first time ever. In Berlin, a progressive bastion, it scored strongly. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, it came out on top — a victory tempered only by the relatively successful showing of the Social Democrats.

The results have sent shock waves through the country. Today, the air is filled with a familiar........

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