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The “Hottest Ever January” in Germany: Farmers’ Protests and the Discourse on Agriculture and Food Production

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  • Melanie Nagel

    (Institute for Political Science, Heidelberg University, Germany / Heidelberg Center for the Environment, Heidelberg University, Germany / Geo‐ and Environmental Center, University of Tübingen, Germany / Institute of Political Science, University of Tübingen, Germany)

  • Anna Gall

    (Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, The Netherlands)

  • Jale Tosun

    (Institute for Political Science, Heidelberg University, Germany / Heidelberg Center for the Environment, Heidelberg University, Germany)

Abstract

Following the German Federal Government’s announcement of agricultural subsidy cuts in November 2023, farmers mobilized unprecedented protests, creating what their associations celebrated as a “hot January with more protests than the country has ever seen” (“Bauern wollen ‘Kampfansage’ der Ampel annehmen,” 2023). These actions ultimately forced the government to withdraw the proposed policy changes. Our study applies the politicization/depoliticization – policy change model to analyze the theoretical connections between politicization and policy change announcements. Using discourse network analysis, we examine the evolution of politicization/depoliticization dynamics through newspaper articles published between the initial subsidy cut announcement on November 17, 2023, and March 26, 2024. Our findings reveal a dynamic politicization process that farmers strategically amplified through protests to achieve policy reversal. Our research also identifies concerning behavioral patterns of right‐wing actors and ideological infiltration within these protests, opening avenues for further investigation.

Suggested Citation

  • Melanie Nagel & Anna Gall & Jale Tosun, 2025. "The “Hottest Ever January” in Germany: Farmers’ Protests and the Discourse on Agriculture and Food Production," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 13.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:poango:v13:y:2025:a:9830
    DOI: 10.17645/pag.9830
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