A theatrical underground plot spearheaded by an elderly German aristocrat. Conspiracies with a former army commander and an MP. Fanatics planning to storm Parliament on "Day-X".

It has all of the absurd ingredients of something you might read in a history textbook. But this plot, to overthrow the modern state of Germany, was exposed only yesterday morning after police raided the homes of co-conspirators at dawn. 

The scheme consisted of around 25 people who police say planned to violently overthrow the state by storming the German BundestagGermany's legislative assembly, elected every four years.. Its ringleader, Heinrich XIII, is a prince of the "Reuss dynasty" which ruled ThuringiaA state in central Germany. for 800 years before the collapse of the German Empire in 1918.

Its followers are from the increasingly prominent Reichsburger movement, which denies the legitimacy of the modern Federal Republic of Germany.

The Reichsburger group is a far-right fringe group spreading racist and anti-semiticShowing hatred or prejudice towards Jewish people. conspiracy theories. They are monarchistsPeople who support the idea of a monarchy. who see the abolition of the German monarchy as illegal, and advocate for the return of the "Second Reich" - the period from 1871 to 1918 when Germany was ruled by emperors.

Germany's unification was masterminded by Otto von Bismarck, who was also chancellor of the Empire for nine years until 1890. Bismarck remains for some an iconic figure in German history.

The German Empire came to a close in the aftermath of World War One with 1918's German Revolution. Workers' councils rose up to overthrow the KaiserThe German word for "emperor". and establish a democratic republic.

The group belongs to the ranks of the many neo-NaziBeliefs or organisations that follow the ideas or policies of Hitler's Nazi party. groups that have sparked fear across Europe and North America in recent decades, with numerous high-profile terrorist acts.

Some think that the rise of far-right terrorism is being mirrored in politics, presenting a potentially greater danger. Voters across Europe are increasingly voting for extreme right-wing candidates.

In 2022 alone, Italy elected a prime minister from a party with fascistFollowing fascism, a set of ideologies that advocates dictatorial power, political violence, suppression of opposition, traditional gender roles, and official racism. roots, a far-right candidate won 41% of the vote in France's elections and an openly neo-Nazi party assumed the second highest number of seats in Sweden's parliament. Some argue this trend means extremism is becoming normalised.

Yes: Right-wing extremism is clearly becoming worse. Terrorists are becoming empowered by a wave of elections of right-wing candidates in politics. The Reichsburger group is only the tip of the iceberg.

No: At every period in history there have been waves of radicalism in both directions. Eventually, it evens out to more moderate positions. Even in the most progressive world, there would still be a small number of extremists.

Or... There is no way to measure whether extremism is getting worse, but it should not matter. We need to stamp out extremism and terrorism wherever we find them by addressing their root causes.