The forgotten 'secret city'
Relics of a divided German past are not the only elements that remain of the former East Germany. Deep sentiments of marginalization, inequality, and a sense of disempowerment are palpable in today's unified Germany. Significant differences between the East and West of the nation post-reunification mark stark realities for many inhabitants on both sides. So, over 30 years on, what exactly remains of East Germany?
Curious? Click through this gallery to find out more.
The German Democratic Republic, also known as East Germany, was a nation that existed from 1949 to 1990. Its demise accompanied the fall of the Soviet Union.
The nation was formed following WWII, under the administration of the Soviet Union. A communist state, East Germany was ruled by a one-party system, namely the Socialist Unity Party of Germany.
The Stasi, East Germany’s secret police, were notorious for their surveillance activities and repression of political dissent. East Germans were monitored by both the Stasi and by fellow citizens. Dissidents often faced harassment, imprisonment, and even exile. All opposition was inhibited.
Following extensive protests, in 1989, four decades after the establishment of East Germany, the East German government issued a statement that travel restrictions to West Germany would be eased.
East Germans took this as an opening of the Berlin Wall, an iconic structure that divided West and East Berlin. Thousands of people marched toward the wall. With guards unable to hold back the crowd, the wall’s gates were opened.
The fall of the Berlin Wall symbolized the end of the German Democratic Republic, and paved the way towards German reunification, much to the dismay of the East German leadership.
March 1990 marked East Germany’s first free elections, and saw the rise of the Alliance for Germany party, which advocated for the reunification process, marking the end of communist rule in East Germany.
Talks between the World War II allies (the United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and France), West Germany, and East Germany led to a landmark agreement that included agreements on a unified Germany’s NATO membership, as well as economic and legal frameworks.
Less than 11 months later, the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, also known as the Two Plus Four Agreement, was issued. Germany was reunified under the Federal Republic of Germany, and Berlin became the unified state’s new capital.
The reunification of Germany, occurring well over 30 years ago, remains an issue in Germany. Disparities between what was East and West Germany continue to be palpable.
Salary and wage gaps continue to be different between the East and the West, a significant mark on how development has been an asymmetrical undertaking, with a wealth gap signifying the depth of difference.
A 2017 study noted that those in former East Germany earned about 86% of the income of their Western counterparts.
Unemployment rates are notably higher in the former East Germany, nearly 2% higher than in the former West Germany. Still, this gap is slowly narrowing (at the turn of the century, the difference was about 10%).
Beyond the economic differences, there are remaining differences in terms of cultural and social identities between the former two nations.
Due to the marginalization that those in the former East Germany continue to experience, there is a belief held among many East Germans that they are treated as second-class citizens.
In fact, a 2019 study demonstrated that over 60% of former East German residents consider themselves second-class citizens. This has led to a sensation of socio-economic and political alienation among many inhabitants.
This sentiment is reflected in voting behaviors. Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right populist party, has made significant headway in the East, largely by exploiting people’s sentiments of alienation and general discontentment.
Supporters refer to the stronghold of AfD in the region as the "blue wave,” referring to the color of the far-right party. Supporters call for “order and security,” by increasing police presence. They blame the country’s insecurity on “the foreigners.”
For political analysts, the significant emergence and growth of the far-right in the former East Germany is no coincidence, given the conflation of the legacies of disparity tied to German reunification with today’s far-right tendencies.
In the 1990s, soon after the reunification process was underway, waves of East Germans turned toward nationalist-leaning and even neo-Nazi groups, partly provoked by the political alienation they were experiencing at the time.
For many East Germans, the reunification process was less of a unification and more of their assimilation into the West. The West retained and increased their wealth, while the East experienced marginalization and a stark difference in quality of life compared to their Western counterparts.
East Germany’s economy is a mere 80% of the West’s. Inhabitants of the former West Germany have greater private assets, savings, and, therefore, more financial security and flexibility.
The far-right, critical of the current political establishment, has placed the blame on foreigners. The frustrations that many East Germans feel about their lack of equality since reunification has furthered already existing anti-immigrant sentiments.
East Germany has long been alienated from foreign presence, even during the Soviet Union. Reports show that when Cuban, Vietnamese, Mozambican, and other small numbers of non-Western people were brought to East Germany by the Soviet Union, they faced attacks.
The rise of neo-Nazi movements in East Germany following reunification followed the same paradigm, where immigrants are viewed as a fundamental threat to employment, housing, and social welfare programs.
Anti-Jewish, Muslim, and Roma sentiments can be found throughout Germany, but are particularly rampant in the former East Germany, significantly higher than their Western counterparts.
The social identification of a sense of inferiority among Eastern Germans bleeds into today’s sentiments of disempowerment, while Western sentiments and stereotypes of Eastern Germans remain intact.
For many, the lens of the Cold War is reductionist in attempting to understand the overall rise of far-right movements in Europe and, particularly, in Germany. But, at the very least, it provides a starting point.
While a unified Germany has been in existence for nearly the same length of time as East Germany’s lifespan, the differentiating effects between the West and East remain evident in contemporary society.
Sources: (Pew Research Center) (The Guardian) (DW) (New Lines Magazine) (BBC) (History)
See also: Why is the far right gaining popularity in Europe?
What remains of East Germany?
The remnants of the past
LIFESTYLE History
Relics of a divided German past are not the only elements that remain of the former East Germany. Deep sentiments of marginalization, inequality, and a sense of disempowerment are palpable in today's unified Germany. Significant differences between the East and West of the nation post-reunification mark stark realities for many inhabitants on both sides. So, over 30 years on, what exactly remains of East Germany?
Curious? Click through this gallery to find out more.