scholarly journals Abstieg West durch Aufbau Ost?

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (135) ◽  
pp. 321-329
Author(s):  
Ulrich Busch
Keyword(s):  
Federal Government ◽  
East Germany ◽  
Living Conditions ◽  
West Germany ◽  
German Unification ◽  
The West ◽  
Economic Stagnation ◽  
The Eu

14 years after the German unification East Germany is one of the largest European problem areas. Loss of population, economic stagnation and the dependence on transfers from the West determine the situation. With the expansion of the EU, East Germany can become the German mezzogiorno. In this situation a group of experts demands radical measures form the federal government. But these measures will worsen the living conditions in East Germany, which are already very different to those in West Germany.

The Shaping of Popular Satisfaction with Government and Regime Performance in Germany

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 641-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
THOMAS R. CUSACK
Keyword(s):  
Federal Government ◽  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Political System ◽  
Living Standards ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Government Performance ◽  
The West ◽  
The Government ◽  
Economic Developments ◽  
The Empirical Analysis

The article focuses on citizens’ satisfaction with the German democratic political system. The empirical analysis reported supports the argument that the performance of the economy and the government affect popular satisfaction with the regime. In the East, satisfaction with the regime remains very low and dissatisfaction has spread into West Germany. In the West, the sources of this dissatisfaction are both economic developments and government performance; citizens modify their views on the system as a consequence of the government’s and the economy’s successes and failures. The dynamic is similar in the East. Economic strains, and the perception that the federal government is not making sufficient efforts to equalize living standards, have kept the Eastern population from committing themselves to the new unified political system.

Transit to East Germany: The Distribution and Reception of Once Upon a Time in the West in the German Democratic Republic

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemary Stott
Keyword(s):  
German Democratic Republic ◽  
Cultural Production ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
East Germany ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Federal Republic Of Germany ◽  
Business Professionals ◽  
The West ◽  
Nation States

This chapter examines the relocation, transition, and appropriation of the Spaghetti Western in a hitherto under-researched context: the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), prior to its unification with the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) in 1990. It explores the selection, distribution and reception of Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West, Sergio Leone, 1968) in the German Democratic Republic as a case study of how international cultural transfer causes objects of cultural production to be repositioned as they enter a new reception context. It also examines the ideological, economic, and sociological concerns underpinning the decisions of those who facilitated the movement of film across the political, cultural, and linguistic boundaries of nation states. In East Germany, the facilitators involved in the selection, censorship, dubbing, and promotion of films were mainly government administrators rather than film business professionals, because film was a state-controlled industry. The chapter focuses on the ‘official’ reception of the film on the basis of available censorship protocols and government policy papers, as well as print media sources.

scholarly journals The Effect of the Post-Socialist Transition on Inequality of Educational Opportunity: Evidence from German Unification

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-473
Author(s):  
Bastian A Betthäuser
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Educational Opportunity ◽  
Educational Inequality ◽  
East Germany ◽  
West Germany ◽  
German Unification ◽  
Federal Republic Of Germany ◽  
East And West Germany ◽  
East And West ◽  
Inequality Of Educational Opportunity

Abstract In 1990, German unification led to an abrupt and extensive restructuring of the educational system and economy of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) as the latter was reintegrated into the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). However, the consequences of this large-scale institutional change for the educational inequality between children from different social class backgrounds in East Germany continue to be poorly understood. This article seeks to shed new light on this question by using a quasi-experimental approach to examine the difference in educational inequality between East and West Germany before and after German unification. We compare changes in the class gradient in the attainment of comparable school and university qualifications in East and West Germany across six birth cohorts, including three cohorts of individuals who completed their schooling after unification. We find that before unification, inequality of educational opportunity at the mid-secondary, upper-secondary and tertiary level was substantially lower in East Germany than in West Germany and that unification led to a substantial and sustained convergence of the level of inequality of educational opportunity in East Germany towards that of West Germany.

East-West divide will persist in Germany

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
East Germany ◽  
National Level ◽  
West Germany ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ruhr Area ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
East And West Germany ◽  
Skills Shortage ◽  
East West

Subject Differences between East and West Germany. Significance Considerable investment notwithstanding, the economy in East Germany is still weaker than in the West. This is compounded by demographic change. Moreover, voting behaviour and the distribution of political attitudes in the East are markedly different from the West. These factors will continue to shape political processes on the national level. Impacts The skills shortage in the East is unlikely to be alleviated by migration as the anti-immigration sentiment persists. The necessary reallocation of tax funds to East Germany will remain a bone of contention. The continuing decline of some industrial areas in the West (particularly in the Ruhr area) will exacerbate this conflict.

Communists and Democrats: Democratic Attitudes in the Two Germanies

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 469-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell J. Dalton
Keyword(s):  
Political Culture ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Research Unit ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Cultural Socialization ◽  
German Unification ◽  
Cultural Inheritance ◽  
The West ◽  
Democratic Attitudes ◽  
Democratic Norms

German unification has revived earlier scholarly debates about the nature of the German political culture and the ability of the nation to rise above its cultural heritage – now focused on the cultural inheritance from the German Democratic Republic. This article examines popular support for democratic attitudes as a prerequisite for successful political unification and the development of democracy in a unified Germany. Our evidence focuses on a study of democratic attitudes conducted in West Germany and East Germany by the Mannheim Research Unit for Societal Development in early 1990, with supplemental data from more recent surveys. We find that East Germans voice support for democratic attitudes that rivals or excels the expression of democratic norms in the West. The correlates of these opinions suggest that democratic norms in the East developed from an on-going process of counter-cultural socialization and from judgements about the relative economic strength of the Federal Republic.

Öffentliche Haushalte in Ost- und Westdeutschland nach 30 Jahren – Vergleichende Bestandsaufnahme aus finanzwissenschaftlicher Perspektive

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 395-416
Author(s):  
Mario Hesse ◽  
Thomas Lenk ◽  
Philipp Glinka
Keyword(s):  
Public Finance ◽  
East Germany ◽  
West Germany ◽  
German Unification ◽  
Fiscal Equalization ◽  
East And West Germany ◽  
30Th Anniversary ◽  
Degree Of Equivalence ◽  
East And West ◽  
High Degree

Zusammenfassung Das 30-jährige Jubiläum der Deutschen Einheit gibt Anlass zu einer Erfolgsanalyse. Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht verschiedene Aspekte der Angleichung zwischen Ost- und Westdeutschland aus einer finanzwissenschaftlichen Perspektive. Der Fokus liegt auf der Entwicklung der Länder- und kommunalen Haushalte. Einnahmenseitig haben sich das System des bundesstaatlichen Finanzausgleichs in Verbindung mit den Solidarpakten I und II sowie die kommunalen Finanzausgleichssysteme als besonders leistungsfähige Mechanismen erwiesen, um ein hohes Maß an Gleichwertigkeit zu erreichen. Zugleich sind die ostdeutschen Länder bis an den aktuellen Rand und voraussichtlich auch künftig auf hohe Finanzausgleichsmittel angewiesen, um ihre öffentlichen Aufgaben angemessen erfüllen zu können. Darüber hinaus beleuchtet der Beitrag die Entwicklung der Ausgaben- und der Verschuldungsniveaus Ost- und Westdeutschlands. Insgesamt zeigt sich, dass die deutsche Teilung weiterhin nicht vollständig überwunden ist. Abstract: Public Budgets in East and West Germany After 30 Years – Stocktaking and Success Analysis From A Perspective of Public Finance The 30th anniversary of German unification gives cause for a success analysis. This article examines various aspects of the alignment between East and West Germany from a perspective of public finance. The focus is on the development of state and municipal budgets. On the revenue side, the system of federal fiscal equalization in conjunction with the Solidarity Pacts I and II and the municipal fiscal equalization systems have proven to be particularly effective mechanisms for achieving a high degree of equivalence. At the same time, East Germany is, and will probably continue to be, dependent on high levels of fiscal equalisation in order to adequately fulfil their public tasks. In addition, the article examines the development of expenditure and debt levels in East and West Germany. Overall, it shows that the division of Germany is still not completely finished.

How Udo Wanted to Save the World in ‘Erich's Lamp Shop’: Lindenberg's Concert in Honecker's East Berlin, the NATO Double-Track Decision and Communist Economic Woes

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
LORENZ M. LÜTHI
Keyword(s):  
Economic History ◽  
East Germany ◽  
West Germany ◽  
The West ◽  
Political Messages ◽  
East Berlin ◽  
East German ◽  
Peace Activist ◽  
Nuclear Missiles ◽  
Double Track

AbstractThe concert given by the West German rock star Udo Lindenberg in East Berlin on 25 October 1983 links cultural, political, diplomatic and economic history. The East German regime had banned performances by the anti-nuclear peace activist and musician since the 1970s, but eventually allowed a concert, hoping to prevent the deployment of American nuclear missiles in West Germany. In allowing this event, however, East Germany neither prevented the implementation of the NATO double-track decision of 1979 nor succeeded in controlling the political messages of the impertinent musician. Desperate for economic aid from the West, East Germany decided to cancel a promised Lindenberg tour in 1984, causing widespread disillusionment among his fans in the country.

The credibility of information sources in West Germany after the Chernobyl disaster

1992 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Peter Peters
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Information Policy ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
West Germany ◽  
German Population ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
The West

In West Germany the `information disaster' after Chernobyl offered an opportunity to study the credibility of different information sources. A representative survey conducted in May 1987 of the West German population showed that on average the Federal Government—although heavily criticized because of its information policy and risk management—was rated most credible while the nuclear industry was judged least credible. On the whole, mean credibility ratings differed surprisingly little between sources; ratings of competence and public interest orientation varied more. These variables, interpreted as the classical credibility factors `expertise' and `trustworthiness', were important predictors of credibility. But beliefs and expectations recipients posess about individual sources also appear to influence credibility.

scholarly journals The Effect of the Post-Socialist Transition on Inequality of Educational Opportunity: Evidence from German Unification

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bastian Andreas Betthäuser
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Educational Opportunity ◽  
Educational Inequality ◽  
East Germany ◽  
West Germany ◽  
German Unification ◽  
Federal Republic Of Germany ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
East And West Germany ◽  
East And West

In 1990, German unification led to an abrupt and extensive restructuring of the educational system and economy of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) as the latter was reintegrated into the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). However, the consequences of this large- scale institutional change for the educational inequality between children from different social class backgrounds in East Germany continue to be poorly understood. This article seeks to shed new light on this question by using a quasi-experimental approach to examine the difference in educational inequality between East and West Germany before and after German unification. We compare changes in the class gradient in educational attainment in East and West Germany across six birth cohorts, including three cohorts of individuals who completed their schooling after unification. Contrasting with past findings, our results show that before unification, educational inequality at the mid-secondary, upper-secondary and tertiary level was substantially lower in East Germany than in West Germany and that unification led to a substantial and sustained convergence of the level of educational inequality in East Germany towards that of West Germany.

scholarly journals Denying Difference to the Post-Socialist Other: Bernhard Heisig and the Changing Reception of an East German Artist

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 45-74
Author(s):  
April A. Eisman
Keyword(s):  
East Germany ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Eastern Bloc ◽  
German Unification ◽  
Federal Republic Of Germany ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
East And West Germany ◽  
Before And After ◽  
East German

This article traces the reception of East German artist Bernhard Heisig’s life and art—first in East Germany and then in the Federal Republic of Germany before and after the Wall. Drawing on post-colonial and post-socialist scholarship, it argues that Heisig’s reception exemplifies a western tendency to deny cultural and ideological difference in what the post-socialist scholar Piotr Piotrowski calls the “close Other.” This denial of difference to artists from the eastern bloc has shaped western understandings of Heisig’s life and art since reunification. Once perceived as an intellectually engaged, political artist, both in East and West Germany, after the fall of the Wall and German unification, Heisig was reinterpreted as a traumatized victim of two dictatorships, distorting not only our understanding of the artist and his work, but also of the nature of art and the role of the artist in East Germany.

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