Germany Divided Essay, Research Paper

The shocking fall of communism in Eastern and Central Europe in the late

eighties was remarkable for both its rapidity and its scope. None more than for

East and West Germany. ?The unification of Germany has been one of the most

significant and moving events of the 20th century. Yet the euphoria of those

heady days in autumn 1989, when the world watched in rapt attention as the

Berlin Wall came tumbling down, has since fizzled. The process has proven to be

far more painful than (then) Chancellor Helmut Kohl had promised Germans in 1990

on the eve of the first all-German elections since the Nazi?s rise to

power.?(Ireland, 541) This resulted from the underestimation that was placed

on integrating the democratic system of government and free-market economy of

West Germany with the communist foundation of East Germany. The shift from

communism took a whole new context in Germany. The peoples involved were not

looking to affect a narrow set of policy reforms; indeed, what was at stake was

a hyper-radical shift from the long-held communist ideology to a western

blueprint for governmental and economic policy development. According to

theories of modernization, higher levels of socioeconomic achievement

facilitates an increase in open competition and, ultimately, assists in the

establishment of democracy. The problem inherent in this type of monumental

change is that, according to Helga A. Welsh, ? the collapse of authoritarian

rule has released national, ethnic, religious, and cultural conflicts which

cannot be solved by purely economic policies?(27). Generally it has been

theorized that the most effective fashion in which to remedy these many

difficulties is by drafting a constitution. But, what seems to be clear in

Germany is the unsatisfactory ability of a constitution to resolve the problems

of nationalism and ethnic differences. Germany?s current situation gives

validity to the statement that ? what works in theory doesn?t necessarily

work in practice.? This is because the economic advancements that were

anticipated to bring prosperity to East Germany didn?t occur as planned. It

was assumed that the integration of the economies would be a difficult but

attainable goal because West Germany was one of the world?s most productive

and prosperous economies. The last ten years have shown that this was not the

case. Due to East Germany?s longtime adherence to communist policies, it faced

great complexity in making the transition to a pluralist system as well as a

market economy. As Preuss posits these problems were threefold: The genuine

economic devastations wrought by the communist regimes, the transformation of

the social and economic classes of the command economy and , finally the

creation of a constitutional structure for political entities that lack the

undisputed integrity of a nation state (48). The failure of the economic

integration is at the root of the ills that have plagued the two countries since

unification. In regards to the economic aspects of unification, some major

problems exist in the transition to a free-market economy. First, and probably

the most significant factor is the epidemic of unemployment that has infected

East Germany. Prior to unification slightly over half of East Germany?s 16

million people were employed and this figure has been steadily declining since

1989. Currently, ?the east?s unemployment rate of more than 17% is double

that of the west?s (Aaland, r12). In a market economy these grim statistics

breed frustration and discontent among the populace. Another dilemma presenting

itself to Germany is the enormous expense of upgrading the dilapidated

infrastructure in the east. The east is decades behind technologically and

hundreds of millions of dollars have been required to improve the roads,

railroads, telecommunications, public services, postal service, and most

importantly educational system. Along with this is the deplorable environmental

conditions that were left by the old communist regime. These necessary

conditions must be renovated before funding can stimulate the economy and is an

important factor in the east?s current economic nightmare. One other important

issue that has contributed to the east?s depression is the economic policy of

the privatizing of state property. This is a sensitive subject in any

country?s transition from a command economy. For one, a system of procedures

must be adopted simply to transfer such large amounts of property to private

citizens. Also, there must be mechanisms put in place to both protect new owners

form claims of previous owners and to satisfy former owner without alienating

possible future investors. The problem arises in that private property laws do

not always coincide with the fair concept of restitution. As Petra Bauer-Kaase

states, ?East Germans still have difficulties in adjusting to a political

system where individuals have a great deal of responsibility for there own

life? (307). The former East Germans look upon this issue with contempt,

because it is the Westerners who have control over the rules, as well as the

enforcement of those rules. This is merely one of a multitude of instances where

this mistrust between the sides manifests itself. The failure in the economic

and political integration has been the catalyst for numerous other social ills.

The main being a backlash of violence against ethnic groups and a rise in right

wing political groups that support this behavior. Many believe that the economic

effects of unification, particularly the increase in unemployment, is causing

Germans and foreigners to compete for jobs, housing, and other scarce

commodities, and in turn generating resentment among the German citizens. As,

Patrick Ireland adds,? high unemployment and uncertainty about job prospects

during the transformation of a command economy into a market economy are seen as

having produced disorientation and rootless ness among vulnerable people in the

east?Grievances become politicized, with right-wing extremists mobilizing

support and winning sympathy from the public. Existing social divisions widen,

and those groups blamed for the perceived problems become favored targets?Thus

East Germans, some of whom believed that they were competing with foreign

contract laborers for consumer goods and other resources before unification,

began to feel seriously deprived compared to their wealthy western neighbors

after 1989. It became easier to make scapegoats of foreigners?(544). This rise

in racism and ethnic violence can be directly attributed to the ongoing economic

saga that the east is experiencing. They envy their western neighbors but feel

turn their cheek because of the strong traditional sense of nationalism. So

their disappointment is taken out on any one who is not German. As Patrick

Ireland writes the east Germans,? insecure and unsure of their role in a

multicultural society, fear becoming permanent second-class citizens in united

Germany. Foreigners have become the ?whipping boy?, the scapegoat for all

the frustrations of the past, the disillusionment of the present, and the fears

of the future?(545). It seems that much more than the economies are diverging

between the opposite sides of Germany. Although there are no really significant

conflicts between Germans, the attitudes of the two sides are going in opposite

directions. The Wall Street Journal reported that a German study showed that

within the next five years westerners believed that their lives would improve

while easterners fear it worsening. Also westerners were more satisfied with

their careers, finances, and health while the easterner?s were happier than

their counterparts when it came to their families, marriages, and children.

Also, Dagmar Aaland reports that a majority of the easterner?s disappointments

and pessimistic attitudes stem ?from joblessness and ?unrealistic

expectations? of the time needed to catch up with the west?(r12). While

unification had occurred theoretically, in reality the Germany today is one of a

de facto separate-but-equal citizenship. There is no denying that there have

been many problems associated with the unification of East and West Germany.

From the miserable failure of the implementation of a free-market to the social

tribulations that evolved; .the transition from a communist state to a liberal

democracy is a very challenging one, and there is no real way to predict how the

German experience will turn out. As Preuss writes, ? The transition from an

authoritarian political regime and its concomitant command economy to a liberal

democracy and a capitalist economy is as unprecedented as the short-term

integration of two extremely different societies into one state?(57). In other

words, the unification of Germany is one of the most complex and unparalleled

historical events, on a social and economic level, since the unification of

Germany.

?A Nation Still Divided?, The Wall Street Journal. 27 Sept. 1999. p.r12

& r18. Bauer-Kaase, Petra. ?Germany in Transition: the Challenge of Coping

with Unification.?. German Unification: Processes and Outcomes. M. Donald

Hancock and Helga A. Welsch, eds. Boulder: Westview, 1994. 285-311 Ireland,

Patrick. ?Socialism, Unification Policy and the Rise of Racism In Eastern

Germany?. International Migration Review. Fall 1997. p. 541-68 Preuss, Ulrich

K. ?German Unification: Political and Constitutional Aspects.? United

Germany and the New Europe. Heinz D. Kurz, ed. Brookfield: Elgar, 1993 p.47-58

Welsh, Helga A. ?The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe and the GDR:

Evolution, Revolution, and Diffusion.? German Unification: Processes and

Outcomes. M. Donald Hancock and Helga A Welsh, eds. Boulder: Westview, 1994.

p.17-34.