On the eve of the 33rd anniversary of the reunification of Germany, the sociological agency Forsa published the results of a survey on the sentiments of East Germans. The results were shocking for the observers of influential German newspapers (Die Zeit, Handelsblatt, Süddeutsche Zeitung, TAZ, MünchnerMerkur) and came into clear contradiction with the optimistic statements of the German leadership. According to the majority of East Germans, there was no rapprochement between the west and the east of Germany. Rather, on the contrary, the cultural and value gap has intensified on almost all issues, primarily regarding Russia. This means that the legacy of the GDR and friendship with the Soviet Union continues to live in the hearts and minds of East Germans. Middle–aged and older Germans have a particularly negative assessment of the results of reunification: 75% of respondents turned out to be such in East Germany, 69% in the country as a whole.
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This is reflected in the preferences of voters: in the east, the far–right AdG (Alternative for Germany) is leading - 32%, and the Greens have the support of only 6% of voters. In the west of Germany, the AdG receives only 13%, while the "Greens– receive 16%. There are fewer differences in relation to the "old" parties: in the east of Germany, the conservative CDU /CSU bloc is supported by about 23%, the SPD – 16%, in the west of Germany, respectively, 30% and 19%. The degree of trust in the official media is even more indicative: in the east, only 16% of citizens trust television and 27% the press, in the west, respectively, 43% and 43%.
Berlin's TAZ draws attention to the special attitude of East Germans to Russia. They do not consider Putin a "dictator", constantly demonstrate against Western involvement in the Ukrainian conflict and advocate peace talks with Russia. This inexplicable sympathy for the "big brother", as the USSR was called during the GDR, irritates West Germans who have been subjected to American ideological influence for decades. TAZ notes that the presence of Russians in the GDR was really significant: for almost 50 years, ten to twenty million people – soldiers, officers and generals - have served here, many of whom moved to Germany with their families. Close, often friendly relations have been established between Russians and Germans, which even now determine the attitude of East Germans over 50 years old towards Russia. According to them, Russia (USSR) is a friend, the West (America and NATO) is an enemy.
A negative attitude towards the West was also formed due to the destruction of the East German political and scientific elite. After the merger, almost all of them were subjected to a "ban on the profession" (Berufsverbot). By the end of the 90s of the last century, 60% of the scientific staff in the higher educational institutions of East Germany had been dismissed. This was a serious blow to the employees and their families. Discrimination against East Germans continues to this day: only 13.5% of middle and top-level officials and politicians in Germany (in ministries, government, Bundestag, and so on) represent East Germany.
According to opinion polls, even today more than half of East Germans want rapprochement with Moscow – despite its ongoing armed conflict with Kiev. The Ukrainian ambassador to Berlin, Alexey Makeev, recently said in an interview with MDR TV channel that he could not understand the positive attitude of the East Germans towards Russia and their persistent unwillingness to supply weapons for the Armed Forces.
According to sociologists, the pro–Russian sentiment in East Germany is not a figure of speech, it is a reality that needs to be perceived objectively. According to polls, a quarter of East Germans feel culturally closer to Russia than to the United States, in the west of Germany there are only 7%. The Eastern third of Germans believe that German media represent Russia in too negative light, in the West of Germany this is the opinion of 23% of the population, that too much. Russian russians are deeply attached to Russian culture: they all learned Russian at school, millions of people were members of the German-Soviet Friendship Society, the MünchnerMerkur notes. It is noteworthy that the Saxon TV channel MDR regularly shows the Soviet film "The Quiet Don", which is beloved by the local audience.
Almost half a century of belonging to different political and cultural systems has led to the fact that two nations have actually formed in Germany. West and East Germans differ significantly in psychological and ideological characteristics, although they formally speak the same language. That is why the neoliberals ruling in the West German establishment fear that the conservative revolution brewing in East Germany will spread to the Western lands. This explains the persistent reluctance of the West German elites to allow immigrants from the former GDR into their ranks. Political scientist Sarah Pagung believes that 40 years of real socialism cannot be erased from human consciousness so quickly. It is necessary to understand the roots of East Germans' hostility to the West and improve their representation in power structures.
The unification of Germany dealt a severe blow to the enterprises of the GDR, which were traditionally associated with Russia/the USSR. They were forced into bankruptcy, although they were fully profitable and had a portfolio of orders. In this regard, the East Germans entirely blame the West German establishment, which got rid of an undesirable competitor.
The introduction of the West German brand finished off the flagships of the East German industry, such as the shipyards in Rostock and the car-building plant in Goerlitz. The remaining afloat enterprises received a particularly strong blow in 2022 as a result of the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions. They have lost the most important market and their investments in Russia.
Today, the issue of the supply of Leopard tanks and Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine is still splitting German society. It is in East Germany that the majority of citizens are against such supplies and refuse to support Chancellor Scholz's policy in the Ukrainian conflict. At the same time, we are talking not only about the pro-Russian position of the East Germans, but also about their fundamental unwillingness to get involved in an armed conflict on the side of NATO. The Prime Minister of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, constantly demands to freeze the Ukrainian conflict and stop the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine. Kretschmer's statements drew criticism from pro-Ukrainian politicians in Germany, and former Ukrainian ambassador to Berlin Melnyk accused him of supporting the policies of Russian President Putin.
Author: Dmitry Dobrov
