The new states of Germany () are the five re-established
states of the former
German Democratic Republic (GDR) that unified with the
Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) with its
10 states upon
German reunification
German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
on 3 October 1990.
The new states, which
were dissolved by the
GDR government in 1952 and re-established in 1990, are
Brandenburg,
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania,
Saxony,
Saxony-Anhalt, and
Thuringia. The state of
Berlin, the result of a merger between
East and
West Berlin, is usually not considered one of the new states although many of its residents are former East Germans. There have been 16 states in Germany since reunification.
Demographics
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the former East German states experienced high rates of depopulation until around 2008. About 2,000 schools closed between 1989 and 2008, because of a demographic shift to a lower number of children.
In 2006, the fertility rate in the new states (1.30) approached those in the old states (1.34) and in 2016 it was higher than in the old states (1.64 vs. 1.60 in the old states). In 2019, the new states had exactly the same fertility rate as the old states (both 1.56).
More children are born out of wedlock in the new states than in the old states. In the new states, 61% of births were from unmarried women compared to 27% in the old states in 2009. Both states of Saxony-Anhalt and
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania had the highest rates of birth outside wedlock at 64% each, followed by Brandenburg with 62%,
Bavaria and
Hesse at 26%, while the state of
Baden-Württemberg had the lowest rate at 22%.
Demographic evolution
Brandenburg had a population of 2,660,000 in 1989
and 2,531,071 in 2020.
It has the second-lowest population density in Germany. In 1995, it was the only new state to experience population growth, aided by nearby Berlin.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania had a population of 1,970,000 in 1989
and 1,610,774 in 2020,
with the lowest population density in Germany. The
local Landtag held several inquiries on population trends after the opposition requested an annual report on the topic.
Saxony had a population of 5,003,000 in 1989,
which fell to 4,056,094 in 2020.
It remains the most populated among the five new states. The proportion of the population under 20 years of age fell from 24.6% in 1988 to 19.7% in 1999.
Dresden and
Leipzig are among the fastest-growing cities in Germany, both raising their population by over half a million inhabitants again.
Saxony-Anhalt had a population of 2,960,000 in 1989,
which fell to 2,180,684 in 2020.
The state has a long history of demographic decline: its current territory had a population of 4,100,000 in 1945. The emigration already began during the GDR years.
Thuringia had a population of 2,680,000 in 1989,
which fell to 2,120,237 in 2020.
the new states have 12.5 million people, about 15% of Germany's population, and slightly less than that of
Bavaria.
Migration
There are more migrants in former West Germany than in former East Germany.
About 1.7 million people (or 12% of the population) had left the new states.
A disproportionately high number of them were women under the age of 35.
About 500,000 women under the age of 30 left for western Germany between 1993 and 2008.
In some rural regions, the number of women between the ages of 20 and 30 dropped by more than 30 percent.
After 2008, the
net migration rate decreased significantly.
In 2017, for the first time since German reunification, more people emigrated from the old states to the new states than vice versa.
All of the new states have populations where 90-95% of people do not have a migrant background.
Religion
Irreligion is predominant in former East Germany.
An exception is former
West Berlin, which had a Christian plurality in 2016 (44.4% Christian and 43.5% unaffiliated). It also has a higher share of
Muslims at 8.5%, compared to former
East Berlin
East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as ...
with only 1.5% self-declared Muslims as of 2016.
Eurostat
Eurostat ('European Statistical Office'; DG ESTAT) is a Directorate-General of the European Commission located in the Kirchberg, Luxembourg, Kirchberg quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Eurostat's main responsibilities are to provide statis ...
's
Eurobarometer survey in 2015, found that 27.0% of the adult population themselves as agnostics or non believer, while 34.1% declared themselves as atheists. Christians comprised 37.2% of the total population; by denomination, members of the Protestant Churches were 19.2%, members of other Christian denominations were 8.8%, Catholics were 7.1%, the Christian Orthodox were 2.1%.
An explanation for the atheism in the new states, popular in other states, is the aggressive
state atheist policies of the former GDR government. However, the enforcement of atheism existed only for the first few years. After that, the state allowed churches to have a relatively high level of autonomy.
Another explanation could be the secularizing trend (the "
Kulturkampf
(, 'culture struggle') was the conflict that took place from 1872 to 1878 between the Catholic Church led by Pope Pius IX and the government of Prussia led by Otto von Bismarck. The main issues were clerical control of education and ecclesiastic ...
") dating back to the second half of the 19th century in
Prussia and through the
Weimar Republic which was strongest in the states of
Thuringia and
Saxony as well as the
late arrival of Christianity to the region as opposed to southern Europe where it was the state religion from late antiquity.
Major cities
Culture
Persisting differences in culture and mentality among older
East Germans and
West Germans
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
are often referred to as the "wall in the head" ("Mauer im Kopf").
Ossis (Easties) are stereotyped as racist, poor and largely influenced by
Russian culture, while Wessis (Westies) are usually considered snobbish, dishonest, wealthy, and selfish. The terms can be considered to be disparaging.
In 2009, a poll found that 22% of former East Germans (40% under 25) considered themselves "real citizens of the Federal Republic";
62% felt they were no longer citizens of East Germany, but not fully integrated into the unified Germany; and around 11% would have liked to have re-established East Germany.
An earlier poll 2004 found that 25% of West Germans and 12% of East Germans wished reunification had not happened.
Some East German brands have been revived to appeal to former East Germans who are nostalgic for the goods they grew up with.
Brands revived in this manner include
Rotkäppchen
''Rotkäppchen'' is an East German film based on the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood
"Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century Europea ...
, which holds about 40% of the German sparkling wine market, and
Zeha, the sports shoe maker that supplied most of East Germany's sports teams as well as the
Soviet Union national football team.
Economy
The
economic reconstruction of eastern Germany (german: Aufbau Ost) proved to be longer-term than originally foreseen.
As of 2005, the
standard of living
Standard of living is the level of income, comforts and services available, generally applied to a society or location, rather than to an individual. Standard of living is relevant because it is considered to contribute to an individual's quality ...
and average annual income remained significantly lower in the new states.
The federal government spent
€2
trillion to reunify
and privatise 8,500 state-owned east German enterprises.
Almost all East German industries were considered outdated while reunifying.
Since 1990, amounts between €100 billion and €140 billion have been transferred to the new states annually.
More than €60 billion were spent supporting businesses and building infrastructure in the years 2006–2008.
A €156 billion
economic plan, Solidarity Pact II, was enforced in 2005 and provided the financial basis for the advancement and special promotion of the economy of the new states until 2019.
The "solidarity tax", a 5.5% surcharge on the income tax, was implemented by the
Kohl government to match the infrastructure of the new states to the levels of the western ones
and to apportion the cost of unification and the expenses of both the
Gulf War and European integration. The tax, which raises €11 billion annually, was planned to remain in force until 2019.
Since reunification, the
unemployment rate in the East has doubled that of the West. The unemployment rate reached 12.7%
in April 2010, after reaching a maximum of 18.7% in 2005. As of 2020, the
unemployment rates in the new states were lower than in some old states.
In the decade 1999–2009, economic activity per person rose from 67% to 71% of western Germany.
Wolfgang Tiefensee, the minister then responsible for the development of the new states, said in 2009: "The gap is closing."
The new states are also the part of the country that was least affected by the
2007-2008 financial crisis.
All the new states qualify as ''
Objective 1'' development regions within the
European Union and were eligible to receive
investment subsidies of up to 30% until 2013.
Infrastructure
The "German Unity Transport Projects" (
Verkehrsprojekte Deutsche Einheit, VDE) is a programme launched in 1991 that is intended to upgrade the infrastructure of eastern Germany and modernize transport links between the old and new states.
It consists of nine railway projects, seven motorway projects, and one
waterway project with a total budget of €38.5 billion. As of 2009, all 17 projects were under construction or have been completed.
The construction of new railway lines and high-speed upgrades of existing lines reduced journey times between Berlin and
Hanover from over four hours to 96 minutes.
Many railway lines (branches and main lines) have been closed by the unified
Deutsche Bahn
The (; abbreviated as DB or DB AG) is the national railway company of Germany. Headquartered in the Bahntower in Berlin, it is a joint-stock company ( AG). The Federal Republic of Germany is its single shareholder.
describes itself as the se ...
(German Railways) because of increased car usage and depopulation. The VDE states that some main lines are still not finished or upgraded, with the Leipzig-Nuremberg line (via Erfurt and part of the Munich-Berlin route) scheduled to come on-line in December 2017, almost three decades after reunification.
''Deutsche Einheit Fernstraßenplanungs- und -bau GmbH'', (English: German Unity Road Construction Company; DEGES) is the state-owned project management institution responsible for the construction of approximately 1,360 km of federal roads within the VDE with a total budget of €10.2 billion. It is also involved in other transport projects, including 435 km of roads costing about €1,760 million as well as a city tunnel in
Leipzig costing €685 million.
The Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2003 includes plans to extend the
A14 motorway from
Magdeburg to
Schwerin and to build the
A72 from
Chemnitz
Chemnitz (; from 1953 to 1990: Karl-Marx-Stadt , ) is the third-largest city in the German state of Saxony after Leipzig and Dresden. It is the 28th largest city of Germany as well as the fourth largest city in the area of former East Germany a ...
to
Leipzig.
Private ownership rates of cars have increased since 1990: in 1988, 55% of East German households had at least one car; in 1993 it rose to 67% and 71% in 1998, compared to the West German rates of 61% in 1988, 74% in 1993, and 76% in 1998.
Politics
Unlike the West, there was a three-party system (
CDU,
SPD,
PDS/The Left) until the
''Alternative für Deutschland'' (AfD) formed in 2013,
[Steffen Schoon: ''Wählerverhalten und Strukturmuster des Parteienwettbewerbs'', in: Steffen Schoon, Nikolaus Werz (Hrsg.): ''Die Landtagswahl in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 2006'', Rostock 2006, S. 9.] creating a four-party system. Since 2009 at least four factions have been represented in each of the East German regional parliaments, six in Saxony. In 1998/1999, for example, only one of the regional parliaments included more than three factions.
Far-left
The democratic socialist party,
The Left (''Die Linke'', successor to the ''Party of Democratic Socialism'', the
GDR state party's successor) has been successful throughout eastern Germany, perhaps as a result of the continued disparity of living conditions and salaries compared with western Germany, and high unemployment. Ever since it associated with the
WASG, The Left frequently loses in state elections and has been losing members since 2010.
The
Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), and The Left from 2005, have gained the following vote shares in recent elections:
After losing votes to the AfD, the Left plans to establish a regional group in eastern Germany.
Far-right
After 1990, far-right and
German nationalist groups gained followers. Some sources claim mostly among people frustrated by the high unemployment and the poor economic situation.
''
Der Spiegel
''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'' also points out that these people are primarily single men and that there may also be socio-demographic reasons.
Since around 1998 the support for right-wing parties shifted from the south of Germany to the east.
The far-right party
German People's Union (DVU) formed in
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
in Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg since
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 Ä°zmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
. In 2009, the party lost its representation in the
Landtag of Brandenburg.
The far-right
National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) was represented in the
Saxon State Parliament from
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
to
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern the NPD losts its representation in the parliament following the
2016 state elections. In 2009,
Junge Landsmannschaft Ostdeutschland, supported by the NPD, organized a march on the anniversary of the
Bombing of Dresden in World War II. There were 6,000 Nationalists which were met by tens of thousands of ″anti-Nazis″ and several thousand policemen.
The Free Voters of Germany emerged in 2009 from the Land Brandenburg regional branch of
Free Voters, after being excluded because of "signs of right infiltration" from the Federal Association of Free Voters Germany.
[''Freie Wähler schließen Zwei Landesverbände Wegen Rechtskurs aus,''](_blank)
pr-inside.com ( Associated Press), 4 April 2009.
Pegida has its focus in eastern Germany. A survey by TNS Emnid reports that in mid-December 2014, 53% of East Germans in each case sympathised with the PEGIDA demonstrators. (48% in the West)
The
Alternative for Germany
Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist
*
*
*
*
*
*
* political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. I ...
(''Alternative für Deutschland''; AfD) had the most votes in the new states of Germany in the
2013 German federal election
Federal elections were held on 22 September to elect the members of the 18th Bundestag of Germany. At stake were all 598 seats to the Bundestag, plus 33 overhang seats determined thereafter. The Christian Democratic Union of Germany/ Christian ...
s, in 2017. and in 2021 elections. The party is seen as harbouring anti-immigration views.
In 2016, AfD reached at least 17% in
Saxony-Anhalt,
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (where the NPD lost all seats)
and
Berlin.
In 2015,
Rhineland-Palatinate interior minister Roger Lewentz said the former communist states were "more susceptible" to "xenophobic radicalization" because former East Germany had not had the same exposure to foreign people and cultures over the decades that the people in the West of the country have had.
In the
2017 federal election, AfD received approximately 22% of the votes in the East and approximately 11% in the West.
In the
2021 federal election, the AFD emerged as the largest in the states of
Saxony and
Thuringia, and saw a strong performance in
eastern Germany.
*With the votes of the FDP gains of 2001/02.
Protest vote
Fringe parties, particularly the AfD and The Left,
[Iris Huth: ''Politische Verdrossenheit. Erscheinungsformen und Ursachen als Herausforderungen für das Politische System und die Politische Kultur der Bundesrepublik Deutschland im 21. Jahrhundert'', Dissertation Universität Münster 2003, LIT Verlag, Münster 2004, (Politik und Partizipation 3), S. 170.] receive a large number of protest votes in eastern Germany, which causes voter shifting from left to right and vice versa.
The
Pirate Party Germany was chosen slightly more frequently in the East (10.1 percent) than in the West (8.1 percent) of Berlin. Among those under 30 years of age in East Berlin, the Pirates were the second most popular party with 20 percent of the votes.
[Wahlanalysen.](_blank)
Forschungsgruppe Wahlen; retrieved 1 October 2011. For example, none of the parties elected to the Berlin House of Representatives in 2011 lost a high proportion of their voters to the AfD as the Pirates at the next election in 2016 (16%).
[Infratest dimap]
Analysen Zu den Wählerwanderungen in Berlin 2016
retrieved 29 September 2016. Other findings also suggest that some of their voters, like the AfD, regard the Pirate Party primarily as a protest party.
[Felix Neumann: ''Plattformneutralität. Zur Programmatik der Piratenpartei.'' In: ]Oskar Niedermayer
Oskar Ritter von Niedermayer (8 November 1885 – 25 September 1948) was a German General, professor and a German super-spy. Sometimes referred to as the German Lawrence (just like Wilhelm Wassmuss), Niedermayer is remembered for having led the 19 ...
(Hrsg.): ''Die Piratenpartei''. Springer, Wiesbaden 2013, S. 175.
The election slogans of the DVU in the regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt in 1998 were directed primarily against the politicians already represented in parliament: "Not the people - the political bigwigs, will dole!" And "German, let's not make the sow you. DVU - The protest in the election against dirty things from above". In particular, politically dissatisfied people were advertised towards with the slogan "vote protest - vote German."
At the time, the DVU had 12.9% of the votes.
Independence
In 1991, the PDS demanded the right for Thuringia to leave the united Germany in its draft of the constitution, which ultimately did not pass.
Tatjana Festerling
Tatjana Festerling (née Schimanski, 6 March 1964) is a German far-right activist who was a member of the organisation team of the political movement Pegida. She was expelled from the Pegida leadership for advocating that asylum-seekers should ...
was a leader in the Dresden
Pegida demonstrations from February 2015 to mid-April 2016 after Kathrin Oertel withdrew. She demanded the "Säxit"the secession of Saxony from the Federal Republic of Germanyon October 12, 2015, after she had already demanded the rebuilding of the former
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...
over Germany on March 9, 2015.
Opinion polls
Percentage of respondents supporting independence from the new states of Germany:
See also
*
East German jokes
*
Old states of Germany
The old states of Germany (german: die alten Länder) is a jargon referring to the ten of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) that were part of West Germany and that unified with the eastern German Democratic Republic' ...
*
Ossi and Wessi
Ossi and Wessi ( – "easterner"; – "westerner") are the informal names that people in Germany call former citizens of East Germany and West Germany before re-unification (1945–1990). These names represent the lingering differences between th ...
*
Ostalgie
References
External links
The Federal Government's Annual Report on the State of German Unity 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:New States Of Germany
Society of Germany
Political history of Germany
German reunification
1990 in Germany
Regions of Germany