Hertie School hosts discussion with author and Professor Dirk Oschmann about how Eastern Germany is seen by the West – and why the AfD is so strong in the East.
In 1990 the German Democratic Republic ceased to exist as the region joined the western Federal Republic of Germany. After decades of being divided by concrete walls, barbed wire and opposing economic and political systems, “what belonged together would now grow together”, commented former German Chancellor Willy Brandt. But the country’s eastern citizens have by no means been equal partners in the reunified German state, argues Dirk Oschmann, Professor of Literature at Leipzig University and author of the polemic book Der Osten: Eine westdeutsche Erfindung (The East: A West German Invention).
Oschmann was the keynote speaker of the panel “Rethinking the divide: The legacy and future of East-West German identity”, an event hosted last week at the Hertie School. The panel also included Merle Spellerberg, Member of the German Bundestag in the eastern state of Saxony (Alliance 90/The Greens), and Michaela Kreyenfeld, Professor of Sociology at the Hertie School. Gabriel Rinaldi, journalist at Sueddeutsche Zeitung Dossier and Hertie School graduate (MIA 2022), moderated the discussion.
The panel, which took place on the heels of Germany’s federal election, delved into East German identity and why the far-right party AfD did so well in the region.
The Eastern German as seen through the eyes of the West
In his address, Oschmann laid out the main thesis of his book: that the image of “the East” has been constructed through Western viewpoints, and that this image has largely been a negative one that contrasts against the positive image of the West. He added that, to this day, Western German perspectives prevail in economics, politics, academia and the media. He stressed the latter, noting that nearly all national media outlets are based in Western Germany, producing “journalism from the West for the West”.
Panellists explore why the AfD did so well in Eastern Germany
The panellists pointed to socioeconomic and demographic factors that explain the AfD’s success in Eastern Germany. These include fewer big cities and a much higher poverty rate compared with the West, as well as a massive outflux of young, educated people – especially women – out of the region. This has left Eastern Germany with a larger, rural male population among whom the AfD is popular. Yet economic inequality alone does not explain the AfD’s strong showing in Eastern Germany, said Professor Kreyenfeld. She argued that many Eastern Germans see the AfD as the only party to address issues important to them like migration.
However, according to Spellerberg, the election results do not clearly cut along the East-West divide. Maps showing election results give the false impression that the AfD was only strong in the East, when in fact there were also districts in Western Germany where the AfD did well.
The event “Rethinking the divide: The legacy and future of East-West German identity” was organised by the Hertie School’s alumni office and is part of the State of Democracy series. Special thanks go to Sascha Al Dahouk, EMPA graduate (2020) and Berlin Alumni Chapter co-lead, who proposed the idea for the event and worked closely with our alumni team to organise it.
Watch the full video of the event below.
Contact
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Nena Grceva, Director Alumni Affairs