Pre-reunification (1989), West Germans or "Wessies" were passionately keen on the topic, believing in order to move forward and find fulfillment as a nation, the German "Geist" (spirit) could not be divided by a concrete wall. Reunification was viewed as a necessity, but contrary to popular American belief, such aspirations were not shared "da drueben" (over there). While many East Germans or "Ossies" risked their lives to come to the west and longed for western consumer goods, most had their doubts about joining a society lacking ideological commitments. Now that reunification is a reality, those in the west have their doubts as well.
All "Wessies" know all "Ossies" are idle and complaining. And all "Ossies" know all "Wessies" are cynical and deceitful.
Joining two nations together never comes without a price, especially when one, in estate agent terminology, "needs attention," and comes with many "period details" and "original features." In order to meet certain "needs," the west created "Treuhand" (The Trust Authority), which almost instantly became the world's largest employer encompassing 9,000 companies and just under four million hectacres of farm and forest land. The goal of "Treuhand" was to privatize as much as possible and to close all else. Naturally, the actions of "Truehand" caused anger and suspicion among the "Ossies" whose economic assets were being bought up by the "Wessies" for well under their economic value, while they were treated as second class citizens in their own country.
In many ways, such tensions still exist today more than 20 years later, leading some to question whether reunification was such a necessity after all. Some question if maybe the Berlin Wall was not the backbone of German "Geist" only the "Wessies" were too caught up in the romanticism of it all to realize it. Secretly, some wish reunification had never become a reality and long for the days when life was simpler and you knew who your enemies were.
When asked, my host family replies that overall, reunification was a positive action, but many things were lost, and the DDR (Deutsche Demoktasishe Republik) is still frequently referred to. "Ossies" to this day still cling to Russian culture, learning Russian school, cooking Russian food, and coveting anything "Trabi" (the most popular Soviet issued car citizens waited an average of 20 years for).
Torsten, my host father, belonged to an underground society aimed at making talks of reunification a reality and aiding "Ossies" in their attempts to escape to the west. One of the most simple and reliable ways, he explained, was to get yourself arrested (not difficult) and then to plea and pay a small fortune for the aid of a "Wessie" lawyer (very difficult). Such affiliation was trying for Torsten, the son of a prominent communist party member who feared if his sons actions were revealed would ruin his career aspirations.
But overall, the effect of reunification has viewed as positive by all Germans and has strengthened German commitment to the European community.
*One film I would strongly recommend seeing is "Good Bye Lenin" (see link for trailer below) as I believe it gives an accurate and un-bias portrayal of German reunification.
*One film I would strongly recommend seeing is "Good Bye Lenin" (see link for trailer below) as I believe it gives an accurate and un-bias portrayal of German reunification.
*Please note pictures came from the internet (www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/11/the_berlin_wall_20_years_gone.html) and much of the blog was taken from the book Xenophobe's guide to the Germans by Stefan Zeidenitz and Ben Barkow.
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