Even 36 years after German reunification, the differences between East and West have not been erased. East Germans have lower average incomes, receive lower pensions, own less real estate. That is why there are still significant differences in well-being.
The differences are largely due to the restrictions that existed in the former GDR, where for decades people were unable to develop private businesses and create their own financial reserves. That is why families were unable to accumulate and pass on significant assets to their children and grandchildren. For the same reason, East Germans can bequeath much less today than West Germans.
Does social progress depend on wealth and connections?
The current Deutschlandmonitor survey, commissioned by the Federal Government Commissioner for East German Affairs Elisabeth Kaiser, provides further information in this regard. According to the data analyzed, almost two-thirds of those surveyed are convinced that financial and social progress depends to a decisive extent on wealth, connections and social background.
This perception is also reflected in the figures. According to the data presented by Kaiser, the proportion of leaders from East Germany in the highest federal bodies has increased from 13.9 percent in 2022 to the current 16.3 percent. But "the higher the leadership level, the smaller the proportion of East Germans", she says.
Few East Germans in leadership positions
The special representative says in this regard that equal opportunity would require that people from East Germany have an equal opportunity to influence important decisions for the country. She advocates that East Germans have access to all key positions where important decisions for Germany are made - in ministries, in the economy, science, the judiciary, culture and the media.
In all areas, East Germans are significantly underrepresented. Kaiser refers to statistics from the "Elite Monitor" - a survey commissioned by her institution. According to its data, the share of East Germans in management positions in both the public and private sectors increased only slightly during the study period from 2018 to 2024 - from 10.9 to 12.1 percent.
"The elites are almost exclusively West German"
According to sociologist Michael Hartmann, interviewed by German public broadcaster ARD, the elites in Germany are practically entirely West German. There are almost no people in the management of large companies and corporations who grew up in East Germany: among the more than 250 members of the boards of directors of DAX companies, there is only one East German. And among the chairmen of the boards of directors and supervisory boards of the 100 largest companies, there is not a single one. In the judicial system alone, there are half a dozen federal judges who are of East German origin. However, this is a minimal number, the sociologist told ARD, who advocates the introduction of quotas for East Germans in leadership positions.
According to him, the reason for this low representation of East Germans is due to the fact that after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unification of the country, all elite positions were filled by West Germans, who in turn brought their own collaborators from the West and introduced their own ideas about who was suitable for leadership positions. It is this West German perspective that has been established for decades, Hartmann notes.
What is the connection with the successes of "Alternative for Germany"
Since West Germans dominate so categorically in the economy, politics, and even in the judicial sphere, many East Germans consider themselves to be in a position of subordinates, and this creates defensive attitudes. Therefore, according to the sociologist, it is no coincidence that "Alternative for Germany" is much stronger in the eastern federal states.
The feeling that the fate of East Germany is being determined from the outside, without the people having the opportunity to influence this development, has a decisive impact. Added to this are the existing social problems, the expert commented to ARD.
Source: www.dw.com