Post‐unification dissatisfaction, or why are so many East Germans unhappy with the new political system?

Abstract

The introduction of an open market economy in East Germany was accompanied by massive deindustrialisation and double‐digit unemployment rates. Thus, the dissatisfaction with the new institutional order as it is exhibited by a considerable minority is attributed to the shocks imposed by the economic and monetary union of July 1990. On closer inspection, however, post‐unification dissatisfaction (PUD) does not appear to be of a predominately economic nature. Alternative explanatory approaches to PUD are discussed: the expectation frustration hypothesis that relates PUD to the all too high expectations formed at the outset of unification; the treatment‐response thesis focusing on the experiences with West German paternalism and self‐interests; and the ‘socialist legacy’ approach. Statements about relative ‘political’ gains and losses from unification show that older generations are more often dissatisfied with the outcomes of system change than younger ones. This relates to both the probable experience of discrimination after unification and the survival of socialist values and aspirations.

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