East Germans come in from the cold

POTSDAM – After the fall of the Berlin Wall 16 years ago, it was the West Germans who brought democracy and a market economy to the country’s communist East.

But with nearly five million unemployed and an economy that is barely growing, Germany has now turned to two easterners – or “Ossis” as Germans say – to drag the country from its quagmire. East Germans only account for around 17 million of Germany’s 82 million people.But for the first time, Ossis are in charge of the two most important parties, and one of them, Angela Merkel, was yesterday sworn in as Germany’s first female chancellor.Merkel, a physicist, rose to fame in 2000 when she took over as head of the Christian Democrats (CDU) from former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who resigned over a party finance scandal.The other top easterner is Matthias Platzeck, the hitherto largely unknown state premier of Brandenburg who was elected head of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) last week.Until recently, the easterners who made headlines were people like Michael Ballack, the captain of Germany’s soccer team.Now, it’s the turn of the political elite.Like Merkel, Platzeck emerged from a party crisis to take over as leader of the SPD, prompting Germany’s top selling newspaper, the sensational tabloid-style Bild, to splash across its front page: ‘The Ossis Are Our New Bossis!’ Political analysts are less dramatic, but they agree it is significant that easterners have taken the country’s top posts.”It’s an important symbol.It’s taken perhaps too long for East Germans to rise to the top,” said Thomas Poguntke, an expert on Germany at the University of Birmingham, England.In addition to both being 51 years old, Poguntke said it is no accident that both Platzeck and Merkel are scientists.Science was one of the few professional havens where one could escape the watchful eyes of East Germany’s police state and keep one’s hands clean, he explained.”In the West, successful politicians tend to be lawyers or civil servants.Successful East German politicians tend to be scientists or have a church background,” he said.”There weren’t many niches where you could escape the regime’s reach.”Merkel and Platzeck’s success even prompted German media commentators to ask whether decades spent behind the Iron Curtain might have produced a better breed of politician.CAN OSSIS DO IT BETTER? Bild asked several prominent easterners if they thought East Germans were superior to their western neighbours, most of whom grew up in the postwar democratic Federal Republic of Germany.”Ossis aren’t better.They’re just different.You can see this very nicely with Merkel and Platzeck.Both are scientists, not pandering to the media, but contemplative and analytical,” said Maybrit Illner, an Ossi and anchorwoman for ZDF television.Folk music star Stefanie Hertel said the debate was no longer relevant: “People should finally stop pointing out the differences.”But Don Balmer, a 68-year-old West German actor, visiting Platzeck’s home city of Potsdam, said the separate histories of the West and the East did make a difference.”On the surface it all looks the same in much of the East.”But underneath it’s very different,” he told Reuters.Balmer, an SPD supporter, also made no attempt to hide his pessimism about the Ossi-led government: “I don’t expect much.”One of Merkel’s main promises has been to reduce the ranks of Germany’s unemployed – like the group of men who were drinking beers at 2 p.m.in the ‘Schwarzer Kater’ in Potsdam.”These people here now are without work,” said Andrea Sillig, the 34-year-old bartender who would be fully unemployed herself if she didn’t spend a few hours a week pouring drinks.THE GOOD OLD DAYS? Potsdam is the capital of the state of Brandenburg, which boasts the second lowest unemployment rate of any state in the former communist East – 16,6 per cent.Overall, unemployment in the East is around 18 per cent versus 10 per cent in the West.Since the 1990 reunification of Germany, the government has poured around 90 billion euros (US$105 billion) a year into the East, much of it in the form of welfare benefits.Sillig doesn’t hanker after a revival of communism, but she finds it hard to suppress all nostalgia for the planned economy.”It wasn’t all bad.Everyone had a job.Everyone could study.It was free,” said Sillig.”Sure you had the Stasi,” she said, referring to the feared Staatssicherheitsdienst, East Germany’s secret police.”But now you have the fear of losing your job.”Like Sillig, Jirka Witschak is pleased that easterners like Merkel and Platzeck, who have a reputation for being free of ideology, are in charge of the country.”I think it’s super,” said Witschak (35), who owns a cafe in Potsdam and has never been unemployed.He has plastered a wall in his cafe with articles from the newspapers of the communist German Democratic Republic (GDR) to remind his customers of the propaganda they were once fed.One headline is sure to hit home among East German customers: ‘Unemployment is foreign to the GDR’.- Nampa-ReutersEast Germans only account for around 17 million of Germany’s 82 million people.But for the first time, Ossis are in charge of the two most important parties, and one of them, Angela Merkel, was yesterday sworn in as Germany’s first female chancellor.Merkel, a physicist, rose to fame in 2000 when she took over as head of the Christian Democrats (CDU) from former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who resigned over a party finance scandal.The other top easterner is Matthias Platzeck, the hitherto largely unknown state premier of Brandenburg who was elected head of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) last week.Until recently, the easterners who made headlines were people like Michael Ballack, the captain of Germany’s soccer team.Now, it’s the turn of the political elite.Like Merkel, Platzeck emerged from a party crisis to take over as leader of the SPD, prompting Germany’s top selling newspaper, the sensational tabloid-style Bild, to splash across its front page: ‘The Ossis Are Our New Bossis!’ Political analysts are less dramatic, but they agree it is significant that easterners have taken the country’s top posts.”It’s an important symbol.It’s taken perhaps too long for East Germans to rise to the top,” said Thomas Poguntke, an expert on Germany at the University of Birmingham, England.In addition to both being 51 years old, Poguntke said it is no accident that both Platzeck and Merkel are scientists.Science was one of the few professional havens where one could escape the watchful eyes of East Germany’s police state and keep one’s hands clean, he explained.”In the West, successful politicians tend to be lawyers or civil servants.Successful East German politicians tend to be scientists or have a church background,” he said.”There weren’t many niches where you could escape the regime’s reach.”Merkel and Platzeck’s success even prompted German media commentators to ask whether decades spent behind the Iron Curtain might have produced a better breed of politician.CAN OSSIS DO IT BETTER? Bild asked several prominent easterners if they thought East Germans were superior to their western neighbours, most of whom grew up in the postwar democratic Federal Republic of Germany.”Ossis aren’t better.They’re just different.You can see this very nicely with Merkel and Platzeck.Both are scientists, not pandering to the media, but contemplative and analytical,” said Maybrit Illner, an Ossi and anchorwoman for ZDF television.Folk music star Stefanie Hertel said the debate was no longer relevant: “People should finally stop pointing out the differences.”But Don Balmer, a 68-year-old West German actor, visiting Platzeck’s home city of Potsdam, said the separate histories of the West and the East did make a difference.”On the surface it all looks the same in much of the East.”But underneath it’s very different,” he told Reuters.Balmer, an SPD supporter, also made no attempt to hide his pessimism about the Ossi-led government: “I don’t expect much.”One of Merkel’s main promises has been to reduce the ranks of Germany’s unemployed – like the group of men who were drinking beers at 2 p
.m.in the ‘Schwarzer Kater’ in Potsdam.”These people here now are without work,” said Andrea Sillig, the 34-year-old bartender who would be fully unemployed herself if she didn’t spend a few hours a week pouring drinks.THE GOOD OLD DAYS? Potsdam is the capital of the state of Brandenburg, which boasts the second lowest unemployment rate of any state in the former communist East – 16,6 per cent.Overall, unemployment in the East is around 18 per cent versus 10 per cent in the West.Since the 1990 reunification of Germany, the government has poured around 90 billion euros (US$105 billion) a year into the East, much of it in the form of welfare benefits.Sillig doesn’t hanker after a revival of communism, but she finds it hard to suppress all nostalgia for the planned economy.”It wasn’t all bad.Everyone had a job.Everyone could study.It was free,” said Sillig.”Sure you had the Stasi,” she said, referring to the feared Staatssicherheitsdienst, East Germany’s secret police.”But now you have the fear of losing your job.”Like Sillig, Jirka Witschak is pleased that easterners like Merkel and Platzeck, who have a reputation for being free of ideology, are in charge of the country.”I think it’s super,” said Witschak (35), who owns a cafe in Potsdam and has never been unemployed.He has plastered a wall in his cafe with articles from the newspapers of the communist German Democratic Republic (GDR) to remind his customers of the propaganda they were once fed.One headline is sure to hit home among East German customers: ‘Unemployment is foreign to the GDR’.- Nampa-Reuters