Challenges of a United Germany - BY AWAKE! WRITER IN GERMANY

"Times Were Good"

Nevertheless, some look back on pre-Wende days with nostalgia.  "Times were good," explains one woman. What could have been good about living under  a dictatorship? Some say that life was predictable and secure. Many cherished the close bonds among friends and neighbors, the feeling that help and support were always at hand.  According to the Allensbach Opinion Research Institute,  "dictatorships give their citizens  a feeling of moral superiority and security."  Once the GDR dictatorship disappeared, the close feeling vanished.  

Another example:  In the 1980's, the prices of basic goods and services were kept low, and everyone had a job.  "A bread roll used to cost five pfennig, but now it costs at least ten times that," bemoans Brigitte. Once free-market competition was introduced, thousands of state-owned enterprises went out of business, causing unemployment.  The former East Germany has twice the unemployment of the western side.

So far, reunification has cost an estimated $800 billion. And there is still much to do. Who is paying the bill?  The cost is partly being met by a special tax. Hence, the Wende has touched not only  German hearts but also German pockets!  Has the effort  been worthwhile, the money well spent?  The majority  see reunification as positive and worthwhile, and achievement to be proud of.

Next time: Challenges of a United Germany - BY AWAKE! WRITER IN GERMANY/What Can We Learn?

From the Awake! magazine