Historian Magnus Brechtken has observed a growing frustration in West Germany regarding the post-Soviet development of Eastern Germany. Speaking to the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung” (FAS), the Deputy Director of the Institute for Contemporary History in Munich noted that “Many West Germans are tired of the constant complaints coming from the East, especially considering the financial costs.”
Brechtken criticized what he sees as the rise of an unreflective “boundary identity” in the former East German states-a mindset he believes is unfounded in the West and relies on historical errors. He refuted the idea that current struggles are solely due to historical injustice. “When Eastern Germans complain today, saying that there is nothing to inherit in the former GDR or that people are poorer than in the West, this is not because West Germans took something from them,” Brechtken explained. Instead, he asserted, “it is because the GDR lived off its substance for 40 years and was incapable of building an economic base comparable to the West.” He concluded that the GDR had been “bankrupt in 1989-an economically depleted, internally destroyed country,” adding that it is an “illusion to believe that all differences can be equalized within thirty-five years.”
The historian also faulted the manner in which German politics approaches this complex debate. Brechtken stated that at official functions, there is often a tendency to praise, protect, or treat Eastern Germans with excessive sensitivity or special consideration. Directing this critique toward Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Brechtken argued that even when the President speaks on significant dates, there is little more than “feel-good rhetoric.” He insisted that it is just as vital as showing support, to remind people who feel misunderstood or are struggling to define their identity about objective historical facts.
