The East German Elections
Some opinions and background information about the recent state elections in Saxony and Thuringia. Written by an East German.
Some off-topic today.
Since I assume that many of my readers aren’t familiar with German politics, especially not with those of two German states that combined do not even have 10 million inhabitants, I want to shed some light on why East Germans (Ossis) vote so differently compared to West Germans (Wessis) and why there is still this political and cultural divide. I also can’t help myself and will talk about some history as well.
Although I was born after 1990, I lived my whole live in the East, my entire family is East German with different backgrounds during GDR times. Before moving to Australia earlier this year, I lived 10 years in Saxony, the centre of the German resistance to the current Green-Globalist government, and I say this proudly. Hence, I feel confident to give my opinion on the recent state elections in my former home region. This whole thing is extremely complex, I could write a book about it. If this article appears to be a bit all other the place… well, you see how things are connected. Keep in my that this is my subjective opinion here.
Part I: The Election Results
I won’t talk about this in too much detail, other sources do a good job here. Nevertheless, this is what happened:
Now, the important thing here is: Without the voters of larger cities, mostly Dresden-Neustadt, Leipzig and Jena, the Greens would have had no chance, we see that in Thuringia where Jena is the only woke place (that’s where Carl Zeiss, the optics manufacturer, comes from btw). In the countryside, AfD turnout is usually between 35 to upper 40%. The leader is Bautzen with 49% AfD. I mean, that’s peak basedness.
The question will be how governments can be formed. Everyone ruled out working with AfD, even though a centre-right coalition would be the obvious thing to form in a normal country. So either, the CDU (cuckservative) works together with far-left BSW, which would basically be kamikaze for both parties, or, the CDU starts a revolt against Berlin and does what about 70% of local CDU members want: Work with AfD. But do they have the balls needed? I don’t think so, but would love to see getting proved wrong.
The story of national and perhaps international importance are the seats in the Bundesrat, basically the assembly of the German states, that are affected by the elections. The Bundesrat has 69 seats in total. Every state sends 3–6 deputies, depending on population size. These deputies are sent by the state government and vote as a block. Since the Greens are a part of almost every state government, they are overrepresented there, compared to their usual ~15% turnout during elections. Hence, they have veto power in the Bundesrat and can block every non-green law that needs to pass the Bundesrat. If the Greens cannot form part of the Thuringian and at best the Saxon government, they are not represented at all in the Bundesrat by these states. They lose their vetoing power and laws could pass against the will of the Greens. This is key. But with 5,1% for them in Saxony, we maybe need to wait for Brandenburg voting on 22 September. Or even longer. But the shift has started. Tom Luongo (yes, I’m a fan), explains this nicely.
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Part II: Explaining East Germany from Past to Present
To many, it might be surprising to hear that there are still so dramatic differences between the two sides of Germany. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989. One year later, on 3 October 1990, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) ceased to exist after 40 years. Five new Bundesländer (states) entered the Federal Republic of Germany, to technically, the GDR was annexed by the FRG. One could think that this is the end of East Germany and the differences would soon disappear. Many West Germans (“Wessis” – German slang) thought so, but it didn’t happen. Today, there are still significant differences between the East and West German states and as we have seen in the recent election, the Ossis (East Germans) think and vote very distinctly. This short clip highlights all the differences:
There is no one Germany, never has been.
Germany’s history is a complex thing. We are around for 2000 years and most of the time we have been split into several hundred independent states: Free cities, duchy, kingdoms, bishoprics, etc. The Holy Roman Empire with its seven prince electors certainly was speciality of German Federalism and a unique thing.
It was only in 1871 that Germany was unified with blood & iron by the Prussian military and Bismarck’s diplomatic genius. But even within the Kaiserreich (1871-1918), federalism was a strong political element; otherwise, the unification would not have been possible. Saxony and Bavaria, for example, kept their own armies, commanded by their own king, not by the Kaiser in Berlin.
With all this century-old history in mind, it is therefore no wonder that Germany has many identities, and the East-West thing is just the most recent chapter in this book. For me, it is a feature and not a bug of Germany. In this case, diversity is our strength.
If you go back to pre-unified Germany of the 18th and early 19th century, you see exactly what I mean: Prussia is known as the protestant military state, but there were many, many smaller states excelling at different things. Dukes & bishops competed for the best musicians for their theatres, the best scientists for their universities, the best architects for their castle and so on. 18th century Germany can be seen as something very close to the libertarian idea of competition between small, culturally similar states. Don’t like the Duke of Braunschweig? Well, move 20 km south to the Free City of Goslar which has an entirely different system of governance.
Saxony & Thuringia: A Quick History Lesson
Saxony is, together with Bavaria, the state of Germany with the strongest regional identity. People generally identify themselves as Saxons first, and German second. In Thuringia, this true to a lesser degree.
But why is that the case? Well, Saxony was an independent kingdom from medieval times until 1866 when in became a part of the North German Federation after the German Brother’s War between Prussia and Austria. Saxony sided with Austria against Prussian hegemony. During the Napoleonic Wars, Saxony sided with Napoleon. During the Battle of Leipzig, the largest battle in Europe before WW1 with a 133 000 dead, Saxony switched sides while their troops approached the Prussian lines on the battlefield. They turned around and started shooting at the French. Better late than never, but at the Vienna Congress, Saxony had to cede 1/3 of its territory to Prussia.
During the Seven Years’ War, Saxony also fought with Austria against Prussia (and lost). There was a saying that Saxony is like a sack of flour: no matter how often you punch it, you’ll always get something out of it. And that’s actually true!
For centuries, Saxony was one of the richest regions of Germany: Rich deposits of silver and tin were discovered in the early medieval. Mining formed the base of a manufacturing industry. In the early 18th century, Johann Friedrich Böttger discovered how to make porcelain, much to the liking of his employer, Prince Elector August II. The Strong, who was also elected King of Poland and the father of about 150 children, quite a monarch. In the 19th century, Saxony became the industrial heart of Germany, with lots of manufacturing and textile industry. It was one of the densely industrialised areas in the world.
In Thuringia, the map looked like a typical Flickenteppich, a cluster of many small and tiny states. The region is home to Weimar, where Johann Wolfgang von Goethe lived and to the Wartburg castle, where Martin Luther translated the bible into German, after nailing his 99 thesis to the door of the cathedral in Wittenberg, Saxony. An early example of local recalcitrance.
Saxony and Thuringia also were home to rich uranium mines until 1990. East Germany was the third-largest uranium producer at that time, just as a side note. That story deserves its own article.
As you see, the region offers quite some history and this is fairly common knowledge for the locals. Everyone in Saxony knows August The Strong, the story of how porcelain was discovered, etc. And this forms a strong regional identity which plays an important factor in current politics.
East Germany Today
These historic differences add to the recent experience of the socialist dictatorship that East Germany was. Many older people still remember these times, and younger folks like me generally have an idea how things were. More so, many things that were typical in the GDR are still an important part of live today. A good – but likely not the most important - example might be the Simson: a simple, small motorcycle commonly referred to as Simme, used mostly by younger guys in villages and small towns. It’s cheap, easy to repair and still very popular in the East, whereas probably no West German teenager has any idea of what a Simme is. On the weekend before the election, the head of the Thuringian AfD, Björn Höcke, toured with his Simson from Greiz to Ronneburg, followed by about 200 young guys and girls. Certainly, a much cooler political event than complaining about being misgendered or getting worried about climate change while freezing in the snow in April (seen that with my own eyes).
On a more political note, especially the boomers and Gen X of the East are far more sceptical of the political class. Why? Well, they have seen one system collapse, got thrown into another one and started to compare. For example, I had several teachers in high school that basically got the job at my school in former East Berlin because they were loyal party members. While some still had their (realistic and moderate) left wing opinions, others changed 180 degrees (360 for you, Annalena) after they understood that they were told a lie and became strongly opposed to socialism. These guys were in an existential crisis when the wall fell, fearing they’d lose everything - and some did.
On the other hand, if you hated socialism before it was cool, the reunification felt like a miracle to you, and you couldn’t await to get blessed by all the wonderful things that America and capitalism offer you. But was the West as golden as the people on the grey side of the wall thought? Were the expectations too high?
As shown in the clip at the beginning, there is still a stark contrast in many living conditions between East and West. However, I think you can now more than ever after WW2 make a good living in the East. Rents are cheap, towns are beautiful, salaries are rising due to a shortage of workers (emigration + demographics). Especially around Dresden, there are many High-Tech companies, TSMC will build a semiconductor factory there. Leipzig and Jena are booming. The rural areas might be a bit dead here and there, and salaries are relatively low there, but still one can make a decent living there, particularly if you are nature and family oriented.
Things are getting better, and it’s more that people are afraid of losing what they accomplished after 1990 than being upset that they earn still ~30% less compared to the West. I often hear that people just want to have 2010 Germany back, not 1985, 1939 or 1900. Just a normal country, that’s it.
I liked living in Saxony quite a bit, both studying and working. I emigrated for professional and political reasons. And yes, I miss my former home. And I am starting to see the trend of conservative West Germans moving to the East. You are absolutely welcome!
Again, people aren’t upset because they are poor and can’t find a job, that was the 90s and 00s. Saxony and Thuringia have the best education systems in Germany (education is a state thing in Germany), investments are flowing, and an average town centre looks like this (It’s Pirna, random example):
The Original Red Pill: The 1989 Revolution
This chapter might be a bit unrelated, but I think it is important to explain this here briefly. The 1989 revolution is the major event for older East Germans, no matter what they were thinking at the time. It impacted everyone’s life, regardless of the party membership status. People still often talk about it, and it is key to understand 1989/90 to understand East German thinking.
Usually, there is this one moment in life. The one moment when you think to yourself ‘wait a minute’ and start realising you’ve been told a lie. Be it the recent pandemic, the card house called financial system, the lies that led to wars, etc.
In the East German context, this moment was the revolution of 1989. Socialism fell because hundreds of thousands of people took it to the streets. The famous Monday Protests (Montagsdemos) in Leipzig and other cities in October and November inspired the Covid protests of 2021 and 2022 – many Covid protestors had some 1989 experience. And imagine what it took in those days to start protesting: Out of a population of about 17 million, there were 177 000 people working for the Stasi. That’s 1% of the population being busy spying on their own citizens. Complete state media control. An Orwellian nightmare.
Just a few photos:
To cool down the situation, the government decided to allow people to leave the country at some point, without specifying the date this will take effect. On 9 November, SED party representative Günther Schabowski gives a press conference on live TV. He is a bit unprepared, likely because everyone who could have briefed him is already drunk after two bottles of Soviet vodka. He tells the journalists about the plans to open the border. One of them asks him when this planned to take effect. His answer: “uhm, uh…Immediately… without delay.” Except it wasn’t. Watch this video from 2:10.
East Berliners saw that live on TV – and so did the border guards. The Western media also stated that the border is open because SED-Schabowski said so. People started to gather at the checkpoints of the Berlin Wall. I know one former border guard who was on duty that day. After Schabowski’s interview, they received no orders to open the gates – nor to defend them. Among his comrades, two groups formed: One starting to prepare to fire at the protestors, while cooler heads wanted to prevent this by all means, since this could spiral into a bloodbath and civil war all other the country, perhaps leading to WW3 if the Soviets get involved (there were 400 000 Soviet soldiers in the GDR at this point). They took the decision to shoot their comrades in case someone freaks out. This is how tense this situation was. Just one guy losing his nerves...
In the late night, they finally decided that they serve the people and the people now stand in front of the gate, demanding it to be opened. They heeded the public demand. After 28 years, the Berlin Wall fell. It was not Mr Gorbachev who teared down this wall, it was Lt. Col. Harald Jäger that happened to be on duty this night. He had enough at some point, and after receiving no instructions for hours, he decided to let the people out. It was a guy from deep within the system that ended it. Thanks!
In the coming months, free elections were held. It became clear to the people of the GDR how they were manipulated and spied on. Why am I telling all of this? Well, it’s a life lesson you’ll never forget, and it will change the way you think for the rest of your life. Or, in my case, it’s a story that really makes you think. I think it’s comparable to the Covid pandemic in that regard.
The 1989 revolution ended peacefully and in a giant party on the Berlin Wall. Germans were finally united. I have no doubt that this was a very emotionally event for most West Germans as well. But for most of them, they only lived through this seeing nice things in TV. While for East Germans, they feared getting thrown into jail, risked getting shot. That’s quite a difference.
Part III: The Morning After. Privatisation, De-Industrialisation, Emigration
After the initial euphoria, high hopes were replaced by disillusionment. Chancellor Kohl famously promised “blooming landscapes” (blühende Landschaften) in the East. Well, nowadays, it’s actually quite beautiful indeed, but that was a long way: To privatise the state-owned companies of East Germany, the Treuhand (Trust Fond) was formed. The guy who ran it first - Detlev Karsten Rohwedder - wanted to slowly reform the East Germany economy to make it less painful for the people and give unprofitable factories a chance to adapt to the market economy. And he was shot. Officially, by some radical left wing organisation (RAF). I don’t believe that, but it’s just my schizophrenia.
The new course was much harder: The Treuhand closed most of East German factories. While many were unproductive or lost their market in other countries of the former Soviet bloc, some would have been able to adapt and others were even profitable. The danger here was that the East German industry – if properly reformed – would have had access to highly educated workers which were about 2/3 cheaper compared to West German salaries. As a consequence, East German products would have been a cheap competition to West German ones. Consequently, due to the shut-downs of many factories, unemployment reached 30% in some areas.
On the other hand, it has to be said that the East Germans also lost interest in many domestic products, since they were crazy for all the Western cars, clothes, chocolate, etc. that they couldn’t get before. That was definitely an issue as well. Nobody wanted to buy a Trabi in 1990.
The 1990s in the East were characterised by high unemployment and low salaries. For many people, it caused an identity crisis. They felt useless. About 2 million people moved to the West. Many East German cities lost a third of their population since reunification. If they didn’t move, many friends and family members did. No matter what, you lost many friends, family members and colleagues. Sure, you could vote freely, travel, buy and say what you want. But did life really improve that much? Is the Western system really that great? Have we been fooled? These were common questions in this time, resulting in high turnouts for Die Linke (The Left), the reformed SED (Socialist Unity Party) that governed the GDR before. Ostalgia (Ost - East) became a thing.
On the other side, in West Germany, people continued with their lives. After the initial moment of joy, many West Germans – quite understandably – started to question how much the whole reunification process will cost. A couple of Trillion Deutschmark would be the answer. Due to the high unemployment in the East, Wessis often thought that Ossis were lazy or stupid, being completely unaware of how a socialist society just demotivates smart people. I mean, every country has these issues, but it is certainly not helpful to build a unified society.
The Besserwessi
This feeling was reinforced by the replacement of officials in positions of power in the East: Local judges, professors, directors of state offices, company managers, etc. were replaced by people from the West. The official reason was to remove communists and Stasi agents from these positions - and no problem with that. But the people who were put into these empty positions were often those who weren’t good enough to make a decent career in the West, so they went to the Wild East to grab their chance. Highly skilled East Germans with local ties and experience were dismissed. Often, this incompetence is paired with arrogance & ignorance. Neither did they care how things worked locally, nor were they interested in learning from the Eastern experience. And I speak from personal experience here. As a consequence, many East Germans feel like second-class citizens. Hence, the term Besserwessi, derived from Besserwisser (know-it-all), some who is always lecturing you. Once a West German friend said to me that he is actually surprised that the East gets treated like a colony and locals are not revolting. Never saw it from that perspective before.
Of course, it’s not all black and white, I’m presenting the negative side of things here so that you readers can understand what went wrong. There is, of course, also a good side to this story. Some of my best friends are actually West Germans (but they moved to the East). It is still common that people from one side stick together, I’ve witnessed that numerous times at social events.
However, without any doubt, live is now much better than it has been under GDR rule. But what I’m trying to explain here is that this process of reunification wasn’t as smooth as many people think; hence I focus on the negative aspects. This story is rarely told in German, and even rarer in bad English.
I recommend this interview to learn more about this topic:
Nation State vs. Globalism
In Germany, we see a miniature version of the dividing issues that affect Europe as a whole: The West sympathises with globalist ideas such as multiculturalism, more EU-integration, fighting climate change and all this LGBT and gender issues, whereas the former Soviet bloc has quite different opinions. Many central European countries are independent for the first time in centuries and want to build their own nation state and have no interest in forming a European federation or a new society via mass immigration, they also experience with being occupied, while Western countries usually were occupiers. Woke issues are simply not popular because people have real problems. Also, East Germans/Europeans see how West German/European cities have changed for the worse and don’t want that at home. The dividing line in this thinking runs right along the former German-German border.
East Germany was, despite all Soviet influence and Marxism, a German nation state. For example, King Frederick II. The Great of Prussia was proclaimed to be the first German socialist by the GDR propaganda. The idea was to put the history of mostly Prussia and Saxony into a Marxist context, without negating it or wiping out the past. Building a new socialist Germany on top of the ruins of the Third Reich without cutting off the roots, that was basically the idea.
West Germany, however, had less of a historical background or traditional character: Prussia and the Kaiserreich were seen as proto-fascist societies and paved the way for that Austrian dude. The Federal Republic started with the Wirtschaftswunder (‘economic miracle’ = logical consequence of free market reforms) of the 1950s, caused by the free market reforms of Ludwig Erhardt. People became wealthy pretty quick and there was no real need to form some new identity, I guess. Democracy + wealth = everyone happy.
On the other side of the wall, the point was proven that a planned economy doesn’t work, not even with Germans.
A friend of mine recently mentioned that the Federal Republic gained its legitimacy with the wealth it created - and likely it will lose it once the wealth passes. They are working on that.
The Frog and the Water
Immigration is the one dominating topic for the elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg. If you walk through a West German town or Berlin, you’ll notice that a fair share, perhaps even the majority, of the people in the streets are non-Germans. Turks, Arabs, Africans, ‘Syrian refugees’, etc. If you visit an East German town, even larger ones like Dresden, that is quite different. People are Germans for the most part.
Some anecdotes: I got a Brazilian friend who first came to Frankfurt and was shocked that there were no Germans in the streets. Then, he visited Leipzig in Saxony. He said it felt truly German and like another country. And for Saxon standards, Leipzig (at least Connewitz and surrounding areas) is almost considered a shithole, see the elections results there. You get the point.
Another story is from a friend whose girlfriend is from NRW (North Rhine-Westphalia). They travelled by train there, it was crowded. My friend (Ossi) mentioned to his girl that they were the only Germans on the train. She didn’t notice that because it’s normal to her. Shocking to me.
Large-scale immigration started with the guest workers in the 1960s, so in that regard, the Wessis are the frog put into the cold but slowly heating water. The East German frog got thrown into the boiling water in 2015 when suddenly buses full of “women and children” (so mostly military-aged men) arrived, and I lived next to refugee accommodation at this time, I’ve seen it happening. Soon, crime went up, people got upset and started to vote AfD because this is the only party wanting to stop this or at least acknowledging that there is a problem with immigrants. The same goes for criticism of the EU, the Ukraine war, high taxes & annoying bureaucracy, energy policy, etc.
Be Careful What You Say
What I often hear from friends working in West Germany, that it can basically cost you your job by saying that you vote AfD or don’t agree with all that woke nonsense. In the East, that might happen as well, just as there are normal companies in the West, too, but it’s much less likely. In many East German regions, especially in the countryside, the woke force has no power. There are just too many people resisting that, or at least not playing along. We saw that during Covid as well. People got creative. This would make another funny article.
It is therefore much easier to discuss all the politically non-correct things with friends and family, so more people that don’t figure things out on their own will hear those opinions, start to think and maybe even agree at some point. My impression from the West is that you have to be extremely careful what you say if it’s not in line with the government/mainstream. Ironically, it is now the East embracing freedom of speech as the West reminds me more and more of 1980s GDR. Perhaps I am overreacting, but this is my impression.
The Attitude Towards Russia
In GDR schools, Russian was the first foreign language every pupil learned. Even today, since the Russian teachers are still around, many schools in the East offer Russian classes. The Soviet Union was the big brother of the GDR (voluntarily or not), almost half a million Soviet soldiers were stationed in the GDR, plus family members of high-ranking officials. While they were occupiers, many East Germans saw how poorly the Soviet draftees were treated and developed some mercy (mercy with the occupier - I think that’s unique in history). In the 1994, when the Russian Army left East Germany, Russia was a completely dysfunctional state. Again, East Germans felt mercy for the soldiers who had to go back home into an uncertain future. How mayn were sent to Chechnya, fighting in the hell of Grosny? Sure, it still was an occupying force. But it was thanks to the Glasnost & Perestroika by Gorbachev that the Winds of Change reached the GDR. It was Gorbachev who told GDR leader Honecker that “Those who are late will be punished by life itself” (very common quote in East Germany). Thanks to him, for Soviet Army didn’t crack down on the 1989 protests - unlike in 1953. Because of that, Gorbachev is fairly popular. There is a feeling that Soviet/Russians and East Germany were sitting in the same boat. After 1990, many Volga Germans immigrated to Germany from the former Soviet Union.
So the average East German speaks some Russian (or at least remembers some), has some understanding of Russian history and culture, perhaps knows some Russians or even travelled there. There is also some mutual sympathy between the people, I think. The Russians I know a nice people. That is in stark contrast to most West Germans, of whom many never visited the East, let alone Poland or Russia (there are exceptions, of course). Russia is foreign to them. Hence, many East Germans know the complicated history of the Ukraine conflict starting in 2014 (!) and are at least aware of the Russian perspective, unlike average Westerners. If Putin gives an important speech, people watch it, and it will be a popular topic for the next days. The AfD is aware of that and is, together with BSW, loudly demanding an end of this war, an end of the sanctions and resumption of diplomatic and trade relationships with Russia. It was disproportionately the East German economy that was affected by the sanctions.
Summary
There is much more to say about this topic, but I guess this article is already lengthy enough. I know not anyone will agree with my rather positive view on the AfD or Björn Höcke (“gesichert rechtsextrem” haha), and that’s fine. I see the AfD as the only chance to get Germany out of this globalist mess the country is in. The AfD and its members aren’t perfect, but they are what we have. We can’t afford to wait for the perfect guy to appear while the economy gets destroyed and the country gets flooded with illegals. Not to mention the war in Ukraine that still could escalate. Time is running out.
I also get the feeling that some sort of counter-culture is developing in East Germany, that'll be interesting to watch.
This is an opinion piece with some background information, which is naturally a subjective selection. You are welcome to criticise me in the comments. If things are unclear, just ask.
Thanks for reading!
Interesting man! Again just sad to see that a once industrial powerhouse can be taken over by a green minority coalition..
Yeah AFD from Okla. I studied trauma surgery in Bremen in 1987. Of course being American educated I spoke only Colloquial English( think Texas, 6 th generation). My education profited greatly from precise rational &?standard as well as marvelous German steel in instruments & implants. “ Das est richtig, das est alles, punct! Professor Doctor Buchhart Freidrich! He lived down the road from Kaiser Wilhelm’s nephew. Apologies for poor spelling.
After Nordstream fiasco, I was in a funk! WTF has Bundes Republic der Deutschland come too. They did not just shoot themselves but blew off their right foot ,
cheap energy!
Danke for your meaty essay! Tom Ewing, grandson of Robert Campbell Miller from Glasgow. ( Mighty strange mix Texan/ Scot)