East Germany Research Articles

Trans-boundary water management during the peace process in Korean peninsula: Solution finding from previous precedents

South Korea and North Korea are divided states and armed-conflict counterparties. Peace building has been pursued since the 1953 Armistice Agreement, but no meaningful results have been achieved. Recently, tensions have risen in the transboundary maritime areas around the NLL, the provisional maritime delimitation line between the two Koreas. Two Koreas' unique circumstances require case studies between divided and/or armed-conflict States focusing on maritime areas. From the first case of maritime delimitation under the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan to the divided States and/or the armed-conflict States case, i.e. the East and West Germany case, the Cyprus case, the Northern Ireland case, the Israel-Jordan case), this paper aims to extract legal implications and lessons for the peaceful management of transboundary maritime areas and waters surrounding the NLL. Till now two Koreas have only agreed on transboundary maritime management with the issue-specific approach. For the future, in addition to the achievement of the issue-specific approach to the transboundary maritime management, it needs to consider the integrated maritime management, such as the MSP.

Becoming neighbors with refugees and voting for the far-right? The impact of refugee inflows at the small-scale level

We investigate the effect of the refugee inflow between 2014 and 2017 on the electoral support for far-right parties in the 2017 German federal election. Leveraging unique, fine-grained data, we differentiate between the impact of refugee inflow at two distinct geographic scales: the immediate neighborhood (1km x 1km) and the county level. To address potential endogeneity concerns, we employ past settlement patterns as instrumental variables. Our results reveal noteworthy variations across geographic scales and regions. We find that refugee inflows lead to an increase in far-right vote shares at the county level, while we observe a negative but statistically insignificant effect at the grid cell level. This negative neighborhood effect attains statistical significance in West Germany, particularly in urban counties, aligning with the contact hypothesis. We find no significant effect in rural areas, and a positive impact of the inflow rate at the county level in West Germany, suggesting a contrasting effect beyond the immediate local vicinity. Despite the fact that support for far-right parties is most pronounced in East Germany, our analysis does not yield robust evidence of a statistically significant relationship in this region.

Die Wohnzeitschrift als Wäʼende-Moderatorin

This paper deals with the ›Wende‹ volume (1990) of NEUES WOHNEN, a GDR home design magazine, having previously operated as kultur im heim for many years. The aim is to show how during the ›Wende‹—the period following the Peaceful Revolution of 1989—the sphere of East German housing, rarely focused on by media at that time, was negotiated in a printed periodical during the process of the GDR-dissolving German reunification. Doing so, the journal’s gaze is a specifically ›East German‹ one, confronted with new epistemic ingredients and actors when opening GDR-specific ways of negotiation. With special attention to the print order and semantics circulating between the issues, individual magazine sections are selected to demonstrate two aspects: how the magazine faces problems of providing home design models in which Eastern German identities can be lived out as Federal German ones; and how, through these very efforts, the restitution of the value ›bourgeois‹ (›bürgerlich‹) becomes important for the journal’s self-understanding after the ›Wende‹.

Między potępieniem a (n)ostalgią

BETWEEN CONDEMNATION AND (N)OSTALGIA: ON THE POLITISATION OF THE LEGACY OF GDR IN REUNIFIED GERMANY Reunified Germany emerged on the map of Europe in 1990. At first, settling an account with the communist Germany proceeded in a simplified way – everything about them seemed evil. Over time, this judgement became less biased and more comprehensive. At the beginning of the 21st century, the “trend for the East”, which was called Ostalgie, prevailed. From that point forward, dealing with their past balances between a sentimental journey to the time of the German Democratic Republic and a harsh assessment of that reality. Until this day, modern Germany constitutes two unequal parts, as the polls confirm. They continue to be divided by a mental barrier — an invisible ‘wall in people’s heads’, and many residents of the new lands still feel foreign in their own country. Their dissatisfaction is consciously and effectively exploited by the populist Alternative for Germany party. How the East German heritage becomes an instrument of political influence is the leading question of this article. The sources, mainly German, consist primarily of subject literature, documents, statistical reports and analysis of public opinion research centres, as well as comments of experts and press.

Native recovery or expansive threat? Past and predicted distribution of Trapa natans L. s. l. on northern limit of species’ range – Handout for species management

Global changes are responsible for the movement of species. While many research emphasize the spread of alien or invasive alien species, the rapid spread of rare, native species is poorly study. In our studies, we focused on Trapa natans, a species that is considered a strictly protected plant species in Europe, but is considered an alien invasive species in North America and Australia. The aim of the study was to analyze the historical and current occurrence of T. natans at the northern range of this species (Poland, Central Europe) and, based on future climate projections (wordClim), to determine its potential spread in Europe by modeling the occupation area of available habitats in Europe. We found a rapid spread of T. natans in Poland associated with increasing temperatures. Statistical analyzes showed that the mean temperature of the warmest quarter and precipitation of the driest month are the most important climatic variables determining habitat suitability for T. natans. The model for 2021–2040 showed an expansion of habitats suitable for the species to the north (Great Britain and Ireland, Scandinavia), to the east (Germany and Central Europe), to the northeast (Eastern Europe, e.g., Lithuania, Latvia), and to the south (Italy and Southern Europe). In the next two time periods (2041–––2060 and 2061–––2080), the models showed that the entire European area is suitable for colonization by the species, with the exception of the high mountain regions and Spain. T. natans is a representative species whose distribution and recent range changes allow us to track aquatic species feedbacks to climate change in the species’ home range and is a good ecological indicator of global warming. The message for conservationists is that the status of species classified as rare needs to be urgently reviewed.

Regional outcome disparities in German head and neck cancer patients: Shorter survival in Eastern Germany.

Demographics are important prognostic factors in malignant diseases. A nationwide analysis concerning the prognostic impact of demographics in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients (HNCP) has not been performed previously. A retrospective analysis of data from the Center for Cancer Registry Data (ZfKD) and the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) between 2002 and 2017 was performed. A total of 212'920 HNCP were included. Incidence, tumor stage, age development, sex distribution, age-, residence-, and diagnosis-time-specific survival were examined. Mean age of HNCP increased more rapidly than in the general population (slope coefficient: 0.29 vs. 0.20; p < 0.0001). Higher age and male sex were associated with a worse prognosis. Whereas overall survival (OS) increased from the early to the later observation period for HNCP <70 years, no OS improvement for HNCP >70 years was found. Furthermore, an OS disadvantage was observed for East Germany compared to West Germany (median 47 vs. 60 months; p < 0.0001). This disparity was associated with a disproportionately high ratio of men in East Germany (men/women: 4.4 vs. 3.1; p < 0.0001) and a lower mean age (61 vs. 63 years; p < 0.0001). In addition to stage, age and sex, residence in East Germany were confirmed as an independent factor for OS in a multivariate analysis. Finally, three decades after the German reunion, a survival disadvantage for patients in East Germany still exists. This discrepancy may be a result of socioeconomic disparities.

Overlooked and Undeserving: Older People in Narratives of Return in Post-1989 East Germany

The German right-wing populist party “Alternative for Germany” (AfD) opposes diverse family lifestyles by promoting the return to a family model of father, mother, and children. This “Narrative of Return” paves the way for the party’s anti-gender, anti-childlessness, and anti-immigration agendas. This article examines how narratives about families as promoted by the AfD reflect or address experiences of the post-socialist transformation in East Germany. It turns out that Narratives of Return (NoR) overlook the elderly as acting individuals and disregard the ways they engage with their families and how they continue to organize their lives autonomously in old age. NoR instead depict older people as an anonymous group of supposedly undeserving pensioners, who benefit from society and family without having any function in them. However, discourses on care for the family can be traced down to a micro-level that confirms how care for the family is, in fact, care for older people. The article presents two selected life stories of advanced-age East Germans to substantiate this claim. The life stories reveal that older people themselves believe in various notions of family, despite being served with NoR in the recent past. Experiences in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) even seem to prevent older people from again falling for totalizing schemes that order and prescribe uniform (family) experience. Consequently, it is not to be expected that NoR will succeed in closing discourses on care for the family easily.

End Game: The 1989 Revolution in East Germany

End Game: The 1989 Revolution in East Germany

Critical Analysis of “Divided Nation” Model Applications to China-Taiwan: A Case Study of Germany’s Annexation of Austria in 1938

Scholars have argued that “divided nations” (i.e., countries that have split into separate political entities) have distinct characteristics in the international system, and this model has been applied to China-Taiwan relations. Yet, despite ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and historical ties, the current state of cross-Strait relations does not resemble classic cases of the “divided nation” model such as East and West Germany, North and South Vietnam, or North and South Korea, not least because power asymmetry is a major feature of the relationship. China’s largely one-sided demands for “reunification” with Taiwan share more similarities with Germany’s approach to Austria in the 1930s. Both are cases of an aggressor state seeking to annex the territory of a smaller, sovereign neighbor based on a revanchist ideology that stems from perceived notions of “national humiliation” by outside powers and ethno-nationalist ideas of a shared blood community. Germany’s annexation of Austria in 1938 was the result of overwhelming German military power and political decision-making in the dictatorship of the Third Reich rather than ethnic, cultural, or historical ties. Germany’s invasion and occupation of Austria and the transformations of German and Austrian national identity after 1945 show that the “divided nation” model is contingent on historical and ideological subjectivities and not objective, scholarly analysis. Scholars of cross-Strait relations should approach the subject without reference to this model and instead focus on the political struggle between Chinese authoritarianism and Taiwanese democracy on the question of Taiwanese sovereignty in addition to Taiwan’s pivotal role in the great power conflict between the United States and China.

Status and occurrence of the non-indigenous dwarf surf clam Mulinia lateralis (Say, 1822) in the central Wadden Sea (southern North Sea)—a systematic survey

The species Mulinia lateralis (Say, 1822) is native to the western North Atlantic Ocean and was first documented in European coastal waters in 2017. Since then, M. lateralis was reported several times in large abundances in the coastal waters of the Netherlands, Belgium, and more scattered in Germany. While the introduction vector is still unclear, we assume that dispersal in the southern North Sea is driven by larval drift related to anti-clockwise residual tidal currents. To test this hypothesis and to document its current status in the central Wadden Sea, individuals were sampled systematically from intertidal flats along 10 transects ranging from the outer Ems River estuary in the west to the outer Elbe River estuary in the east (German North Sea coast) between February and May 2022. In total, 897 specimens of M. lateralis were sampled from 392 stations (mean abundance 2.3 ± 5.0 ind./m2). The shell length ranged between 4.0 and 23.6 mm. Regarding the increasing number of records of M. lateralis at multiple sites in Europe since 2017 and based on the data of this study, the species can be considered as established in the western and central Wadden Sea.

Postcommunist Germany

Abstract This article situates Germany within postcommunist Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) to explain current political outcomes, particularly, the disproportionate success of the AfD in eastern Germany. Similar to CEE, politics in eastern Germany is fragmented and volatile compared to western Germany; the political system in the east reflects conservative social values; and east German patterns of discontent are similar to CEE. However, in CEE, party systems were new and thus volatile and susceptible to populist mobilization from both mainstream and radical parties. Conversely, East Germany integrated into the developed West German party system and adopted its traditional parties, lowering the east's potential for volatility and polarization. Moreover, since the east is a minority within Germany, its relative volatility has limited impact on the German system.

Propagandayı Yıkmak: ‘Duvar Hakkında Bilmeniz Gerekenler’ Broşürü Üzerine Bir Vaka Çalışması

Contemporary history is full of remarkable Cold War brochures which were not given considerable attention at their times due to the perception of them as the ridiculous words of enemy. Although they were not classified documents in the depths of national archives, they were not seen significant or worth to be taken seriously to be studied along with more popular materials. This study supports the re-discovery of such propaganda materials with a general belief that the historical significance of some materials may only be realized in the study of international propaganda when the ideas that once labelled them as the products of the enemy have disappeared. With this aim, this study presents a qualitative case study on the What You Should Know About the Wall brochure, which was an early example of the official East German brochures about the Berlin Wall in English. It was published to inform the international community about the situation in Berlin after the construction of the wall from the official East German perspective. Nevertheless, it was not possible for this brochure to create a popular understanding among the English-speaking target groups who live in the Western countries. Even though the brochure had potential of persuading its target groups in favour of the East German causes through its well-prepared turn of expression or responses to common critiques, there were certain disadvantages for its achieving this purpose. In this context, this article questions why this brochure was not able to justify the construction of the Berlin Wall among the English-speaking target groups in the West. In this way, it focuses on this remarkable but understudied propaganda material and addresses the gap in the literature on the Berlin Wall which tends to study the building and collapse of the wall, rather than its weakening or strengthening through propaganda.

The Unification Abandonment of the German Democratic Republic and the Theory of Two Nations between 1967 and 1974

The Unification Abandonment of the German Democratic Republic and the Theory of Two Nations between 1967 and 1974

Immigration, Female Labour Supply and Local Cultural Norms

Abstract We study the local evolution of female labour supply and cultural norms in West Germany in reaction to the sudden presence of East Germans who migrated to the West after reunification. These migrants grew up with high rates of maternal employment, whereas West German families mostly followed the traditional breadwinner-housewife model. We find that West German women increase their labour supply and that this holds within households. We provide additional evidence on stated gender norms, West-East friendships, intermarriage and child care infrastructure. The dynamic evolution of the effects on labour supply is best explained by local cultural learning.

Efficacy of an internet-based written imagery rescripting intervention for survivors of institutional childhood abuse – A randomized controlled trial

BackgroundInstitutional childhood abuse can have a long-term impact on the survivors' mental health, however, treatment for this group is limited and not always accessible. An internet-based intervention was developed, with the aim to reduce psychological sequelae relating to institutional abuse. ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the efficacy of an online imagery rescripting intervention for survivors of institutional abuse, through assessing symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and CPTSD. Participants and settingSeventy-two adult survivors of institutional childhood abuse in the former German Democratic Republic were randomized either to the intervention (n = 38) or to the waitlist condition (n = 34). The intervention consisted of 10 modules, based on written imagery rescripting, and involved asynchronous therapist contact. MethodsPrimary outcomes included symptoms of depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), PTSD (ITQ), and CPTSD (ITQ DSO). The intervention condition was assessed at baseline, post-intervention, 3-, and 6-month follow-up. ResultsIntention-to-treat analyses revealed a significant symptom reduction from baseline to post-assessment with medium to large effects for all main outcomes (d = 0.45 to d = 0.76), in favor of the intervention condition. Significant interactions between condition (intervention vs. wailist) and time (baseline vs. post-assesment) were revealed for all main outcomes (p < .001 to p = .024). The effects were maintained at follow-up. ConclusionsThe results suggest online writing-based imagery rescripting as a promising treatment option for adults formerly institutionalized in residential care. Future research is needed to explore its effectiveness for other groups of patients suffering from abuse and neglect.

The History of Bovine Genital Campylobacteriosis in the Face of Political Turmoil and Structural Change in Cattle Farming in Germany.

Contagious bovine genital campylobacteriosis (BGC), also known as bovine venereal campylobacteriosis, is a disease relevant to international trade listed by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). It is caused by Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis (Cfv), one of three subspecies of Campylobacter fetus. Bulls are the reservoir but BGC may also be spread by artificial insemination (AI). BGC is characterized by severe reproductive losses such as infertility, early embryonic death and abortion with considerable economic losses. This significant economic impact has prompted several countries to adopt stringent eradication and surveillance measures to contain the disease. While there are commercial and autologous vaccines available, scientific evidence for the effectiveness of vaccination is still lacking. In Germany, BCG was already found to be endemic in the 1920s, shortly after the agent and the disease had been described for the first time. It can be assumed that BCG had already circulated uncontrolled for a long time in the predecessor states of Germany, influenced only by the political situation and trading networks of the time. After WW II, BCG was eradicated in the German Democratic Republic due to industrialized cattle production based on AI but it was still endemic at low levels in the Federal Republic of Germany with its diverse cattle production. There has been a steady decline in BGC incidence in re-unified Germany over the past 28 years. A single genetic Cfv lineage was identified which probably emerged in the 19th century and diversified over time. Interestingly, no recurrent cross-border introduction became evident. This review gives insight into the history of bovine genital campylobacteriosis considering the structural change in cattle farming in Germany and reflecting on the political background of the time.

Viral RNA in Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) Collected between 2019 and 2021 in Germany.

Due to globalisation and climate change, mosquito-borne pathogens are emerging in new areas on all continents, including Europe, which has recently faced outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya and West Nile fever. The present study complements previous investigations to evaluate the circulation of mosquito-borne viruses in Germany, with the aim of identifying potential vector species and risk areas. Mosquitoes collected from 2019 to 2021 and identified to species or species group level were screened for viruses of the families Flaviviridae, Peribunyaviridae and the genus Alphavirus of the family Togaviridae. In total, 22,528 mosquitoes were examined, thus providing the most comprehensive study on West Nile virus (WNV) circulation so far in the German mosquito population. Usutu virus (USUV) RNA was detected in six samples, Sindbis virus (SINV) RNA in 21 samples and WNV RNA in 11 samples. Samples containing RNA of USUV and WNV consisted of mosquitoes collected in the East German federal states of Brandenburg, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, while samples with RNA of SINV originated from more widespread locations. Although minimum infection rates have remained relatively low, the intensity of virus circulation appears to be increasing compared to previous studies. Continuous mosquito screening contributes to the early detection of the introduction and spread of mosquito-borne pathogens.

Association between the starting age of non-parental Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), and psycho-social problems in adolescence in West and East Germany – a natural experiment using data from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS)

IntroductionThe study aimed to investigate the association between the start age of non-parental Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) and psycho-social problems in adolescence. The similarities and differences between West and East Germany were also investigated in a natural experiment.MethodsOur sample consisted of 1022 children (621 from West Germany, 401 from East Germany) aged 3–4 years at wave 2003–2006 that were followed up to wave 2014–2017 as adolescents (mean ± SD age = 14.4 ± 0.03 years) in the KiGGS study. The psycho-social problems were measured by the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at wave 2014–2017. Linear regression was used to explore the relationship between ECEC-start-age and psycho-social problems in adolescence in Germany, and stratified by West and East Germany.ResultsThose who started ECEC between 2 and 3 years old (reference) had the lowest scores of psycho-social problems in the whole Germany and in West Germany in adolescence. In comparison, those who started ECEC older than 3 years old had higher scores of internalizing psycho-social problems in both West Germany (with statistically significant results) and East Germany (with a relatively larger effect size but insignificant results). Those who started ECEC younger than 1 year old had statistically significant higher scores for externalizing psycho-social problems in West Germany, even though less children started ECEC younger than 1 in West Germany compared to East Germany. This significant association was not found in East Germany. Those who started ECEC between 1 and 2 years old tended to have higher scores of externalizing psycho-social problems in both West and East Germany.ConclusionThe results suggest that if children start ECEC older than 3 years or younger than 2 years, more attention needs to be given to internalizing or externalizing psycho-social problems respectively. The regional differences for children younger than 1 year old may suggest a selection effect in West Germany where only fewer parents bring babies to ECEC, while the regional similarities for children over 3 years old indicate the importance of providing access to ECEC for children over 3 years old.

Staging emancipation and its limits: East German cultural diplomacy, the German Democratic Women’s League, and the 1975 World Congress of Women in East Berlin

ABSTRACT This article explores the cultural diplomacy of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) at the World Congress of Women in October 1975 in East Berlin. Organized by the Women’s International Democratic Federation to celebrate the UN International Women’s Year, the congress provided a space for communist and leftist advocates from across the globe to discuss women’s rights in connection with issues like global economic justice, anti-colonialism, and peace. But it also gave its host, the GDR, a platform to promote its emancipatory policies to women from the Global South. For weeks, delegates from Africa, Asia, and Latin America visited concerts, museums, and art exhibitions on women’s lives and took trips to neighbourhoods, kindergartens, schools, women’s advice centres, and hospitals across the GDR. Building on research on the performative dimensions of international diplomacy, this article discusses how the socialist regime transformed the congress halls, the city of East Berlin, and public institutions into ‘diplomatic stages’. It argues that while this performance was challenged by audiences like foreign journalists, Western delegates, and citizens, its success depended on the Demokratische Frauenbund Deutschlands (German Democratic Women’s League), the GDR's mass women’s organisation, and its networks to the international women’s movement.

Military Security in the Baltic Sea during Cold War: Analysis Based on the Materials of the Naval Reconnaissance Unit of the Polish People’s Republic

The purpose of the article was to present, in the proverbial nutshell, the issues related to the military situation in the 1950s and 1960s during the so-called Cold War in the Baltic Sea, based on the materials of the Naval Reconnaissance Unit of the Polish People’s Republic. These materials were very important for analytical teams preparing concepts for operations in the Northern European Theater of Operations, as well as ensuring the security of the maritime borders of the Warsaw Pact countries.&#x0D; The 1950s and 1960s were characterized by a wide range of reconnaissance activities as a consequence of the changing reality in the Baltic Sea. The naval potential of both NATO countries, especially Denmark and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), was expanded, thus the other side began to create the People’s Navy of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), as well as to strengthen the combat potential of the naval forces of the People’s Republic of Poland. At the same time, the cooperation of allied fleets of the Warsaw Pact countries was improved, and for this purpose, staff exercises were conducted on maps and in the Baltic Sea.&#x0D; In retrospect, both NATO and the Warsaw Pact appreciated the military importance of the Danish Straits and the Baltic Sea. In the following years, efforts were made to improve the concepts of naval forces in these waters.