A journal of political, social, and other important, possibly even somewhat related affairs, including but not limited to: Central European Society, The European Union, HC Kometa Brno, American Politics, Film, and Beer.

03 October 2010

Tag der Deutschen Einheit

Today Germany celebrates the 20th anniversary of reunification, (see here for Spiegel's terrific collection of photos) and it's another opportunity to examine the process of unification, the concept of "Ostalgie," and determine what progress has been made and what still needs to happen for Germany to truly unite. Twenty years on, we can see that the former East is wealthier than before, yet problems such as left- and right-wing extremism continue to plague many cities in the former DDR. This is in part due to the relative lack of investment, and thus of jobs, in the east, which continues to suffer from considerably higher unemployment than that of the western Länder -- according to ARD, unemployment continues to be above 12% in all but one of the Länder of the former DDR (Thüringen sneaks in at 11.4%), while it remains below 9% in every West German Land except the city-state of Bremen. (See here for a great graphic showing the discrepancies 20 years on.)

The big speech this year was made by Christian Wulff, the Bundespräsident, in Bremen. Every year, the Day of German Unity is celebrated in a different city (as well as in Berlin). Wulff noted the importance of German unity extending to German Muslims, as well as to the citizens of the formerly SED-controlled part of Germany. (Nevertheless, the British Foreign Office and the American State Department issued warnings telling their respective subjects and citizens to "be vigilant" about terror attacks in Europe this week.) Yet he also noted that "those who disdain our country and our values must be resisted." Speigel described the speech as relatively non-controversial, but also somewhat forgettable -- a hit, but probably not even a stand-up double, much less a home run. Kanzlerin Merkel, on the other hand, focused more on those whose lives had been drastically changed by die Wende, and noted that many people over 50 in 1990 were often frustrated in their efforts to find work after 1989, and look at reunification with a bitter eye.

In the end, though, the victory of freedom over servitude and of democracy over dictatorship is something worth celebrating. The reunification process was not and still is not perfect, as Kanzlerin Merkel and former presidential candidate Joachim Gauck pointed out. Challenges remain for Germany's citizens, of West and East alike. Nevertheless, a unified Germany is an important symbol of what can be achieved, particularly with a sober attitude toward personal responsibility in the service of liberty.

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