The Influence of Ostalgia and the Existence of the GDR on the Political and Social Agenda of Germany

Purpose of the research: the article deals with the influence of the phenomenon of ostalgia on the modern politics of Germany. There is an analysis of differences in foreign policy and electoral opinions between West and East Germans. The purpose of the study is to identify the degree of impact of the historical division of Germany into the FRG and the GDR and the subsequent ostalgia after the unification of the country on the modern political and social agenda within the country. Results: The phenomenon of ostalgia affects the population of eastern Germany quite widely in several areas. Socially and culturally, East Germans feel offended because the legacy of the GDR and all the good that is associated with it is being erased from history. Ostalgia has recently been an important factor in the framework of national elections, the participation of Germany in various regional organizations, as well as in the context of increasing dissatisfaction among residents with some decisions of political elites. After the reunification of Germany, the lands of the former GDR became a direct participant in the Western regional and political system. More than 30 years later, a united Germany became a «home state» for the East Germans, but still there is support among them for the opinion that in some matters the GDR was much more preferable than the modern FRG. The author concludes that ostalgia and the very fact of the existence of the GDR clearly influence and will continue to influence German policy in various fields.

ostalgia, GDR, Germany, German reunification, political agenda, Alternative for Germany (AfD), regional organizations