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The Wall in the Mind - Revisited Stable Differences in the Political Cultures of Western and Eastern Germany
[journal article]
Abstract Do lasting differences in the political cultures of social subgroups call into question the legitimacy of democracy? This danger has been discussed for three decades now, always in the run up to German Unity Day, which marks the reunification of Germany in 1990. Is there still a 'wall in people's mi... view more
Do lasting differences in the political cultures of social subgroups call into question the legitimacy of democracy? This danger has been discussed for three decades now, always in the run up to German Unity Day, which marks the reunification of Germany in 1990. Is there still a 'wall in people's minds', as postulated in the late 1990s? This article examines the question comparatively and over time: Do political cultures and their main political attitudes still differ between Western and Eastern Germany 30 years after reunification? And, if so, to what extent? Using an extended concept of political support, we analyse East-West differences by drawing on different data material from representative surveys. What we show that there is no deficit of legitimacy in Eastern Germany in terms of democracy. Nevertheless, there are consistent East-West differences in terms of people's satisfaction with democracy as it is currently practised. These differences can be explained neither by existing socio-economic and socio-structural inequalities between Eastern and Western Germany, and nor by feelings of nostalgia for socialism. Rather, they are due to a combination of feelings of disadvantage, of a lack of recognition, and corresponding narratives that can draw on objective manifestations of inequality.... view less
Keywords
ALLBUS; Federal Republic of Germany; old federal states; New Federal States; political culture; reunification; democracy; political attitude
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Free Keywords
Allgemeine Bevölkerungsumfrage der Sozialwissenschaften ALLBUS - Kumulation 1980-2018 (ZA5274); Politbarometer 2009
Document language
English
Publication Year
2023
Page/Pages
p. 20-42
Journal
German Politics, 32 (2023) 1
Issue topic
A (New) East-West-Divide? Representative Democracy in Germany 30 Years after Unification
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/09644008.2022.2072488
ISSN
Pickel, Gert
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed
Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0