More than ten years after the reunification of Germany, the jolts and jostles of economic and political merger continue to plague the nation. The two Germanies have yet to blend into a one confluent economic entity, and a decade of Western aid and Eastern dependence has cultivated resentment on both sides. Stereotypes classifying the "Wessies" of the West as arrogant moneygrubbers, and the "Ossies" of the East as shiftless freeloaders have persisted through the 90s, intensifying frustrations. Some economists wonder if the East will manage to catch up with the West within the next twenty-five years. In the final analysis, though the old Communist regime did afford the East German citizens perks like job security and cheap housing, the new East Germany is in fact a better place ten years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The road to a truly unified Germany, though longer and bumpier than was initially foreseen, remains a road that is -- and has been -- worth taking.
Near the end of the 1980s, East Germany was suffering many ills. The secret police, wiretaps, and censorship all flourished under a system of tight political regimentation. Industrial plants were outmoded and run-down. A shortage of raw materials and intermediate goods adversely effected the chains of production. Products manufactured were of too poor a quality to be exported to the developed economies of the world. Collectivization of the means of production led to an inefficient organization of that production. Household incomes were exceedingly low, and major cities were run down, drab and soiled with pollutants from the surrounding factories that were poorly managed and technologically behind the times.
Today, though Germany remains a nation comprised of two unequal parts, the outlook is positive. Household incomes have tripled since unification, and exports have risen to roughly 18% of output. In the early years following the merger, the East's...