4 ms·

Funny that this article does not even mention once that East Germany is pretty well known for right-party extremists - and this might be one of the reasons of i

by mk89 10y ago

Funny that this article does not even mention once that East Germany is pretty well known for right-party extremists - and this might be one of the reasons of its shrinkage, instead of further development. As a non German native, I find this one of the main reasons not to live in such a city. As far as I know ( but please don't take my words for granted ) Germany is investing pretty much to develop and to grow in this region (lower tax rates/fares for mortgages, lower house prices, and so forth), due to the fact it was deeply underdeveloped compared to the rest of Germany before/after 1990. However, my understanding is that this region is destined to be the "cheap" region with low paid salaries (companies like Zalando hire there). It would be a cool idea to attract cheaper workers, but first they need to solve these "right-party" problems - but this won't change any time soon, considering the political situation in Germany. This is the region you hear about in the news when they mention people with "molotov against refugees camp" or similar episodes; this is the region Pegida comes from: exactly the cultural hub of Germany. Seriously? Germans are not like that (and if you talk with many of them, you'll realize it).

martin_a 10y ago
While it´s true that lots of the right extremist stuff started in East Germany, you have to see that there is a nationwide rise in right party activities and election shares. I think it´s also a European problem caused by the "refugee crisis" at all. National "sponsorship" was a big deal in East Germany to develop that part of the country after the fall of the DDR and the Berlin wall. It didn´t work out so well, I think. Lots of companies moved over there, took the money they could get and moved on, once funding was over and you could produce (cheaper) somewhere else. Some companies obviously stayed, yes, but they do not necessarily provide well paid jobs, so the overall living standard won´t increase for most of the people, although rent, taxes and more are lower in some areas, yes. This is what frustates people and makes them throw molotov cocktails against refugee camps, because they think the refugees are the problem. This damages the areas' reputation and keeps companies from starting there. I think the situation "over there" is quite complex and will keep Germany troubled for quite some time. What I like about East Germany is the nature. There are really some quite untouched places which are great for holidays. I´d love to have a house or an old farm over there, somewhere in the nowhere for the times you want to get down.
- mk89 10y ago
  It's pretty well known everywhere in Germany that East Germany is more right wing than other regions - at least all people I spoke with, who live in the West/South-West and North of Germany - and it was already like this before the "refugees" crisis (as we Europeans call it). I am sorry, but you can't minimize the issue to "they think the refugees are the problem because of +30 years old problems". I don't know the history of Germany in the last 30 years, but I find it more correct to say that these people are just extremists because of other issues (the frustration was already there before refugees came). I just found the article pretty biased. This is more marketing than journalism: hiding important negative aspects of your product while highlighting what you want to sell. But after all, Germany is getting better and better at it, unfortunately ... :(
  - martin_a 10y ago
    Oh yeah, East Germany always had a, "well-earned", bad reputation concerning racists or right wing extremists. I don´t want to question that and I don´t want to minimize the issue, I just wanted to point out that right-wing positions are on a rise all over Germany, so it´s nothing "exclusive" to the East anymore. And the frustration surely arises from lots of reasons, the refugees are just an easy outlet for those people there now. Like the somewhat-undefined unhappiness of the last 30 years can now be pointed to the refugess. That obviously is not true, but some people benefit from the fact that other people think that way. I am totally with you that the article is not very well written regarding that. Perhaps the whole situation is not very known to the author and he most probably had some official documents and marketing brochures as sources and you will most probably not find "East Germany is nice, except that we like to hit immigrants and burn their houses down." in there.
    - mk89 10y ago
      > ... and he most probably had some official documents and marketing brochures as sources and you will most probably not find "East Germany is nice, except that we like to hit immigrants and burn their houses down." in there. LOL!
kafkaesq 10y ago
The above comment is, sadly, quite relevant and should not have been downvoted. Especially if one is aware of certain rather disturbing events which have happened in that city recently. Only significant counterpart to make is that the recent uptick in neofascist activity is probably more a reflection of (rather than a feeder cause into) the city's long-term economic malaise. Nonetheless, at some point a self-reinforcing dynamic tends to emerge, and I can imagine that if I was thinking or investing in or moving to a city like Leipzig, I would -- especially if I were not of the default local demographic -- definitely take the recent violence into close consideration.

by mk89 10y ago

martin_a 10y ago

While it´s true that lots of the right extremist stuff started in East Germany, you have to see that there is a nationwide rise in right party activities and election shares. I think it´s also a European problem caused by the "refugee crisis" at all. National "sponsorship" was a big deal in East Germany to develop that part of the country after the fall of the DDR and the Berlin wall. It didn´t work out so well, I think. Lots of companies moved over there, took the money they could get and moved on, once funding was over and you could produce (cheaper) somewhere else. Some companies obviously stayed, yes, but they do not necessarily provide well paid jobs, so the overall living standard won´t increase for most of the people, although rent, taxes and more are lower in some areas, yes. This is what frustates people and makes them throw molotov cocktails against refugee camps, because they think the refugees are the problem. This damages the areas' reputation and keeps companies from starting there. I think the situation "over there" is quite complex and will keep Germany troubled for quite some time. What I like about East Germany is the nature. There are really some quite untouched places which are great for holidays. I´d love to have a house or an old farm over there, somewhere in the nowhere for the times you want to get down.

mk89 10y ago
It's pretty well known everywhere in Germany that East Germany is more right wing than other regions - at least all people I spoke with, who live in the West/South-West and North of Germany - and it was already like this before the "refugees" crisis (as we Europeans call it). I am sorry, but you can't minimize the issue to "they think the refugees are the problem because of +30 years old problems". I don't know the history of Germany in the last 30 years, but I find it more correct to say that these people are just extremists because of other issues (the frustration was already there before refugees came). I just found the article pretty biased. This is more marketing than journalism: hiding important negative aspects of your product while highlighting what you want to sell. But after all, Germany is getting better and better at it, unfortunately ... :(
- martin_a 10y ago
  Oh yeah, East Germany always had a, "well-earned", bad reputation concerning racists or right wing extremists. I don´t want to question that and I don´t want to minimize the issue, I just wanted to point out that right-wing positions are on a rise all over Germany, so it´s nothing "exclusive" to the East anymore. And the frustration surely arises from lots of reasons, the refugees are just an easy outlet for those people there now. Like the somewhat-undefined unhappiness of the last 30 years can now be pointed to the refugess. That obviously is not true, but some people benefit from the fact that other people think that way. I am totally with you that the article is not very well written regarding that. Perhaps the whole situation is not very known to the author and he most probably had some official documents and marketing brochures as sources and you will most probably not find "East Germany is nice, except that we like to hit immigrants and burn their houses down." in there.
  - mk89 10y ago
    > ... and he most probably had some official documents and marketing brochures as sources and you will most probably not find "East Germany is nice, except that we like to hit immigrants and burn their houses down." in there. LOL!

kafkaesq 10y ago

The above comment is, sadly, quite relevant and should not have been downvoted. Especially if one is aware of certain rather disturbing events which have happened in that city recently. Only significant counterpart to make is that the recent uptick in neofascist activity is probably more a reflection of (rather than a feeder cause into) the city's long-term economic malaise. Nonetheless, at some point a self-reinforcing dynamic tends to emerge, and I can imagine that if I was thinking or investing in or moving to a city like Leipzig, I would -- especially if I were not of the default local demographic -- definitely take the recent violence into close consideration.