University Daily Kansan / Monday, August 27.1990
11
Political unification produces problems for East Germans
The Associated Press
LEIPZIG, East Germany — East Germany is about to disappear, to be swallowed up by its rich Western neighbor, and the universal enthusiasm of a few months ago has waned.
Pollls indicate the vast majority of East Germans favor unification, which is barely a month away. But, they also never will always结论 that conclusion.
The "We are one people" banners that hung from trees, factories and homes during the pro-unity frenzy of early 1990 are gone.
There are no cheering crowds and no convoys of motorists blasting their horns in anticipation of full unification Oct. 3.
Reality has set in, especially since the economic merger officially began in July. The issue foremost in the minds of East Germans is how to crumble their economies facing them as their crumbling economy is absorbed by West Germany.
"Maybe the GDR (East Germany) could have survived as a newly democratized country," said Maria Chudoba, a bartender at the Capucino cafe in Leipzig. "But now it's too late to turn back."
Some show a decided lack of eagerness for unity, especially in Leipzig, birthplace of the uprising that ended with the abolition of Stalinist rule less than a year ago.
Heinze Weiss, 74, and his 70-year-old wife, Gertrud, said they would not have minded East Germany continuing as a democracy.
"We're happy about unity, but it was not a necessary development," said Weisse, a retired hairdresser with good side and bad side to everything.
He said he and his wife had a relatively good life even under communism and, as pensioners, had been allowed to travel outside the country.
"We had our little house here, and we were born here, so we always came back." Weisse said.
"We had our celebrations last year when the Berlin Wall came down," said Gisheu Oswald, a 63-year-old, oil-rich German man, an East German cultural center.
"We're glad unity is coming, but we've got to get to work now on some important problems, like putting the
economy in order."
East German cities are decaying, the bottom has dropped out of industrial production, and unemployment is soaring.
Most of East Germany's problems require money in huge amounts.
Leipzig has a desperate house shortage, crumbling public and commercial buildings and an antiquated building that has become a health hazard.
Unification and the resulting West German funds undoubtedly will help solve the economic problems during the next few years, but also will introduce problems to East Germany.
"Prostitution will come with the joblessness because people need money," said Peter Fernau, chief of detectives in Biftered, an industrial city. "We're also worried about heroin and the possible appearance of criminal gangs. There will be totally new dimensions to crime."
Several aspects of life will change after unity.
West Germany's legal system will be extended to the East, bringing in an entirely new code of laws.
"My officers are going to have to learn, learn, learn." Forman said.
learn, learn, learn. Farewell said.
Many East Germans fear West Germans will make all the decisions about their future.
A recent poll by the West German magazine Mazzini indicated 88 percent of East Germans supported unification, but 70 percent were disap pointed by it had been managed. The process has been largely orchestrated by Helmut Kohl, West Germany's chancellor.
With the two Germanys united, East Germans will find themselves in stiff competition with West Germany in militaries. They worry about coping.
"We never learned to persist in the face of adversity because, in the old system, that was of no use." (Oswald said.
"But we also have many good qualities. We tend to be very close knit and helpful to each other, and is something we don't want to lose."
Peter Heyroth, Lutheran pastor in Bitterfield, said the way unity had been managed was demoralizing many people.
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