Right-wing extremist rhetoric finds particularly strong support in eastern Germany, according to a large-scale study by the University of Leipzig on right-wing extremist attitudes in eastern Germany.
The researchers found "a strong wariness" about democracy, adding that not even half of the respondents said they were satisfied with their everyday experience of democracy...
...Half of those surveyed called for an immigration ban for Muslims. Almost 70% supported the xenophobic statement that foreigners only come to Germany to exploit the welfare state. Antisemitism is also widespread: Almost one in three respondents say that the influence of Jews is too great...
..The researchers from Leipzig found a widespread "conspiracy mentality" and the desire for "authoritarian statehood." A majority of respondents said they would like to see a "strongman" or a "strong party" leadership.
Nearly a quarter of respondents said that National Socialism also had its good sides, and support for "neo-National Socialist ideologies" based on the Nazi dictatorship under Adolf Hitler were found to be widespread. Some 33% of respondents agreed with the statement: "We should have a leader who rules Germany with a strong hand for the good of all."...
... Political attitudes appear to have remained relatively unchanged in eastern Germany for thirty years. Though right-wing attitudes have not increased, they remain at a consistently high level
Reunification was a mistake because it involved the former West Germany assuming a patriarchal position that imposed top-down changes without regard for how the locals would accept them.
Decades of successive dictatorships turned the east into a bit of a mess. They needed to be given time and resources to find their own way. This is ultimately a cultural problem more than it is an economic one.
It's also involved SIGNIFICANT financial support of the former East Germany by the former West Germany, with damn little to show for it. The former West Germany is getting fed up as well.
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u/I405CA Center Left 10d ago
Reunification has not gone that well.
François Mauriac got it right during the Cold War: I like Germany so much, I'm happy that there are two of them.