New states of Germany
As new countries (including eastern federal states) are the five states of the Federal Republic of Germany referred to, which were formed due to the Länder Act of 22 July 1990 decision of the People's Chamber of the German Democratic Republic from the 14 East German districts (excluding East Berlin). The date foreseen by the law of October 14, 1990 was brought forward with the unification treaty on October 3, 1990, so that the new countries emerged simultaneously with the unification of Germany.
To distinguish the terms new countries and the acceding territory, the latter also includes the eastern part of Berlin. Colloquially, the new federal states are also referred to as " East Germany", which includes the entire state of Berlin or even the former East Berlin.
- 2.1 Reconstruction of the countries and local governments after 1990
- 4.1 Largest cities
The five new countries
The new countries are
- Brandenburg
- Mecklenburg -Western Pomerania
- Saxony
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Thuringia
Special case of Berlin
Berlin was already before 1990 a country ( Article 23 of the Basic Law and Article 127 of the Basic Law aF specifically referred to as Greater Berlin ), which, however, was until then only from West Berlin. In the wake of German reunification, this country has been extended to East Berlin and West - Staaken. According to quadripartite agreement was Berlin ( West) Although not an integral part of the Federal Republic of Germany and could not be governed by it, but it has been considered by this state, and as with some restrictions ( Allied reservation law) be treated as such. Therefore, Berlin is not one of the new federal states.
Investigations on the development of the candidate area after the reunification of the territory of the former East Berlin is usually considered separately for the five new German states, especially since, there were other challenges due to the specific urban structure and the reunification within the city.
Boundary changes after the turn
The east of the Elbe Located former Amt Neuhaus and the villages of New Bleckede, New Wendischthun and Stiepelse the community Teldau in the since 1992 existing office Boizenburg country ( district of Ludwigsburg, lust ) changed on 30 June 1993 from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (or until 1990, Schwerin ) County Hagenow are the Lower Saxony district of Lüneburg, and thus today in one of the old federal states. New Bleckede and New Wendischthun now make up the district Bleckede - Wendischthun the city Bleckede, the other communities joined on 1 October 1993 to the municipality of Amt Neuhaus together. These boundary changes have no impact on the continued use of the term accession area, which therefore also includes areas in Lower Saxony.
Past and present
→ Main article on the history of the new country prior to 1945: history of Germany, Mecklenburg, Brandenburg, Berlin, History Berlin, Prussia, History of Thuringia and Saxony's history → Main article on the history after 1945: Country ( DDR), Soviet Occupation Zone, East Germany, history of the GDR and East Berlin
The countries had been set up by order of the Soviet Military Administration in Germany in the GDR. As part of the " further perfection of the socialist institution building " a de facto abolition of federalism and a tight centralization, the countries was applied on 23 July 1952 to submit their tasks in 15 districts and 217 districts. This historically grown structures were eliminated in favor of a blank of the districts according to economic and security aspects.
With the Länder Act which countries were reconstituted immediately reunification on 3 October 1990, but not in the borders of 1952 nor in those of the districts of the GDR. At the time of accession to the Federal Republic of Germany, the population of the new states plus East Berlin was about 17 million people. Due to the broad demographic development in Germany and by migration of more than two million people in the old federal states, this number fell to less than 15 million.
According to their number next to the official term " accession area " five new countries is also the name commonly used. In the years after reunification or reversing these areas were - jokingly partly - also called Neufünfland ( an allusion to Newfoundland), Five new territory, FNL, Accession Countries, Ossiland or port area. The latter two terms also include East Berlin.
The five countries are much more likely collectively referred to as East Germany, which got converted by parlance an almost neutral sound. Occasionally, we denote by East Germany - based on the now risen in the East German RBB Rundfunk Brandenburg (ORB ) - only the Northeast, ie the territory of the Länder Brandenburg, Berlin and part of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Saxony- Anhalt.
Also, the term means Germany is undergoing in some circles a resurgent use - mainly by the desire of politicians in Saxony and Thuringia, to distinguish themselves from the economically weaker northeast. In particular, the Central German Broadcasting used this term to denote the transmission area (Saxony, Saxony -Anhalt and Thuringia ) collectively.
In the old Federal Republic common names for the GDR were: SBZ ( Soviet Occupation Zone ), Central Germany, Zone, Dark Germany, Over, East Zone and so-called DDR or "DDR".
Reconstruction of the country and local governments after 1990
As the countries were to rebuild with the reunification of their administrative machinery of reason had built on new and be reconciled with the system of the Federal Republic. According to Article 15, Section 3 of the Unification Treaty could work until 30 June 1991, the West German Länder and the Bund tasks of the new countries, as long as they were not yet capable of. As part of the " country programs for institution building in the new states " joined the new federal states called an "administrative assistance treaties " with states from the West. This should accompany the construction of the Administration West German model and support, for example with training or hiring of personnel. Also, partnerships between cities in the contractors were completed to better implement the administrative restructuring to the municipal level.
Here, the following administrative assistance pairings were:
Based on these administrative assistance were partnerships at the local level, but also the West German state administrations played an important role. In the respective administrative assistance contracts, for example, agreements on reimbursement of administrative assistance measures have been taken, which completely went with the time on the new countries. Especially in the early days of the commitment of the West German partner was quite different. While Hesse, Bavaria, Rhineland -Palatinate and Baden- Württemberg diligently and expeditiously tried to ensure efficient management structure in the southern eastern states, Thuringia and Saxony, Lower Saxony showed in Saxony -Anhalt and Schleswig -Holstein in Mecklenburg- Vorpommern - in the hope of the initiative of their own communities - first few attempts. In contrast, Thuringia led to coordination problems between Bavaria, Hesse and Rhineland- Palatinate. Between 1990 and 1995, approximately 35,000 West German officials and administrative staff were employed in the new countries to the establishment of the local administrations. Even West German politicians like Kurt Biedenkopf, Bernhard Vogel and Lothar Späth were engaged in the 1990s in the longer term in the new federal states.
Parties, organizations
The new federal states - in addition to the Regional Conference of Heads of Government of the East German Länder ( MPK- East) - no common state or public representation to the old federal states. Although the Left Party is not simply a " Ostpartei " but as all-German party, it tries to distinguish itself as a political advocacy of the new countries and East Berlin. It has therein a voter potential of 20 to 30 percent. Many organizations of the GDR have been dissolved completely since 1990 as the pioneer organization, Academy of Science and the Society for Sport and Technology, or were part of an organization of the old countries, such as the DDR block parties CDU, NDPD and the Liberal Democratic Party ( merged in the FDP ).
Population
The total fertility rate ( often referred to as fertility ) fell at the beginning of the 1990s, first in half, so that numerous schools and kindergartens have closed down. In the years after 2000, this rose again and began to align themselves with the West German level.
The population of the new countries has declined since 1990 by about two million, with about three million have left the territory of the former GDR and about a million immigrated mainly from the former Federal Republic. The number of immigrants from West Germany includes also largely East German returnees who have lived temporarily in the old federal states. These returnees account for over 50 percent of the people who appear in statistics as immigrants. In addition, over 50 percent of the East German emigrants would clearly like to return to the West to East Germany if they had a better perspective there. It is striking that East Germans often than the average East German remarry or live with them - you can therefore speaking of an existing eastern part of culture.
Overall, the demographic situation in the new states to be classed as poor to catastrophic. Several factors make this reinforced each other:
- Migration of young people (often potential service providers ) with a result of aging
- Higher life expectancy ( people are getting older)
- Lowest birth rate in the EU, also with a result of aging
Especially bad demographic situation in the Lausitz (the Bertelsmann study predicts, for example, for Hoyerswerda 2020 a population decline of 48 percent), in Brandenburg, in eastern Mecklenburg- Western Pomerania, and in the middle of Saxony-Anhalt ( between Magdeburg, Halle, Dessau and Halberstadt ). On the other hand, there are some areas that have suffered only slight population losses, to include parts of Thuringia and Saxony as well as the western part of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ( to Wismar and Schwerin ). Some metropolitan areas can in recent years even back recorded population growth, and include, for example, all areas around Berlin, especially city of Potsdam, which is one of the fastest growing major cities in Germany, also still growing metropolitan areas to Leipzig, Dresden and Erfurt -Weimar -Jena. Also stabilized the regions around Magdeburg and Rostock.
Largest cities
1 Including Halle- Neustadt
The table shows the numbers of inhabitants in cities at different times. The strength of the counts, however, is limited because of time numerous independent neighboring communities were annexed by municipality reforms in the major cities. The introduction of second home tax, which has resulted in particular in traditional university locations to a significant increase in the primary residence applications for students who leave the since the early 1990s, continuing population decline in the new federal states appear mitigated in part.
Economy
The new countries should with extensive funding from the reconstruction of the East, especially the German Unity Fund and the Solidarpakten, are supported in their economy. Since 1990, however, unemployment has risen sharply in the new countries and is on average about twice as high as in West Germany. Large parts of the industry were handled, that is closed or privatized, partially renovated and sold, for which the THA had been commissioned. Even in companies that remained still exist, the number of employees was reduced significantly in most cases. The economic growth rate in the period between 2001 and 2006 about 0.2 percent higher than that of the old Länder. Prices for Economic and consumer goods have generally increased since the formation of the new countries, sometimes even drastically by about five to ten times as rents, insurance, public transportation, for restaurant visits and for artisans and services. In the 1990s, almost all households were equipped with telephone connections.
After the accession of the GDR to the Federal Republic of Germany, the industrial production of the new countries declined dramatically within a few years, but has been growing since the low point in the early 1990s again consistent over time and in some cases significantly higher growth rates than in the old federal states; however the share of value added is the industry in total value added is still below the level of the old federal states. Nearly 100 percent of the former national property were privatized and 95 percent of them came into the possession of owners outside the new countries. The gross domestic product of the new countries has fallen below that of the GDR from 1989/90, the gross national product of the GDR, was most recently in 1990 354 billion marks (as of 2003). The current account deficit of the new countries - that is, the import surplus with export - is around 100 billion euros in 2003. The average profit, which the old federal states achieved in the new countries since accession ( " profit association " ) is, according to the Federal Statistical Office, about 100 billion euros per year, ie about 1300 to 2003 billion euros.
In many cities the new countries are available after migration many homes empty - despite demolition and deconstruction, for example in Dresden about 20 percent of all homes in Berlin about 100,000 homes.
The new federal states have risen to leading producers of renewable energy, with the result that today there are three of them among the top five producing countries for renewable electricity.
Traffic
In the 1990s a lot of money has been invested in the expansion of roads.
The number of trains running in the new countries train and bus services has been significantly reduced in some cases, several railway lines (particularly secondary roads ) and smaller stations were closed. The bus and train use has declined sharply, in return for the private transport increased.
The equipment level of the population in the new Länder with cars has increased since 1990: in 1988 the GDR had 55 percent of households had at least one car, there were already 67 percent in 1993 and 1998, 71 percent. (For comparison: In the Federal Republic, there were in 1988 61 percent 1993 74 percent 1998 76 percent. ) The budgets of the GDR had in the late 1960s only 14 percent own a car in 1980 already 38 percent.
Policy
In the new Länder, there is another voter behavior than in the old, especially the Left gets here at the municipal and state elections, on average, 15 to 30 percent of the vote. CDU, SPD, Greens and FDP received, however, mostly slightly lower election results than in West Germany. The Greens were represented only in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg state parliament in 2009. Since 2011, they are also represented in Mecklenburg- Vorpommern and Saxony- Anhalt, and for the first time in all the new states. The representation of the FDP in the parliaments is less common than in the old countries. It has offices in Saxony, Brandenburg and Thuringia in the parliament. Overall, less traditional party loyalty and hence higher willingness to change Select is observed.
According to a study by the Friedrich -Schiller- University of Jena in 2003 voted 23 percent of the population in Thuringia for a return to socialism, 58 percent rated the GDR more positive than negative.
Science
Many scientists of the GDR and members of the disbanded Academy of Sciences of the GDR organized themselves after the creation of the new states in the Leibniz law firm. Some discontinued after the fall of the GDR institutions are a member of the Leibniz Association; most, however, were closed by the provincial government, from the escrow company or the federal government. However, after 1990, numerous new research institutes, such as the Fraunhofer Society and the Max Planck Society emerged. Also, new universities were founded, such as the Brandenburg Technical University of Cottbus and the University of Erfurt (see list of German universities ).
Culture
Prefabricated buildings were erected lack of funds and for the rapid development of housing in East Germany mainly. The ancient cities and buildings dilapidated. Unlike in West Germany but they were not demolished, what Binz, Blankenburg ( Harz), Erfurt, Görlitz, Greifswald, Güstrow, Halberstadt, Halle ( Saale ), cooling Born, Ludwig Lust, Meiningen, Meissen, Naumburg ( Saale), Pirna, Potsdam, Quedlinburg, Schwerin, Stendal, Stralsund, Weimar, Wernigerode, Wismar, Zeitz and other cities today to make jewels German cities architecture. Many important cultural sites - Woerlitzer Park, Dornburger Castle, Prince Pueckler Park Bad Muskau - have been restored since 1990, added some in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Weimar was 1999 European Capital of Culture. However, the tight budgetary situation of the countries also ensures that over again museums, theaters and orchestras have to be closed in smaller towns.
Conservation
Since 1990, the environmental protection in the new Länder was significantly improved. This concerns in particular the restoration of mining sites (lignite, bismuth ) and improving air and water quality through the use of modern filtering technologies.
Media
Many publishing houses, newspapers and magazines in the GDR have been closed or adjusted in the new countries. Some, however, there are still or again as the Aufbau-Verlag, magazines melody and rhythm, Frösi or the magazine (see the list of newspapers and magazines in the GDR ). Most regional newspapers in the GDR were partially taken over and continued under a different name by West German publishing chains like the spark media group. They cover today mostly from the field of regional and local press.
In the new countries, the television station of the Central German Radio and the resultant from the West Berlin SFB and Brandenburg ORB Rundfunk Berlin -Brandenburg as well as various regional and national radio stations such as Radio Brocken are headquartered As a national in the new Länder printed and purchased also mostly there daily newspapers are to name the former SED and FDJ organs new Germany and Young World, as magazines Superillu, amateur radio, Eulenspiegel, Bummi, Mosaic, Good advice, FLiEGERREVUE, auto road (formerly " the German road Traffic" ), the world stage ( the leaflet today and Ossietzky ), the star (now united with stars and space), the troll, week post (2002 set ), visor, Astronomische Nachrichten. Magazine start-ups, there was after the turn barely Our Illustrated (Bauer Verlag), Good idea, Spiesser.
Health
Some polyclinics as well as various hospitals, especially in smaller towns, were closed by the end of 1991. The number of practicing doctors increased. More recently, however, as in all of Germany, one can see an opposite trend with formation of large health and medical care centers, often at the expense of community-based primary care in rural areas ( rural doctor shortage).