scholarly journals Socio-economic transformation of small towns in East Germany after 1990 - Colditz case study

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (17) ◽  
pp. 33-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waldemar Cudny
Keyword(s):  
East Germany ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Economic Transformation ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
East And West Germany ◽  
Spatial Changes ◽  
Size Population ◽  
The Town

Socio-economic transformation of small towns in East Germany after 1990 - Colditz case study The article presents the main demographic and social, as well as functional and spatial changes that took place in Colditz after 1990. The town is inhabited by 4,870 people (2009) and is situated in Saxony, in the area of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). The aim of the article is to present the main changes, which took place there after East and West Germany reunited in 1990. The author describes demographic and social changes in the population size, population growth, migration balance, unemployment, and other elements of urban community. Moreover, the article presents the changes in the economic-functional structure, such as de-industrialisation, succession of urban functions, and tourism development, as well as the main spatial changes in Colditz, such as architectural revitalisation and reconstruction of urban infrastructure. In the conclusions, the author briefly presents potential directions in the future development of the town.

scholarly journals Architectural and Urban Attractiveness of Small Towns: A Case Study of Polish Coastal Cittaslow Towns on the Pomeranian Way of St. James

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 724
Author(s):  
Alicja K. Zawadzka
Keyword(s):  
Small Towns ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
Quality Of Urban Life ◽  
Size Criterion ◽  
The Town ◽  
Modern Technologies

The paper presents the results of a study on the attractiveness to tourists and natives of the cultural qualities of coastal towns on The Pomeranian Way of St. James that are members of the Cittaslow network. Attention to the quality of urban life is inscribed in the development policies of towns applying to join the Cittaslow movement. In order to join the network (apart from the size criterion), towns need to meet a minimum of 50% plus one of the 72 criteria grouped into seven categories. One of the category is Quality of Urban Life Policy, so the towns applying to join Cittaslow commit themselves to actions aimed at improving the quality of urban life. The study on the attractiveness of cultural qualities of towns to tourists and natives was conducted using the author’s BRB method, whose added value is its universality and the possibility to study small towns regardless of their membership in the Cittaslow network. BRB is an acronym that stands for BUILDINGS, RELATIONSHIPS, BALANCE, and comprises three scopes of activities: BUILDINGS (iconic building and important sites where the inhabitants and the tourists are present); RELATIONSHIPS (the visual effects of the relations between the inhabitants and the town) and BALANCE (solutions that implement modern technologies). This method enables identification of places that are important to the inhabitants, where urban life takes place and which are often created with the involvement of the inhabitants. These are often the same spaces as those that attract tourists and perhaps stimulate them the desire to visit the town again (BRB—be right back). The aim of the BRB method is shown the attractiveness of small towns. The study has shown that the characteristic feature of Polish Cittaslow towns is their diversity: the architectural attractiveness of three towns is high both to tourists and natives. On the other hand, the urban attractiveness of the examined towns is an insufficient.

Transit to East Germany: The Distribution and Reception of Once Upon a Time in the West in the German Democratic Republic

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemary Stott
Keyword(s):  
German Democratic Republic ◽  
Cultural Production ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
East Germany ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Federal Republic Of Germany ◽  
Business Professionals ◽  
The West ◽  
Nation States

This chapter examines the relocation, transition, and appropriation of the Spaghetti Western in a hitherto under-researched context: the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), prior to its unification with the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) in 1990. It explores the selection, distribution and reception of Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West, Sergio Leone, 1968) in the German Democratic Republic as a case study of how international cultural transfer causes objects of cultural production to be repositioned as they enter a new reception context. It also examines the ideological, economic, and sociological concerns underpinning the decisions of those who facilitated the movement of film across the political, cultural, and linguistic boundaries of nation states. In East Germany, the facilitators involved in the selection, censorship, dubbing, and promotion of films were mainly government administrators rather than film business professionals, because film was a state-controlled industry. The chapter focuses on the ‘official’ reception of the film on the basis of available censorship protocols and government policy papers, as well as print media sources.

Post-unification (East) German Documentary and the Contradictions of Identity

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barton Byg
Keyword(s):  
West Germany ◽  
Berlin Wall ◽  
Post Cold War ◽  
East And West Germany ◽  
East German ◽  
Innovative Enterprise ◽  
East And West ◽  
The Individual

This chapter focuses on the three major themes that have helped make the integration between East and West German documentary filmmakers successful and have contributed new strengths to German independent documentary as a productive and innovative enterprise. It first illustrates the phenomenon of collaboration between filmmakers from both East and West Germany, which preceded the fall of the Berlin Wall and provides the basis for unique accomplishments in documentary. Then, partly based on these East–West collaborations, it discuss examples of German documentary's frequent explorations of non-European topics, which challenge the clear separation of European and non-European in both politics and film art. Here, the film collaborations between Helga Reidemeister and Lars Barthel will serve as a case study. Finally, also as a result of decades of experimentation with the nature of the film medium's presentation of ‘reality’, ‘history’, and the individual human subject, Thomas Heise's German ‘portrait film’ Barluschke (1997) is explored as an example of this defining quality of independent German documentary filmmaking in the context of the post-Cold War.

Geschlechtsspezifische Ost-West-Unterschiede im Erwerbsverlauf

2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 445-466
Author(s):  
Dana Müller ◽  
Michaela Fuchs
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
East Germany ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
East And West Germany ◽  
Career Opportunities ◽  
Gender Specific Differences ◽  
East And West ◽  
Gender Specific

Zusammenfassung Dieser Beitrag beschreibt die Entwicklung geschlechtsspezifischer Ungleichheiten über die letzten drei Jahrzehnte in Ost- und Westdeutschland. Unterschiede zwischen beiden Regionen bestehen nach wie vor. Sie haben ihren Ursprung in den verschiedenen gesellschaftlichen Ansätzen der Gleichstellung der Geschlechter vor der Wiedervereinigung und den unterschiedlichen strukturellen Gegebenheiten am Arbeitsmarkt. Dennoch besitzen nach wie vor weder die Frauen in Westdeutschland noch in Ostdeutschland die gleichen Einkommens- und Karrierechancen wie Männer. Die Bemühungen des Staates, den Abbau geschlechtsspezifischer Ungleichheiten voranzutreiben, werden anhand der zahlreichen Maßnahmen der letzten Jahre sichtbar. Sie reichen aber noch nicht aus, wie die Zahlen im Beitrag zeigen. Abstract: Gender-specific Differences on the Labour Market in East and West Germany This article describes the development of gender inequalities over the last three decades in East and West Germany. There are still differences between the two regions. They have their origin in the different social concepts to gender equality before reunification and the different structural conditions on the labour market. Nevertheless, not only women in West Germany but also in East Germany still do not have the same income and career opportunities as men. The state’s efforts to promote the reduction of gender-specific inequalities are evident from the numerous measures taken in recent years. However, they are not yet sufficient.

scholarly journals The Effect of the Post-Socialist Transition on Inequality of Educational Opportunity: Evidence from German Unification

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-473
Author(s):  
Bastian A Betthäuser
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Educational Opportunity ◽  
Educational Inequality ◽  
East Germany ◽  
West Germany ◽  
German Unification ◽  
Federal Republic Of Germany ◽  
East And West Germany ◽  
East And West ◽  
Inequality Of Educational Opportunity

Abstract In 1990, German unification led to an abrupt and extensive restructuring of the educational system and economy of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) as the latter was reintegrated into the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). However, the consequences of this large-scale institutional change for the educational inequality between children from different social class backgrounds in East Germany continue to be poorly understood. This article seeks to shed new light on this question by using a quasi-experimental approach to examine the difference in educational inequality between East and West Germany before and after German unification. We compare changes in the class gradient in the attainment of comparable school and university qualifications in East and West Germany across six birth cohorts, including three cohorts of individuals who completed their schooling after unification. We find that before unification, inequality of educational opportunity at the mid-secondary, upper-secondary and tertiary level was substantially lower in East Germany than in West Germany and that unification led to a substantial and sustained convergence of the level of inequality of educational opportunity in East Germany towards that of West Germany.

Wage Adjustment, Competitiveness and Unemployment – East Germany after Unification

2009 ◽  
Vol 229 (2-3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Werner Smolny
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
East Germany ◽  
German Economy ◽  
West Germany ◽  
Relative Wage ◽  
Wage Setting ◽  
East And West Germany ◽  
Market Situation ◽  
East German ◽  
Wage Adjustment

SummaryNearly 20 years after unification large differences of the labor market situation in East and West Germany persist. Wages are still considerably lower, the unemployment rate is about twice of the West German level, and the competitiveness of the East German economy seems to be low. This paper analyzes the process of (relative) wage adjustment in East Germany and the resulting development of competitiveness and unemployment differentials. We present estimates of the wage adjustment in East vs. West Germany based on wage convergence and effects of unemployment on wage growth. The central focus of the paper is the empirical analysis of the interaction of the development of competitiveness and the labor market situation. The results reveal large equilibrium gaps for wages and unemployment which are based on the wage-setting process, the behavior of competitiveness and the adjustment of unemployment.

The Luther Anniversary in East Germany

1984 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert F. Goeckel
Keyword(s):  
East Germany ◽  
Martin Luther ◽  
West Germany ◽  
The Other ◽  
Intermediate Range ◽  
Lutheran Church ◽  
East And West Germany ◽  
International Attention ◽  
State Cooperation ◽  
The Church

In 1983 two events focused international attention on East and West Germany. One was the collapse of talks on intermediate range missiles in Geneva and the consequent deployment of the missiles by NATO. The other was the 500th anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther. The Luther anniversary cast the spotlight particularly on communist East Germany, which revised its previously negative interpretation of Luther and not only marked his birth with elaborate festivities but also extended unprecedented assistance to the Lutheran church for its celebration. Yet, just as many wondered if inter-German detente would survive the I.N.F. deployment, so, too, many wondered at the nature of the church-state cooperation in the G.D.R., and if it would survive the Luther Year. The present analysis examines the character and direction of this churchstate relationship, using the Luther Year experience as evidence.

East-West divide will persist in Germany

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
East Germany ◽  
National Level ◽  
West Germany ◽  
The West ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ruhr Area ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
East And West Germany ◽  
Skills Shortage ◽  
East West

Subject Differences between East and West Germany. Significance Considerable investment notwithstanding, the economy in East Germany is still weaker than in the West. This is compounded by demographic change. Moreover, voting behaviour and the distribution of political attitudes in the East are markedly different from the West. These factors will continue to shape political processes on the national level. Impacts The skills shortage in the East is unlikely to be alleviated by migration as the anti-immigration sentiment persists. The necessary reallocation of tax funds to East Germany will remain a bone of contention. The continuing decline of some industrial areas in the West (particularly in the Ruhr area) will exacerbate this conflict.

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