West German Writer Challenges "East German Soul" Debate in Freitag Essay

In a Freitag essay, a West German author questions the long-running debate over an "ostdeutsche Seele," or East German soul, arguing that the discussion reveals a double standard. She notes that East Germans often react irritably when the experience of dictatorship under the DDR is raised as a possible explanation for their character, for instance why many in the east vote for the right. Yet when the topic turns to favorable traits, the same DDR society is suddenly credited with producing a distinctive East German character: competent but modest, peace-loving, and community-minded. These qualities are explained by the claim that in the collectivist DDR nobody pushed themselves forward. The author cites the political scientist Juliane Mar, who described this as the "Prinzip des ehrlichen Ossis," or principle of the honest East German. The piece, published by Freitag, examines the debate through a feminist lens and finds at least two aspects remarkable. The full text is available in the current issue.