Leipzig in the Context of German Municipal Administration

Abstract

After the reunification of Germany in 1990 and until the end of that decade, Leipzig developed a dubious reputation as a shrinking and perforated city littered by the many empty homes and office buildings that had been vacated by East Germans who had fled to the West. Opinion polls suggest that the consequences of reunification are still being felt in eastern Germany, though the mood has improved. For the first time since 1990 a narrow majority in Germany believes that the two halves of the country are growing together as one nation. According to a September 2010 survey by Forsa for Stern magazine, 48 said Yes and 47 % said No. In a separate poll by the Allensbach institute, published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 53 % of West Germans, and 57 % of easterners, said unification was a cause for joy. But there is still a substantial unhappy minority. The Allensbach poll reported that 69 % of easterners regard westerners as “arrogant” and 54 % think they are “out for the money”. Westerners resent paying to support the eastern economy and believe their eastern cousins are ungrateful.