26-02-2023, 02:19 PM
Over the past few months, Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer has repeatedly made headlines with his comments on Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine - and he was not alone in his opinion. He received approval from many East Germans to "freeze the war", not to provide Ukraine with heavy weapons, and to stay out of it.
Staying out of a conflict that, according to this view, is not and should not be German.This attitude is often equated with Russia friendliness and explained with the GDR socialization. Sarah Pagung, a political scientist and Russia expert from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, agrees that's not far off the mark:
"Russia is part of the East German identity."
It was different in the GDR - in addition to dissatisfaction with their own regime, there was a dislike for the foreign West and, over the years, this has hardened in the form of distrust in politics, institutions and the media, explains Pagung. That still has consequences today.
East Germans now perceive the Ukraine war as a conflict between East and West. The fact that people want to stay out is related to the fact that there is a lack of connection and identification with the West.
https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/gesells...e-101.html
Staying out of a conflict that, according to this view, is not and should not be German.This attitude is often equated with Russia friendliness and explained with the GDR socialization. Sarah Pagung, a political scientist and Russia expert from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, agrees that's not far off the mark:
"Russia is part of the East German identity."
It was different in the GDR - in addition to dissatisfaction with their own regime, there was a dislike for the foreign West and, over the years, this has hardened in the form of distrust in politics, institutions and the media, explains Pagung. That still has consequences today.
East Germans now perceive the Ukraine war as a conflict between East and West. The fact that people want to stay out is related to the fact that there is a lack of connection and identification with the West.
https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/gesells...e-101.html