1973年西德聯邦憲法法院作出東、西德基礎條約判決指陳 ”基礎條約的特殊性在於，它雖是一項適用國際法規則、並且具有國際法條約效力的兩國間之雙邊條約，然而這兩個國家卻是一個始終尚存、又保有同一民族的整體德國之兩部份”。西德以「基本法（Das Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland, GG）」治國，在政治自由與經濟成長的輝煌成果，對社會主義東德產生催枯拉朽的體系瓦解，並導致兩個德國在1990年10月3日正式復歸「統一」。 國族認同在德國既因為納粹時代的誤用而被視為一種罪惡及禁忌，二次戰後的德國人，既不能像其他國族國家的人民一般以土地作為政治共同體認同的對象，也不能繼續以國族為認同的對象，乃發展出以體制為認同的對象。統一後德國經濟的表現與落差，不如原先之預測與期待，隨之而來的是，認同自己是「德東人」的前東德人卻越來越多。1990年統一之初，有六成一的東德人回答自己是「德國人」，到了2000年時，認同自己是「東德人」的竟高達七成七。以歷史的角度來看，所謂的日耳曼民族「統一」，在漫長的歷史長河裏，是否竟成短暫一瞬？國族認同其實是不斷「轉變」、需要被「建構」？ 德東人的國族認同似乎印證此一說法。 / The decision of the Federal Constitutional Court in the Basic Treaty of 1973 stated “ The specialty of the treaty is that it applies to, as well as effects, a bilateral international treaty between two states which are existing for long and keep the same nation in the two divisions of the entire Germany as a whole.” The significant political freedoms and economic prosperity that West Germany established under the Grundgesetz (Basic Law), which across the border many of East Germany’s citizens looked to, eventually led to the collapse of socialist and the consequent official unification of two German states into one again on 3rd October 1990. Due to the Nazis’ distortion of national identity, as well as the changing border in historical Germany, an ideology of identity in political communities has appeared on “systems” for the postwar German, rather than on “nations” or “lands” as for people in other nation state. Alongside the social unequal and decline derived from the disappointing economic performance after unification, more and more pre East German now declare themselves “East German”. In 1990, 61% of pre East German recognized “German”, while in 2000 77% of those recognized “East German”. From the historical point of view, the so called “Germanic unification” ultimate becomes a short memory in the long history? National identity actually transforms and needs to be continuously constructed? The terms of pre East German seem in support of this indication.