In 1990, Germany once again became a reunited country after the collapse of the socialistic German Democratic Republic [GDR]. Although most of the East Germans were positive about the reunification, the consequences of their transformation into the West German system came as a shock to many. The current study examines what successful and unsuccessful socialization processes look like, how identities are constructed, and why work, family, and free-time activities are important. More specifically, the study focuses on what these elements looked like in the GDR. Research shows that many East Germans had troubles adjusting to the new type of society after the reunification. Together, the results of this study demonstrate that there are still significant differences on several factors between East and West Germans today. Discrepancies continue to exist in integration and work, with the unemployment rate in the East of Germany still being higher than in the West. In terms of identity construction, even after 20 years since the reunification (in 2009) over 50% of the East Germans still identified themselves as “East Germans” rather than “Germans”. Values also differ, with East Germans tending to value social security more than West Germans and maintaining higher expectations for the involvement of the government. These differences can be traced back to socialistic socialization processes in East Germans and shows how the GDR continues to affect the identities and integration of East Germans.

Internal Westward Migration in Germany: 1989-1994 Amy Hubbard Abstract: Contemporary German history has been beleaguered with political, social, and economic upheaval, the consequences of which have led to its modern day composition. One such consequence of Germany's past is the problem of internal westward migration between 1989 and 1994. This analysis looks at the political, social, and economic factors that have led to the increase of internal westward migration from the states of the former German Democratic Republic to the states of the former Federal Republic of Germany. The political, social, and economic developments of the German Democratic Republic combined with the reunification process have led to a feeling of insecurity in the east. People with a strong sense of political, social, or economic insecurity will have a stronger propensity to migration to a stable environment. A variety of governmental programs have been developed to quell the problem but they have been widely unsuccessful. Additionally, there have been a series of negative consequences caused by the existence of internal westward migration on such a scale, such as, the rise of extremist parties in the eastern states of German