Dear MEL Topic Readers,
The Berlin Wall fell 30 years ago. But an
invisible barrier still divides Germany
From 1961 until November 9, 1989, Berlin was physically
and ideologically divided by a concrete wall, the Berlin Wall. It was built by the
German Democratic Republic (GDR), or Eastern Germany, to protect its citizens
from fascism. During the Cold War period, Germany was divided physically, ideologically,
and economically divided. Less than a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the
distinctly divided countries were reunited and became one Germany.
There were around 16 million people lived in
Eastern Germany 63 million in the West at that time. Though the national and physical
borders were removed, distinct gaps seem to exist between the two regions.
Eastern Germany’s GDP per capita is around 32,000 euros while that of Western Germany
is nearly 43,000. One reason is that the East has more rural regions, while the
West has more headquarters of big corporations and thus, richer people. Also, the
Eastern population is older, poorer, and more male. That’s because nearly two
million people moved to the West since the unification, two-thirds of whom
were women. In the meantime, the pay gap between men and women is smaller in the
East, and accordingly, more women work in the East than those of the West. Interestingly,
young Eastern students perform better in schools than Western children.
Are these gaps after three decades of
division too significant? What if the border and Demilitarized Zone were
removed between North and South Korea?
Enjoy reading the article and learn what Eastern
and Western Germanies are like.
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