In the weeks leading up to the Alternative for Germany’s (AfD) decisive victory in the Saxony-Anhalt regional elections on September 6, tensions between eastern and western Germany appeared to intensify. The far-right, Russia-friendly, and eurosceptic party secured approximately 44 percent of the vote, placing it within reach of governing the region and reigniting debates over lingering economic and social disparities between the former East and West Germany.

Nearly four decades after reunification, the political and cultural divide remains pronounced. The eastern states, which once comprised the German Democratic Republic (GDR), continue to grapple with the legacy of deindustrialization, population decline, and economic stagnation, despite transfers totaling an estimated €2 trillion from the west since 1990. Many western Germans express frustration over these ongoing challenges, perceiving a lack of gratitude in the east, while some have voiced harsh opinions about eastern voters and their political choices.

“It is an illusion to think that sending money to fix roads and houses would ‘westernise’ east Germans,” said Munich-based historian Magnus Brechtken, who characterized the GDR as “bankrupt” and lacking democratic tradition prior to reunification. He argued that while dissatisfaction in the east is understandable, it should not come “at our expense,” reflecting a growing exhaustion among western Germans regarding financial and social support for the east.

Conversely, sociologist Steffen Mau of Humboldt University in Berlin, born in East Germany, noted that resource transfers between east and west have not been unidirectional. He highlighted that western investors acquired nearly 90 percent of former state-owned enterprises in the east and that hundreds of thousands of young easterners migrated westward after 1990, with the German economy benefiting from increased consumer demand in the new federal states.

Historian Katja Hoyer, also from the east, criticized what she sees as entrenched feelings of western superiority. She points to nostalgia on both sides—“Ostalgie” in the east, a yearning for aspects of life under the GDR, and a romanticized memory of the “alte Bundesrepublik” (old Federal Republic) in the west. Hoyer suggested that the political certainties once associated with west Germany’s dominant parties and economic model are now eroding under the pressure of reunification.

The economic and demographic realities in the east, particularly in places like Saxony-Anhalt’s Dessau-Roßlau, underscore these divisions. Once-industrial hubs have witnessed the closure of major factories and significant population losses, while rising energy costs linked to Germany’s pivot away from Russian oil and gas have further strained local economies. The median net worth of households in former eastern Germany remains roughly a quarter of that in the west, deepening grievances that many analysts say the AfD has effectively tapped into.

Despite the AfD’s growth in eastern states, the party has also made gains in parts of the west, particularly in economically challenged manufacturing areas, with platforms opposing immigration and advocating for Germany’s exit from the Eurozone. However, some observers urge caution in interpreting these developments.

Berlin-based author Géraldine Schwarz attributed the east-west divide to two contrasting political cultures shaped by historical experiences. She noted that the integration of east Germans into the federal education and political systems has not erased the legacy of decades without an active civil society, and the lingering Soviet influence affects perceptions, including attitudes toward Russia. Schwarz described the Saxony-Anhalt AfD branch as classified by German domestic intelligence as “right-wing extremist,” suggesting it exploits these vulnerabilities.

In the west, generations born after World War II who actively rejected their parents’ accommodation of the Nazi past have cultivated a stronger resistance to authoritarian and populist politics. Schwarz expressed cautious optimism that this historical vigilance might insulate western Germany from the extent of the AfD’s successes seen in the east.

The unfolding dynamics between eastern and western Germany reveal a complex interplay of economic hardship, historical memory, and political identity. As the AfD’s influence grows, discussions about national unity and societal cohesion continue to challenge Germany’s post-reunification narrative.