德国统一：为何东德身份再次变得重要马塞尔·福尔斯坦2026年10月3日一项新研究凸显出，在统一36年后，东西德之间在财富和领导职位上仍存在持续的结构差异。
German reunification: Why being East German matters again Marcel Fürstenau October 3, 2026 A new study highlights persistent structural disparities in wealth and leadership positions between East and West Germany, 36 years after reunification.
分裂结束36年后，东西德之间的差异依然存在。德国统一或许已是36年前的往事，但就财富而言，东西德之间的鸿沟远非历史。据联邦政府东部事务专员伊丽莎白·凯泽尔表示，东德人平均收入仍然较低，养老金较少，拥有的房产也更少。
Thirty-six years after the end of the division, differences between East and West Germany remain German reunification may be 36 years in the past, but when it comes to wealth, the divide between East and West Germany is far from history. East Germans still earn less on average, receive smaller pensions and own less property, according to Elisabeth Kaiser, the Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany.
凯泽尔1987年出生于社会主义的德意志民主共和国（东德）图林根州，她将这种持久的财富差距置于辩论的中心。她在柏林发布的一项研究指出，在过去几十年中，东德的私人创业和为个人财务未来进行投资的机会受到限制。凯泽尔表示，这意味着“家庭无法积累或传承如此多的财富”。她认为，其后果对向上流动产生了深远影响。人脉和社会背景有多重要？
Kaiser, born in the state of Thuringia in the socialist German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1987, has put the enduring wealth gap at the center of the debate. A study she presented in Berlin points to decades in which private entrepreneurship and opportunities to invest in one's financial future were restricted in the East. That meant, Kaiser said, that "families have not been able to acquire or pass on as much wealth." The consequences, she argues, have had a profound impact upward mobility. How important are personal connections and social background?
但如今，不仅东德人感到向上流动的机会较少。凯泽尔提到了最新的“德国监测”报告，这是她委托进行的一项年度调查，旨在阐明她的观点。尽管今年的调查仍在分析中，但初步结果显示，全国约三分之二的受访者认为，财务和社会流动在很大程度上取决于财富、人脉和社会背景。
But it is not only East Germans who see fewer chances of upward mobility these days. Kaiser pointed to the latest " Deutschland-Monitor " an annual survey she commissioned to make her point. Although this year's survey is still being analyzed, early findings reveal that about two-thirds of respondents across the country believe that financial and social mobility depend crucially on wealth, personal connections and social background.
这种看法在数据中得到了体现。凯泽尔说，尽管联邦最高机构中东德籍高管的比例已从2022年的13.9%上升至目前的16.3%，但“管理层级越高，东德人的比例就越低”。德国统一花了多少钱？
This perception is reflected in the numbers. Even though the percentage of East German executives in the highest federal agencies has risen from 13.9% in 2022 to 16.3% today, Kaiser says, "The further up the management ladder you go, the lower the percentage of East Germans you find." How much did the German reunification cost?
要观看这段视频，东德领导人仍然普遍稀缺根据这些调查结果，东德专员呼吁在决策中实现更大的平等。她说：“这就是为什么我希望看到东德人坐在国家任何决策的地方，无论在部委、政府机构、商界、学术界、司法部门、文化和媒体中。"
To view this video , and East German leaders remain scarce across the board Based on these findings, the Commissioner for Eastern Germany calls for greater equality in decision-making. "And that is why I would like to see East Germans sitting at the table wherever decisions are made in the country," she said, "in the ministries, in government agencies, in business, academia, the judiciary, culture and the media."
东德人的人口比例略低于20%，相对于东德人在所有行业的代表性明显不足。为了支持这一点，凯撒引用了她的办公室委托进行的另一项研究“Elitenmonitor”。由耶拿大学（图林根州）、莱比锡大学（萨克森州）和齐陶大学/戈尔利茨大学（萨克森州）进行的Elitenmonitor研究在很长一段时间内对十二个行业的3，000多个高层职位进行了审查，可以提供的不仅仅是快照。
With just under 20%, East Germans are significantly underrepresented in all sectors relative to their share of the population. To back this up, Kaiser cited the " Elitenmonitor " another study commissioned by her office. With over 3,000 top positions examined across twelve sectors over a long period of time, the Elitenmonitor study, conducted by the universities of Jena (Thuringia), Leipzig ( Saxony ), and Zittau/Görlitz (Saxony), can offer more than just a snapshot.
报告显示，2018年至2024年，东德人在公共和私营部门担任领导职务的比例仅从10.9%增加到12.1%。在商业和文化领域，东德人的比例实际上有所下降。
According to the report, the percentage of East Germans in leadership positions in both the public and private sectors only increased from 10.9% to 12.1% from 2018 to 2024. And in the business and cultural sectors, the percentage of East Germans has actually declined.
最引人注目的是，在德国100家最大的公司中，所有高管都来自西德--军队也是如此。东德人在司法部门和媒体高层职位上的代表性也严重不足。
Most striking of all is that among the 100 largest German companies, all executives are from West Germany — and the same holds true for the military. East Germans are also severely underrepresented in top positions in the judiciary and the media.
事实核查：关于所谓德国分裂的虚假运动关于东德的新刻板印象东德观点在社会几乎所有领域的代表性不足似乎也对东德人的看法产生了影响。凯撒说，她这一代人出生在柏林墙倒塌和德国统一前后，很长一段时间都没有感觉到东德。直到在学校和职业培训期间，她才意识到东西方之间存在差异，有时会让她处于不利地位。
Fact check: Fake campaign about alleged division of Germany New stereotypes about East Germany The insufficient representation of East German perspectives in nearly all areas of society also appears to have consequences for how East Germans are viewed. Kaiser says that her generation, born around the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification, did not feel East German for a long time. It was only in school and during vocational training that she realized there were differences between East and West that would sometimes put her at a disadvantage.
这也塑造了人们对东德过去和现在的刻板印象。“东德身份在某种程度上也是被政治性地建构出来的，因为人们正在寻找某种自我定位的方式，寻找一种共同的纽带，”凯泽从她丰富的经历和对话中深知这一点。
This has also shaped stereotypes about East Germany, both past and present. "An East German identity is also being created politically to some extent because people are looking for some way to orient themselves, because they're looking for a common bond," Kaiser knows from her many experiences and conversations.
她以辛姆森（Simson）踏板摩托车的象征力量为例。这种摩托车在德意志民主共和国（东德）时期生产了数百万辆，是当时许多年轻人出行与自由的象征。
As an example, she cited the symbolic power of the Simson moped, produced in the millions during the GDR era — a symbol of mobility and freedom for many young people at that time.
德国选择党（AfD）的主要代表人物经常骑着辛姆森踏板摩托车公开亮相。该党被国内情报机构部分归类为极右翼极端主义政党。其中一人是乌尔里希·齐格蒙德，他最近赢得了东部州萨克森-安哈尔特的州选举。凯泽虽然没有直接点名德国选择党，但哀叹文化符号被用于政治目的。“它创造了一种非常强烈的情感联系，”凯泽谈到辛姆森品牌的使用时说道。
Leading representatives of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), a party classified in part as far-right extremist by the domestic intelligence agency, frequently make public appearances riding on Simson mopeds. One of them is Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD candidate who recently won state elections in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt Without specifically mentioning the AfD by name, Kaiser lamented the exploitation of cultural symbols for political purposes." It creates a very powerful emotional connection," said Kaiser regarding the use of the Simson brand.
一个犹太家庭的摩托车品牌如何成为极右翼的象征？至于德国选择党及其最近在梅克伦堡-前波美拉尼亚州和柏林的选举胜利，凯泽表示，这些选举发出了危险的信号。她认为，国际投资者和技术工人会问自己：我该去那里吗？
How a Jewish family's moped brand became a far-right symbol As for the AfD and its recent electoral successes in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin Kaiser said that these elections send a dangerous signal. She believes that international investors and skilled workers will ask themselves: Should I go there or not?
凯泽特别提到了在东德经济增长和创新中发挥重要作用的行业，如半导体产业、电池电芯研究、医疗保健、生物技术和可再生能源。她担心这些行业的经济复苏可能会因此受到影响。
Kaiser specifically mentioned sectors that have played an important role as drivers of economic growth and innovation in eastern Germany, such as the semiconductor industry, battery cell research, healthcare, biotechnology and renewable energy. Her concern is that the economic upswing in these sectors could suffer as a result.