Why do east Germans feel affinity towards Russia: an analysis of attitudes to Russia in Germany’s Eastern federal states

Despite the reunification of Germany taking place more than 30 years ago, the Eastern and Western federal states still have different attitudes toward foreign policy. This article explores the reasons and prerequisites for greater understanding and lower awareness of Russia in the eastern part of Germany. The author examines the correlation between East Germans’ percep­tion of Moscow and their political culture, as well as the economic ties between the Russian Federation and the new federal states. Using archival materials, newspapers from the former German Democratic Republic, interviews, and social surveys, the author tests the hypothesis that sympathy toward Russia in East Germany may be rooted in the shared history of the GDR and the USSR. The steady dissemination of Soviet culture and the Russian language, along with various personal and institutional contacts, made Russia seem less foreign and more familiar. Furthermore, both the GDR and the USSR avoided raising difficult questions about World War II that could have complicated mutual relations. The study also identifies differen­ces between memory politics in Germany and in several other former Eastern Bloc countries, which have influenced perceptions of Russia. Due to the nature of reunification and the rapid integration into Western organizations, reunified Germany did not construct the image of Russia as an antagonistic ‘Other’ to affirm its European identity.