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{{Expand German|Ossi und Wessi|date=August 2021}}
{{Expand German|Ossi und Wessi|date=August 2021}}
{{About||the Irish soccer-player|Wes Hoolahan|the Australian informal demonym|Westie (person)}}
[[File:DF-ST-91-01399.JPEG|thumb|West Germans cheer East Germans in a [[Trabant]] coming through [[Checkpoint Charlie]] in 1989]]
[[File:Mauerspecht_Okt_1990_14.jpg|thumb|East meets West at the fall of the [[Berlin Wall]] in October 1990]]


'''Ossi''' and '''Wessi''' ({{IPA-de|ˈɔsiː}} – "easterner"; {{IPA-de|ˈvɛsiː}} – "westerner") are the informal names that people in Germany call former citizens of [[East Germany]] and [[West Germany]] before [[German reunification|re-unification]] (1945–1990).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/13805296.inside-track-why-germanys-ossis-and-wessis-are-still-divided-25-years-on/|title=Inside Track: Why Germany's Ossis and Wessis are still divided 25 years on|website=Heraldscotland.com|accessdate=August 21, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/the-world-from-berlin-ossis-aren-t-indians-a-689403.html|title=The World from Berlin: 'Ossis Aren't Indians'|date=April 16, 2010|website=Spiegel.de}}</ref> These names represent the lingering differences between the two pre-reunification cultures, and Germany's popular culture includes many [[East German jokes|Ossi-Wessi-jokes]] and clichés.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/typically-ossi-typically-wessi/a-3927596|title=Typically Ossi – Typically Wessi &#124; DW &#124; 05.01.2009|website=DW.COM}}</ref> While some people in [[Germany]] may consider these names insulting, others regard them as part of the [[Culture of Germany|German culture]].<ref>{{cite news|title= East-Germans are still different|work= Guardian |date=2010-09-30|url= https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/sep/30/east-germany-angela-merkel|accessdate=2010-10-02|location=London|first=Sabine|last=Rennefanz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1992/08/02/ossis-wessis-walls/916d740c-ad64-4566-9fe3-54490afea3c4/|title=OSSIS, WESSIS WALLS|date=August 2, 1992|website=Washingtonpost.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ossi-and-wessi-test-the-german-water-1447877.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ossi-and-wessi-test-the-german-water-1447877.html |archive-date=2022-05-24 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Ossi and Wessi test the German water|date=September 10, 1994|newspaper=[[The Independent]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LXNkDwAAQBAJ&dq=wessi+germany&pg=PA279|title=Germany Since 1945: Politics, Culture, and Society|first1=Peter C.|last1=Caldwell|first2=Karrin|last2=Hanshew|date=August 23, 2018|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|via=Google Books|isbn=9781474262439}}</ref><ref>[https://preserve.lehigh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=perspectives-v16] {{dead link|date=August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/unity-loses-its-lustre-1.1165345|title=Unity loses its lustre|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00003017.htm|title=German adult education in East-Germany after unification: picking up the pieces|first=Marion|last=Sporing|date=June 2, 2003|website=Leeds.ac.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thelocal.de/20190207/a-germans-perspective-on-the-lasting-divide-between-east-and-west|title=Opinion: How eastern and western Germany still differ from each other|date=February 7, 2019|website=Thelocal.de}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vd99mw5j6fEC&dq=wessi+germany&pg=PA121|title=Humor, Satire, and Identity: Eastern German Literature in the 1990s|first=Jill E.|last=Twark|date=August 21, 2007|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|via=Google Books|isbn=9783110195996}}</ref>
{{About||the Irish soccer-player|Wes Hoolahan|the Australian informal demonym|Westie (person)}}'''Ossi''' and '''Wessi''' ({{IPA|de|ˈɔsiː}} – "easterner"; {{IPA|de|ˈvɛsiː}} – "westerner") are the informal names that people in Germany call former citizens of [[East Germany]] and [[West Germany]] before [[German reunification|re-unification]] (1945–1990).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/13805296.inside-track-why-germanys-ossis-and-wessis-are-still-divided-25-years-on/|title=Inside Track: Why Germany's Ossis and Wessis are still divided 25 years on|website=Heraldscotland.com|date=6 October 2015 |accessdate=August 21, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/the-world-from-berlin-ossis-aren-t-indians-a-689403.html|title=The World from Berlin: 'Ossis Aren't Indians'|date=April 16, 2010|website=Spiegel.de}}</ref> These names represent the lingering differences between the two pre-reunification cultures, and Germany's popular culture includes many [[East German jokes|Ossi-Wessi-jokes]] and clichés.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/typically-ossi-typically-wessi/a-3927596|title=Typically Ossi – Typically Wessi &#124; DW &#124; 05.01.2009|website=DW.COM}}</ref> While some people in [[Germany]] may consider these names insulting, others regard them as part of the [[Culture of Germany|German culture]].<ref>{{cite news|title= East-Germans are still different|work= Guardian |date=2010-09-30|url= https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/sep/30/east-germany-angela-merkel|accessdate=2010-10-02|location=London|first=Sabine|last=Rennefanz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1992/08/02/ossis-wessis-walls/916d740c-ad64-4566-9fe3-54490afea3c4/|title=OSSIS, WESSIS WALLS|date=August 2, 1992|website=Washingtonpost.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ossi-and-wessi-test-the-german-water-1447877.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ossi-and-wessi-test-the-german-water-1447877.html |archive-date=2022-05-24 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Ossi and Wessi test the German water|date=September 10, 1994|newspaper=[[The Independent]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LXNkDwAAQBAJ&dq=wessi+germany&pg=PA279|title=Germany Since 1945: Politics, Culture, and Society|first1=Peter C.|last1=Caldwell|first2=Karrin|last2=Hanshew|date=August 23, 2018|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|via=Google Books|isbn=9781474262439}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://preserve.lehigh.edu/lehigh-scholarship/undergraduate-publications/perspectives-business-economics/perspectives-39/ossis?article=1006&context=perspectives-v16|title=Ossis and Wessis: A Socioeconomic Analysis of German Reunification|first=Jason|last=Benkoski|date=November 22, 1998|via=preserve.lehigh.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/unity-loses-its-lustre-1.1165345|title=Unity loses its lustre|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00003017.htm|title=German adult education in East-Germany after unification: picking up the pieces|first=Marion|last=Sporing|date=June 2, 2003|website=Leeds.ac.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thelocal.de/20190207/a-germans-perspective-on-the-lasting-divide-between-east-and-west|title=Opinion: How eastern and western Germany still differ from each other|date=February 7, 2019|newspaper=The Local Germany}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vd99mw5j6fEC&dq=wessi+germany&pg=PA121|title=Humor, Satire, and Identity: Eastern German Literature in the 1990s|first=Jill E.|last=Twark|date=August 21, 2007|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|via=Google Books|isbn=9783110195996}}</ref>


⚫
There is also the name '''Besserwessi''' (''besser'' meaning "better") which is a pun on ''Besserwisser'' ("know-it-all") and thus indicates a Wessi who feels superior to Ossis. Some former East Germans feel that former West Germans do not respect their culture and that East Germans were assimilated into West German culture, rather than the two cultures being united as equals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/reunification-controversy-was-east-germany-really-annexed-a-714826.html|title=Reunification Controversy: Was East-Germany Really 'Annexed?'|date=August 31, 2010|website=Spiegel.de|accessdate=August 21, 2019}}</ref> These people are sometimes called Jammerossis (jammer meaning complaining).This term was named [[Word of the year (Germany)|German Word of the Year]] in 1991.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/geschichte/deutsche-sprachpreise-a-947377.html|title=Deutsche Sprachpreise: Ein Jahr, ein (Un-)Wort!|first=Christoph|last=Gunkel|date=October 31, 2011|website=Spiegel.de|accessdate=August 21, 2019}}</ref> Politically speaking, in the [[German Reunification]] East Germany was indeed incorporated into West Germany under existing West German law. This solution was taken in order to legally avoid the necessity of creating a new constitution as demanded by the West German "[[Grundgesetz]]".{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}
Ossis (Easties) are stereotyped as racist, poor, and largely influenced by [[Russian culture]],<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Cameron Abadi |title=The Berlin fall |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/06/18/the_berlin_fall?page=0,2 |magazine=Foreign Policy |date=2009-08-07 |access-date=2009-10-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090809203430/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/06/18/the_berlin_fall?page=0,2 |archive-date=2009-08-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref> while Wessis (Westies) are usually considered snobbish, dishonest, wealthy, and selfish. The terms can be considered to be disparaging.


Since the reunification, the term '''Wossi''' (a portmanteau of Ossi and Wessi) has been used to describe West Germans who after reunification have moved to the East.<ref>{{Cite news |last=ZEIT (Archiv) |first=D. I. E. |date=1993-04-02 |title=Vom Wessi zum Wossi |url=https://www.zeit.de/1993/14/vom-wessi-zum-wossi/komplettansicht |access-date=2024-06-16 |work=Die Zeit |language=de-DE |issn=0044-2070}}</ref> In 2019, Christian Bangel observed the growing political influence of Wossis in federal politics, as numerous politicians socialized in West Germany live in Potsdam.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bangel |first=Christian |date=2019-05-05 |title=Deutsche Einheit: Jetzt kommen die Wossis |url=https://www.zeit.de/gesellschaft/2019-05/deutsche-wiedervereinigung-ostdeutsche-westdeutsche-wossi |access-date=2024-06-16 |work=Die Zeit |language=de-DE |issn=0044-2070}}</ref> Examples include Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (born in Osnabrück, former Lord Mayor of Hamburg), Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (born in Hannover) and AfD politician Alexander Gauland (born in Chemnitz, fled to Marburg, returned to Potsdam after reunification).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-06 |title=Scholz’ Kabinett steht: Relativ jung und sehr westdeutsch |url=https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/politik/bundesregierung-neue-minister-ministerinnen-scholz-ampel-100.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207120327/https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/politik/bundesregierung-neue-minister-ministerinnen-scholz-ampel-100.html |archive-date=2021-12-07 |website=ZDF}}</ref>
⚫
There is also the name '''Besserwessi''' (''besser'' meaning "better") which is a pun on ''Besserwisser'' ("know-it-all") and thus indicates a Wessi who feels superior to Ossis. Some former East Germans feel that former West Germans do not respect their culture and that East Germans were assimilated into West German culture, rather than the two cultures being united as equals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/reunification-controversy-was-east-germany-really-annexed-a-714826.html|title=Reunification Controversy: Was East-Germany Really 'Annexed?'|date=August 31, 2010|website=Spiegel.de|accessdate=August 21, 2019}}</ref> This term was named [[Word of the year (Germany)|German Word of the Year]] in 1991.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spiegel.de/geschichte/deutsche-sprachpreise-a-947377.html|title=Deutsche Sprachpreise: Ein Jahr, ein (Un-)Wort!|first=Christoph|last=Gunkel|date=October 31, 2011|website=Spiegel.de|accessdate=August 21, 2019}}</ref> Politically speaking, in the [[German Reunification]] East Germany was indeed incorporated into West Germany under existing West German law. This solution was taken in order to legally avoid the necessity of creating a new constitution as demanded by the West German "[[Grundgesetz]]".{{citation needed|date=September 2015}}


==See also==
==See also==
Line 20: Line 17:
[[Category:East Germany–West Germany relations]]
[[Category:East Germany–West Germany relations]]


{{Germany-stub}}
{{Germany-culture-stub}}

Latest revision as of 01:19, 22 November 2024

For the Irish soccer-player, see Wes Hoolahan. For the Australian informal demonym, see Westie (person).

Ossi and Wessi (German pronunciation: [ˈɔsiː] – "easterner"; German pronunciation: [ˈvɛsiː] – "westerner") are the informal names that people in Germany call former citizens of East Germany and West Germany before re-unification (1945–1990).[1][2] These names represent the lingering differences between the two pre-reunification cultures, and Germany's popular culture includes many Ossi-Wessi-jokes and clichés.[3] While some people in Germany may consider these names insulting, others regard them as part of the German culture.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

There is also the name Besserwessi (besser meaning "better") which is a pun on Besserwisser ("know-it-all") and thus indicates a Wessi who feels superior to Ossis. Some former East Germans feel that former West Germans do not respect their culture and that East Germans were assimilated into West German culture, rather than the two cultures being united as equals.[13] These people are sometimes called Jammerossis (jammer meaning complaining).This term was named German Word of the Year in 1991.[14] Politically speaking, in the German Reunification East Germany was indeed incorporated into West Germany under existing West German law. This solution was taken in order to legally avoid the necessity of creating a new constitution as demanded by the West German "Grundgesetz".[citation needed]

Since the reunification, the term Wossi (a portmanteau of Ossi and Wessi) has been used to describe West Germans who after reunification have moved to the East.[15] In 2019, Christian Bangel observed the growing political influence of Wossis in federal politics, as numerous politicians socialized in West Germany live in Potsdam.[16] Examples include Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (born in Osnabrück, former Lord Mayor of Hamburg), Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (born in Hannover) and AfD politician Alexander Gauland (born in Chemnitz, fled to Marburg, returned to Potsdam after reunification).[17]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Inside Track: Why Germany's Ossis and Wessis are still divided 25 years on". Heraldscotland.com. 6 October 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  2. ^ "The World from Berlin: 'Ossis Aren't Indians'". Spiegel.de. April 16, 2010.
  3. ^ "Typically Ossi – Typically Wessi | DW | 05.01.2009". DW.COM.
  4. ^ Rennefanz, Sabine (2010-09-30). "East-Germans are still different". Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
  5. ^ "OSSIS, WESSIS WALLS". Washingtonpost.com. August 2, 1992.
  6. ^ "Ossi and Wessi test the German water". The Independent. September 10, 1994. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24.
  7. ^ Caldwell, Peter C.; Hanshew, Karrin (August 23, 2018). Germany Since 1945: Politics, Culture, and Society. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781474262439 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ Benkoski, Jason (November 22, 1998). "Ossis and Wessis: A Socioeconomic Analysis of German Reunification" – via preserve.lehigh.edu. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ "Unity loses its lustre". The Irish Times.
  10. ^ Sporing, Marion (June 2, 2003). "German adult education in East-Germany after unification: picking up the pieces". Leeds.ac.uk.
  11. ^ "Opinion: How eastern and western Germany still differ from each other". The Local Germany. February 7, 2019.
  12. ^ Twark, Jill E. (August 21, 2007). Humor, Satire, and Identity: Eastern German Literature in the 1990s. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110195996 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ "Reunification Controversy: Was East-Germany Really 'Annexed?'". Spiegel.de. August 31, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  14. ^ Gunkel, Christoph (October 31, 2011). "Deutsche Sprachpreise: Ein Jahr, ein (Un-)Wort!". Spiegel.de. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  15. ^ ZEIT (Archiv), D. I. E. (1993-04-02). "Vom Wessi zum Wossi". Die Zeit (in German). ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  16. ^ Bangel, Christian (2019-05-05). "Deutsche Einheit: Jetzt kommen die Wossis". Die Zeit (in German). ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  17. ^ "Scholz' Kabinett steht: Relativ jung und sehr westdeutsch". ZDF. 2021-12-06. Archived from the original on 2021-12-07.

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