Ossi and Wessi ( – "easterner"; – "westerner") are the informal names that people in Germany call former citizens of

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

and

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

before re-unification (1945–1990). These names represent the lingering differences between the two pre-reunification cultures, and Germany's popular culture includes many Ossi-Wessi-jokes and clichés. While some people in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

may consider these names insulting, others regard them as part of the

German culture The culture of Germany has been shaped by its central position in Europe and a history spanning over a millennium. Characterized by significant contributions to art, music, philosophy, science, and technology, German culture is both diverse and ...

. 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. These people are sometimes called Jammerossis (jammer meaning complaining).This term was named German Word of the Year in 1991. Politically speaking, in the

German Reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

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 The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany () is the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany. The West German Constitution was approved in Bonn on 8 May 1949 and came into effect on 23 May after having been approved by the oc ...

". 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. In 2019, Christian Bangel observed the growing political influence of Wossis in federal politics, as numerous politicians socialized in West Germany live in Potsdam. 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).

References

German words and phrases East Germany–West Germany relations {{Germany-culture-stub

See also

References