German Unification: "Wessies" treated "Ossies" as a Colonized Nation

STORY BY: Tony VanderVliet
YEAR: 1999
LOCATION: Berlin, Germany

Tony tells us a story about visiting East Berlin in 1999, where he met a woman who had been in charge of a collective farm. She talked about the "Ossies" from East Germany, and "Wessies" from the West, and how the "Wessies" treated her like a colonized nation after German unification in 1990. She actually lost a lot of benefits when the communist state dissolved. For example, she had been looking forward to a free train trip to communist China, which never materialized when Germany switched over to a capitalist country. Thanks for sharing, Tony.