1. When the GDR, which is the German Democratic Republic, or Communist east Germany was added to the Federal Republic of Germany, it gained 63 million people, and gained 40 percent in area, and Western Europe advanced 200 miles. The effect of this on the economy was harsh, with factory closings, jobs gone, and unsure feelings. The effects of the unification were not expected, and went way beyond just combining two countries. The unification also could mean that Germany would be more aggressive and build up their military and restate themselves in the world. The GDR before it was unified with west Germany, had infrastructure problems, environmental, housing, and well being.
2. Imagine you were in Berlin in East Germany in the year 1985, you were a factory worker, which was given to you as a job, because everyone in East Germany had a job, and you were glad that you had benefits such as free medical and dental care, low rent, workers' holiday camps and abundance of jobs. It would seem that you had it all, but there was not much quality or quantity, and your salary was meager. Your factory made cameras and the government over employed the factory, which was a problem because the price of the good inflated, but this industry sold to the west and it brought money. Your dream was to get more than you had.
Now that there is a Market economy, you have to find a job, competing with more and more people, because of the 63 million population was integrated with the West, and there was always competition to get a job. The jobs that were available were not as socially acceptable or the social status of a job had changed, whereas if one was a waiter in the GDR it was a highly skilled and well respected job, and once the unification and a market economy the job was available to everyone.
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The old GDR had numerous factories, and with the factories comes smoke, and with smoke comes pollution, with pollution comes future enviromental problems and issues. Enviromental Problems such as
polluted rivers lakes, with mercury, lead, nickel and pesticides. The air pollution caused by sulfur dioxide in some areas caused the trees to leave by July instead of September, which was a major sign there were problems. The major cause of this was a brown coal used to heat and electricity in Germany and this was refered to as lignite, and when inhaled after it burns it burns the lungs. Plastics and other industries use pesticides and other chemicals which are harmful for the enviroment.
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