Umbrüche und Kontinuitäten - Ostdeutsche Lebensläufe im Vereinigungsprozess

Abstract

The life courses and employment histories of East Germans have changed since the fall of the Wall in 1989. Summarizing the research findings in four theses, the authors show that the degree of stability and discontinuity in the life courses of East Germans varies between birth cohorts, gender, and the overt political loyalty to the GDR. Among other things, we see that loyalty to the GDR did not increase the risks of unemployment or downward mobility after 1989, because the majority of the former members of the upper service class hold university degrees.