Attitudes towards social inequality in East Germany: Argumentation for an expanded perspective

During the last few years, the research on transformation has examined the developments in East Germany primarily from an "intra-German" perspective. This is especially true of the research on attitudes. The disadvantages of such a perspective are mon clearly visible when East German attitudes are b eing discussed under the label of "legacy of the socialist regime" or as a "special East German mentality." The first parr of this paper develops the thesis that the development of East German attitudes can only be properly u nderstood by undertaking a "double comparison," i.e. a systematic analysis that contrasts East German attitudes not only with those prevailing in West Germany, but also with those that can be observed in other Central and Eas tern European societies in transition. The second part of the paper uses su ch a twofold research strategy to analyse attitudes towards social inequali ty Attitudinal data are used that were collected by the International Socia l Justice Project (ISJP) in 1991 and 1996 in East and West Germany and in f our East European countries.