Der nationale Sozialstaat und die deutsch-deutsche Solidarität

Abstract

Tue current political usage of the semantics of »the nation« in Germany is not likely to increase the acceptance ofthe burdens which are imposed on West German taxpayers to finance the rebuilding of the East German economy. Seen before the background of the current regressive incidence of these burdens on middle and lower incomes, the appeal to »national solidarity« is mon: likely to generate the dual political risk of encouraging nationalistic movements, on the one hand, and causing East-West-desolidarization, on the other hand.