Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it. And those who do know it can't help but talk about the millennia that came before us. In her column, history graduate Antonia Leise talks about why a bit of perspective can help with making sense of the present. This week: the East of Germany – and why you can't blame historical differences for everything.

“East is East and West is West” read an article headline in de Volkskrant a few days before the regional elections in Thuringia and Saxony. “And in Germany, it also stays like that.” When international news outlets write about my home state (Thuringia), it usually gives me a headache.

This time, it was about the, by now, almost notorious regional elections, where the AfD scored a sweeping victory last Sunday. ‘Wait,’ some of you might ask. ‘Weren’t those the same guys that had the secret meeting about ‘remigrating’ millions of refugees, migrants and ‘non-assimilated’ German citizens?’ And yes, you would be correct. That AfD.

‘I cannot count how many times I’ve been asked if I know any Nazis’

It’s not easy being from the East right now. And it has never been pleasant to begin with. ‘I had a teacher from Saxony,’ one girl told me during my introduction week, back in 2016, after learning that I’m from Thuringia (which is not Saxony, but no one really cares). ‘She was really racist.’ I’m sorry about that, I replied. But not everyone from the East is racist. ‘No,’ was her answer. ‘They are.’ We didn’t become the best of friends after that.

I cannot count how many times I’ve been asked whether my parents are AfD voters (no, they are not), if I know any Nazis (yes, there was one the year ahead of me in school) or how the socio-economic historical developments during the fall of the Berlin Wall inform modern East German politics (well, that one is complicated).

East Germany has a right-wing problem – that’s true. But, and that’s a pill hard to swallow, so does the rest of the country. So does the Netherlands. And France. And Italy. And, quite frankly, most Western democracies. I’m not writing that to point fingers (preferably away from Erfurt). I’m saying it because people – in Germany and abroad – have a tendency to view the rise of the right as a ‘you’ (East) and not a ‘me’ (West) issue.

‘If you want a democracy to stay healthy, you have to actively engage with it’

It’s always those crazy other people, living in those crazy other parts of the country. Not me. I’m sane. I’m not part of the problem. When in reality, not being a Nazi yourself is, unfortunately, not enough to stop Nazis from coming to power. Just watch Cabaret.

If you want a democracy to stay healthy, you have to actively engage with it – and most people simply don’t. No one has time to volunteer in their community. The news is difficult to digest, so better not pay attention. And if someone says something really atrocious about refugees, that’s just their opinion, no need to fight grandma on Christmas. And I get it. I’m tired too. But that’s a collective ailment and not nearly as exclusively regional as it’s often being framed as.

The East was supposed to become politically normal over time, is what the article in de Volkskrant is insinuating. It just didn’t happen. Because the East is the East and the West is the West and most East Germans are Nazis (or at least voting for them) and normal people are not.

I know, there are quite some Germans who’d like to re-erect the wall right now. Trust me, they have told me. But I doubt it will provide the remedy we’re all hoping for. If you look around and find yourself in an ugly reality, it’s not enough to get enraged about the people who have littered the place. You have to start picking up the trash – because, truly, no one else will.

Read Antonia Leise's blogs here