economic aspects of unification, some major problems exist in the transition to democracy and market economics. According to Preuss, the two main issues included in the realm of "backward justice" are the privatization of large pieces of state property, and the punishment of the elites of the previous regimes and their comrades under the headings of "self-purification" and "collective amnesia." The privatization issue is among the thorniest involved in any country's transition from communism. For one, a system of procedures must be developed simply to transfer such large amounts of property to private citizens. Also, there must be mechanisms put in place to both protect new owners from claims of previous owners and to satisfy former owners without alienating possible future investors. The problem boils down to the fact that private property laws do not always coincide with the "fair" concept of restitution. As Petra Bauer-Kaase writes, "East Germans still have difficulties in adjusting to a political system where individuals have a great deal of responsibility for their own life" (307). The former East Germans look upon this issue with contempt, because it is the Westerners who have control over the rules, as well as the enforcement of those rules. This is merely one of a multitude of instances where this mistrust manifests itself. There are also the issues of self-purification and collective amnesia. Due to the pervasive nature of the communist regime's surveillance programs and so forth, there is very little room for anyone to claim pure hands. While West Germans can claim that they are innocent by virtue of geography, East Germans are never able to escape the suspicions that they may have been part of the machine. Government jobs are denied to those who were affiliated with the Stasi, and private businesses also may deny employment to these citizens. While unification has occurred theore...
