Determining the influence on trust in society in West and East Germany: historical institutional differences, shock of reunification, or shock of the aftermath?

The aim of this thesis is to determine the strongest factor influencing the difference in trust levels in East and West Germany, and to explore the extent of influence institutions have on societal values using Germany as a natural experiment. The three main factors which literature hypothesize include historical institutional differences, shock of reunification, and shock of the aftermath of reunification. The common belief following reunification of Germany is that Communism affected East Germany's values including trust, while the other two hypotheses grew in popularity in more recent years. The objective of this thesis is fulfilled through the survey of relevant literature on trust in Germany, finding that the shock of the aftermath of unification is the strongest explanation for lower trust levels in Germany. Key Words: reunification, Germany, trus