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Article: The ties that bind. (East Germany-West Germany relationships) (Business)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- March 31, 1990
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1990 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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WHEN managers from firms in the two Germanies get together these days, they often have history on their minds as well as money. This is certainly true of top executives at Carl Zeiss of West Germany and Carl Zeiss Jena of East Germany, both makers of top-quality optical goods.
Zeiss began in Jena but split in 1945 when American troops took more than 100 Zeiss scientists with them while returning from the Soviet zone of Germany. Zeiss (west) became one of the Federal Republic's model companies; Zeiss (east) the flagship of East Germany's centrally planned system, repeatedly singled out for praise by Mr Erich Honecker, the former communist leader.
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