The study of political socialization in the former Communist part of Germany, the Eastern “new states,” is of great practical and theoretical interest. It is of practical interest because it directly bears on questions regarding the future development of democracy in unified Germany. Will it be possible to integrate the younger generations in the East into the liberal and democratic tradition of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG)? Will these youth be able to adapt to the institutional rules of democracy? The study of political socialization in the new states of Germany is of theoretical interest because it allows the investigation of the influence of contextual conditions in an extraordinary historical situation. This situation in Germany presents the opportunity to examine which contextual conditions adolescents identify with democratic procedures and which conditions encourage a drift toward antidemocratic attitudes and behaviors including right-wing or left-wing party identifications. The breakdown of the political system of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1989 (Wende) and the subsequent entry into the FRG in 1990 (Beitritt) were accompanied and followed by rapid social changes in the economy, the labor market, and societal institutions. All these changes influenced everyday life, including consumer habits, mobility, and politically relevant attitudes and behaviors. Adolescents may react differently to these events, depending on family traditions and experiences, on school and work experiences, and on interactions in peer groups and friendships as well as in neighborhoods and communities. The study of such influences should enlarge our empirical and theoretical knowledge of socialization and development in general.