Comment by holgerschurig

In West-Germany we used a plethora of names:

* "SBZ" -> Sowjetisch besetzte Zone -> sowjet occupied zone

* "Ost-Zone"

* "DDR"

* "Ost-Deutschland"

Almost no one spelled out "DDR" with "Deutsche Demokratische Republik", since that was a lie. There was little democracy there.

People that fled from east-germany early (e.g. before the wall) usually used "SBZ "or "Zone". And it was usually meant in a derogatory sense. "DDR" was more neutral, although few people in west-germany had a neutral view on the eastern regime.