The term 'East German' refers to the former German Democratic Republic (GDR), which existed from 1949 to 1990. The two crossword solutions for this term are 'OSSI' and 'OST'. OSSI stands for 'Ostdeutscher Sozialistischer Staat', which translates to 'East German Socialist State'. OST stands for 'Ostdeutschland', which translates to 'East Germany'. Both terms refer to the same political entity, the GDR.