I would actually argue that both East and West Germany did change their name by eliminating the term Reich. From 1871 to 1943, the official name of the state known in English as "Germany" was Deutsches Reich (for 1943-45, it was Großdeutsches Reich). Reich can translate either as empire or realm; even the Weimar Republic's official language used Reich. Both West and East German states jettisoned Reich and instead used Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Federal Republic of Germany) and Deutsche Demokratische Republik (German Democratic Republic). Official documents would never use West Germany or East Germany, although it entered into the vernacular. German is a language very rich in adjectives and their use can greatly change the meaning of a noun. In both cases their use of democratic and federal-republic are important modifiers. The absence of Reich is a clear indication that these new states presented their name as a break from the past.