 Although often clouded in political terms, the "reds" were left-wing and the "blacks" right-wing, in reality there was no real distinction.The rivalry was more based on geography of the city, a north (RWE) versus south (SWE) city divide.While the reputation of northern Essen has been attached to the working class in the past decades, the south of the city is generally regarded as a wealthier area, inhabited by an upper-middle class.