Social and Demographic
Developments		 The Korean War, 1950-1953






Conflict over Germany



At Yalta and Potsdam the Allies had agreed to partition Germany and Austria, and their caputals Berlin and Vienna, into zones respectively sectors of occupation, but to treat the countries respectively cities as units and to jointly decide on major issues.
This proved to be inpracticable, as the political systems established by both sides did not match. The establishment of the IRON CURTAIN (1946ff) was interpreted by the western allies as a breach of agreements; the USSR insisted on getting a share in the administration of Germany's main industrial region, the RUHRGEBIET, as stipulated at the POTSDAM CONFERENCE, a call the western allies consistently ignored.
After a variety of early plans, among them the breakup of Germany into a number of small states or/and turning Germany into a society based on agriculture (MORGENTHAU PLAN), it became evident that in order to feed Germany's population German economy had to be given a boost. In order to accomplish this, the US and Britain joined their zones to form the BIZONE, which turned into the TRIZONE when the French joined. The western allies, intentionally not consulting the Soviets, then encouraged German authorities to introduce a CURRENCY REFORM (1948), which immediately put an end to the BLACK MARKET.
The introduction of the new currency, the DM, in the western sectors of Berlin infuriated Stalin; he ordered the BERLIN BLOCKADE (West Berlin was surrounded by the Soviet zone of occupation). Stalin offered to supply West Berlin with food and fuel from the east, an offer the municipal authorities rejected. Instead the city was supplied the city in an operation remembered as the BERLIN AIRLIFT, which lasted for 11 months.
The Berlin Airlift was a tense standoff without the use of weapons; here, the COLD WAR became openly visible to everybody.

In 1949 Stalin called off the blockade. Soon after, the FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (FRG) and the GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC (GDR) were founded (Berlin continued to be under Allied occupation). The Soviet Union continued to believe in the possiblity of influencing the west of Germany and refused demands by the GDR to seal off the border separating East Berlin from West Berlin; this was a major gap in the Iron Curtain where hundreds of thousands of East Germans crossed into the west every year.
In 1955 the FRG under chancellor KONRAD ADENAUER decided to rearm and join NATO; the Soviet Union, in a last effort, granted Austria the STAATSVERTRAG under the condition of political neutrality, released the last German P.O.W.s and offered unification under Austrian conditions to the Adenauer administration, which the latter declined, opting for WESTINTEGRATION instead.
As a consequence, the GDR rearmed also and joined the newly established WARSAW PACT. Both blocks faced each other on German soil, an area with one of the world's highest concentration of troops and arms. In 1961 the USSR handed, in violation of the 4 Powers Agreement, its sector of Berlin over to GDR authorities, which immediately proclaimed Berlin capital of the GDR and moved to construct the BERLIN WALL.

Both German states claimed to be the only legitimate successor state of the German Reich (the FRG even claiming the borders of 1937, until a treaty was signed with Poland in 1990 recognizing the present eastern borders). Diplomacy of both German states was characterized by the policy that they made it a condition for diplomatic relations that their respective claim to solely represent Germany was recognized by the other side.

There was no hot war, but Germany and especially the city of Berlin became the 'coldest spots' in the Cold War.


Post-War Years, 1945-1948
Occupied Germany
the west, 1945-1948 		Occupied Germany
the east, 1945-1948 		Occupied Germany
Berlin, 1945-1949 		Occupied Austria
1945-1955

Cold War and Economic Recovery, 1949-1969
FRG, 1949-1969
Foreign Policy 		GDR, 1949-1969
Foreign Policy 		FRG, 1949-1969
Domestic Policy		 GDR, 1949-1969
Domestic Policy 		FRG, 1949-1969
Economy		 GDR, 1949-1969
Economy
Berlin, 1949-1969 Austria, 1955-1969


This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on July 9th 2001, last evised on November 11th 2004

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