Germany - the division to reunification
The year zero to two Germanys
The Germans needed four years to get out of the nightmare in which Nazi defeat the plunged. Overdue, occupied by foreign powers, divided, exhausted, condemned by history and by genocide survivors, their fate depended on the will of the Allies. Disagreements that have undermined the anti-Nazi alliance and ended at the Cold War constituted excellent opportunity for the Germans, both in the West and in the East, claim a right to an active role in the new international game.
The year zero
On 7 and 8 May 1945, when the heads of state Major allies and Germans signed the surrender document, the Nazi regime, already collapsed.Adolf Hitler , with the occupation of Berlin by the Soviets committed suicide on 30 April .
The large industrial cities were destroyed, unworkable ports and large factories, out of operation. The population was terrified, millions of men away from home, women and children fled the Soviet advance. The human losses reached 8% of the population. Nazi leaders disappeared into the huge mass of prisoners of war or trying to escape through Spain and Portugal, to South America. That is why 1945 is the year Zero, when they started to rebuild the rubble national life.
Four occupation zones
The unconditional surrender 1945 entailed disarmament and dissolution of all armed forces, the SS and police. In Tehran in 1943 conference, and Yalta in 1945, it was established by USA, USSR, UK, German division, to weaken it territorially, occupy it, impose war reparations and prevent it from returning to be a economic potency.
At the Potsdam Conference, July and August 1945, Truman, Churchill and Stalin decided to take the German territories east of the rivers Oder and Neisse, annexed by the Soviet Union and Poland. The German surface was ¼ than it was in 1937.
The three major powers determined that the supreme authority would be exercised in three, then four occupation zones - France would be admitted sharing thanks to General de Gaulle's efforts, Berlin was also divided into four occupation sectors.
different occupation modes
The Allies in their zone of occupation was launched the task of restoring democracy.
In your area, the Soviets created the Antifascist Block Parties. This was placed under the direction of the German Communists, who were refugees in the USSR and returned to Germany with the Red Army.
The creation of the Bizone
During 1946, the German political authorities appointed by the Western Allies gave way to elected officials. In fact, the US endeavored to make the Germans would accept the division of the country. American and British zones are merged into a new entity, the Bizone. This territory has returned to German administration, led by Konrad Adeanuer. They began preparations for the convening of a Constituent Assembly.
To prevent the adoption of these measures would result in the emergence of a separate German state, from 23 and 24 June 1948 the Soviets organized a blockade of the ancient capital. Road and rail accesses were closed until May 1949. To supply the city of food and other basic items, the Americans and British mounted an airlift of nearly two hundred thousand flights.
Begins to rise West Germany - FRG
The question of reparations also was a point of contention between Western and Soviet. The Soviets besides practicing scorched-earth policy in its sector, demanded to be indemnified with the equipment of industries located in the richest regions of Germany.
American and British realized that this dismantling would transform the occupied zones in industrial deserts and would force spending huge sums to support the country.Thus they declare themselves ready to return economic responsibilities to the Germans, so that they assume their own destiny. Despite some reservations and apprehension was allowed the establishment of a social economy of the German market, and the creation of an economic area with a new currency, the deutschmark - Deutschmark. This monetary reform in 1948 can be considered the most important step to create one and then two German states. In fact, with it the West confirmed the division of the German nation. In this context of the Cold War, the Soviets had no choice but to respond with measures that had consequently the creation of the second German state.
Surge East Germany - DDR
Early the Soviets encouraged the formation of an antifascist block in East Germany. Three years later the block became the National Front which constitutes the backbone of the new state, created on 7 October 1949. Itconstituted to also mass organizations, especially the trade union federation, the women's movement and the youth. The front has developed an anti-fascist and democratic program, led by Walter Ulbricht, who returned to Germany (Soviet zone) in 1945. This strategy entirely subordinated to the wishes and needs of the Soviet occupier. However, to respond to the Marshall Plan and the guarantee of unchallenged power over the new socialist nations, as the leader Yugoslavian Tito drew a Moscow independent domestic and foreign policy, the Communist Party adopted the Marxist-Leninist ideology stiffening its control over nations under his rule.
Two Germany for recognition 1949-1972
Once constituted, the two Germanys engaged completely in the area of influence of their protectors. The Cold War eliminated quickly any hope of German reunification. In 1961, construction of a wall that isolated East Berlin seemed to seal the final division of Germany into two separate states. The RDA AND RFA tried to be recognized by the international community, also deeply divided.
FRG-GDR: History separation - 1949-1955
The East and in the West, no German politician admitted that the division of the people was permanent. West Germany claimed to represent the whole German people and decided to assign the privilege of representing the continuity of the German state. In harsh dispute and without concessions he opposed the FRG and the GDR, was West Germany who obtained more quickly visible results.
Western and European option Adenauer
Between 1951 and 1955, Chancellor Adenauer also occupying the Foreign Minister function aimed at its foreign policy to make the brand new RFA an international framework of power.Thus, adopted a policy of alignment with the conditions imposed by the allies and not an opposition policy seeking alignment with US policy or the establishment of a Franco-German axis, around which are inscribed the European unity in 1958- 1963.
The RFA approved the major Western decisions, but it was a point of honor that these decisions took into account both a German and European point of view. This was an opportunity to assert its sovereignty and be considered a political entity equal to its partners. Thus it was accepted in 1954 inNATO .
The East merely reacting
In the East, the situation presented itself entirely differently. The German Communist leaders did not try to obtain independence from the Soviets. Furthermore, all the measures that caused the change of the legal status of the Soviet occupation zone were only answers to Western decisions: the GDR was founded a few months after RFA, East Germany joined the military alliance of theWarsaw Pact after accession the NATO West Germany. These decisions always were accompanied by statements that denounced the revanchist policy of the West German.
The policy measures joined those intended to give credence to the idea that East Germany, peaceful by nature, was forced to become a fortress to protect against the expansionism of the capitalist forces besieging her. So in 1952, a forbidden zone five kilometers wide along the entire border of the West was created.
West Germany achieves sovereignty
Faced with a guarantee, the integration of the FRG in the European Defence Community (EDC) should also group France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, West Germany manages its sovereignty. The only limits were the stay of foreign troops in the country, the continuation of the division of Berlin into four zones and the failure to conclude peace treaty. This measure, considered unilaterally by the Soviet authorities, made East Germany immediately closed the borders between the two zones.
Opposing the Soviet goals, who wanted Germany demilitarized and neutralized the center of Europe, Adenauer can rearmament of West Germany integrating his army in NATO, in October 1954. He had just also the occupation regime, and the high commissioners were replaced by ambassadors . Occupants of before became allies who would defend the West German Communist danger.
Achieved sovereignty RFA starts uninterrupted economic growth, the German miracle. This was due to the economic model, where there was complete freedom to economic agents to conduct their business, financial help from the Marshall Plan and the modern labor union legislation introduced in the country. This allowed a growth rate exceeding 10% over 10 years.
The Amplified sovereignty of East Germany
The Soviets, in turn, gave "extended sovereignty" to East Germans, in March 1954. A year later, in May 1955, East Germany became a full member of the Warsaw Pact.
However, not to be considered only one of the two Germanies, the FRG then put into practice the doctrine called Hasllstein: all diplomatic recognition of the GDR by a sovereign State would entail the breaking of diplomatic relations with West Germany. West Germany reinvidicava the right to unilaterally represent Germany. The doctrine would apply twice: in 1957 against Yugoslavia and in 1963 against Cuba.
Economically, the goal was to bring the eastern part to adopt the principles of collectivized that prevailed in the Soviet Union: state intervention in the economy through the planning and the transformation of the property concept and a collectivization policy of the different economic branches.
Ideologically, there was the imposition of a common identity population, that out of the war had not yet adhered to the communist ideals. Based on Marxism-Leninism, this ideology was conveyed in all social activities - schools, universities, sports clubs and cultural associations.
Given the nature of the regime in that ideology played a key role, resistors were felt in the political, scientific and cultural circles. They took the form of constant drain of workers and other professionals - technicians, managers, doctors, teachers - to West Germany. The closing of borders in 1961-62 with the construction of the Berlin Wall, saved the regime of an almost inevitable collapse.Without any hope for a speedy reunification, East Germans adhered to the idea of becoming the most efficient workers in the socialist world, goal achieved relatively quickly.
The path of mutual recognition
Throughout its history, Germany has often turned over to the lestes than to the west. Thus the FRG quickly developed an independent policy to the east known as Ostpolitik. It resulted in the establishment of trade relations with many East countries: Poland, Romania, Hungary in 1963 and Bulgaria in 1964. Little by little, the Hallstein Doctrine was being abandoned, and West Germany established official diplomatic relations with Romania in 1965, Yugoslavia in 1966 and Czechoslovakia in 1967. Finally, in 1973 definitely rejected the Hitlerite past, recognizing officially in the nullity of the Munich agreements of 1938 that had led to the destruction of the Czechoslovak state.
In 1970, an exchange of visits of West German government leaders and the GDR symbolized the rapprochement between the two countries.In December 1972, with the signing of a treaty between the two Germanies was reached after 23 years of hostilities. The two countries guaranteed immutability of its borders and recognized the independence of both states.Each undertook to install the neighboring permanent representation. So the two German states were jointly admitted to the UN in 1973.
From the mid-80s, large loans coming from West German banks and numerous trade agreements made in East Germany an associate member - albeit hidden - the European economic community. However, the West German economic support was not accompanied by a budget control, which should have limited the spending unproductive sectors in East Germany. Just as in all countries of the socialist block the production system has not been modernized, and the transition to the era of industrial automation became quite inappropriately. It was an even more embarrassing situation because, year after year, East Germany claimed to be the most advanced country in Eastern Europe in referring to industrialization and the area of technology.
Year 1 of the new Germany
In 1989, a few months of demonstrations got their forty years of endless international negotiations had not reached: the reunification of Germany.
While in the Soviet Union and other communist countries political openness and reforms of perestroika advancing in East German government violently criticized this opening.Again, it was abandoning the country that the Germans - Eastern showed their rejection of socialism.
The collapse of a regime
At the end of 1988, the winds of freedom and democracy had already shaken the Communist regimes in Poland and Czechoslovakia. In free and fair elections the Communist parties were swept these countries. This political opening has not been welcomed by the GDR leaders who were not willing to accept it in East Germany. But the vast majority of people did not think so and fled the country when in August 1989, Hungary opened its borders with Austria. A wave of emigration took the government by surprise: huge queues of cars passed through Czechoslovakia, Hungary and then Austria, to come to West Germany.
The peaceful revolution
From September, when the bulk of circumvention already had, the people of East Germany are mobilizing in large demonstrations, demanding that the RDA would follow the example of other countries in Eastern Europe and grant freedom and democracy to the motto "The people we are ".Attempts to contain the protests through violent repression and intimidation failed and Honecker, in power since 1971 is dismissed.
Fall of the Berlin Wall
On 9 November 1989, convinced that there was no other way the Communist Party ordered to open the Berlin border and knocked down the wall. In the euphoria of the moment, in three days about 3 million East Germans went to West Berlin. As a welcome gift, the West German government offered each visitor dozens of landmarks. There less than a year, would reunification.
The Communist Party tried to control the situation by organizing free elections. They were scheduled for the second half of March and had the participation of the two major parties of West Germany.
But to prevent the reformed GDR survived and that a confederation of the two German States become reality, Helmut Kohl, chancellor of West Germany, accelerated the process of reunification. He declared in favor of the rapid opening of negotiations between the two Germanys, the monetary union, qualifying as a dramatic economic situation of East Germany proposing that Deustschmark became the common currency of reunification. But refused to grant economic aid to the March elections, the GDR back to be ruled by communists.Pérem, they gave overwhelming victory to the Christian Democrats in all regions of the GDR.
Again one country
With the monetary and economic union between the two Germanies and the entry of the former GDR in NATO - through the incorporation of the country to West Germany, the Soviet Union gave way to calls of West Germany accepting withdraw its troops from former East Germany after 45 years occupancy. It was agreed that the Soviet military would withdraw from there to tie 1994. The costs of withdrawal would be banked by West Germany.
In September 1990, in Moscow, West Germany signed with the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and France a treaty that put an end to this guardianship powers over Germany, which was again fully sovereign.
The reunification entered into force on October 3, 1990, with the transformation of the former GDR in five Lander of West Germany.
Emancipated, Germany, before an economic giant and political dwarf, began to assert itself not only as the world's third economic power, but also as the richest and most populous nation of the new European Union, formed from the Maastricht Treaty, which entered into force in November 1993.
Category: General history
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