German History (Post-War) Flashcards
Problems in 1945, once Germany lost the war?
- Families torn apart
- 12 million refugees from East
- 10 million German prisoners-of-war
- Food shortages- half recommended amount
- Major cities like Berlin/Hampburg destroyed
- 20% housing destroyed
- Infrastrucure destroyed
- land plunder of wealth
- Huge debts
Signs of hope in post-war Germany?
civil service remained efficent
society hadn’t broken diown completely (Church still remained)
well-established banking system
Denazify society: Nuremburg trials
Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler ahd committed suicide/Goering beofre execution
10/22 on trial were executed/rest went to prison
Some thought controversial/show trails- served the purpose of bhringing Nazi crimes to light- most German people accepted them
Peace conferences: Teheran Dec…
…1943- aim to was to map out military strategies for final phase of year
Revealed first difficulties in territory
e.g. Poland/Germany border issue postponed
USSR wanted to keep gains made in Nazi-Soviet PACT (Allies mostly agreed)
USA wanted complete erase of Nazism (considered pasturisation- didn’t happen)
Yalta Conference Feb…
…1945 - by this point British empire was in decline/ Western Allies had struggled to make progress into Germany
USSR had made rapid progress/ ‘liberated eastern states (controversial)
USSR joined USA against Japan (Soviet kept territory)
Germany was divided into 4 zones/ACC set up to make decisions for Germany
Germany/Poland border issue postponed
Potsdam agreement July…
…1945- Agreed on the four d’s
Poland border issue postponed (Stalin wanted to extend it)- Allies ignored USSR expelling millions of Germans from Oder-Neisse Line
Reparations - USSR demanded massive fee/Western Allies thought too much/each power decided own rules for zone
How important was war time agreements in the division of Germany?
-Idealogical differneces was the main reason
-War time agreemts - still improtant
First two (Teheran and yalta)- mainly about war aims (erase Nazism/divide into zones)
-Postdam- territoial issues were discussed (Polish border)
-No fianl agrrement ws made on German unity- becuse of self-interest/mutual mistrust (Stalina nd Allies)- Aims of atomic bomb (USA)> threatedned USSR
Reparations (USSR) wanting loads/USA- help
2 superpowers emerged (USSR and USA)
Britain - slow progress (USSR’s military presence in Eastern Europe meant decisons were diffcult
-could have compromise- if they shared similair views (franc ejoining Trizone)
Promblem- oppsite views (USSR’s Communism- others hated/aim in helping to rebuild German)
Therefore- wasn’t as important as idealogical differences
How important was the ACC in the division of Germany?
The ACC was set up to make decisions on the whole of Germany (unanimous votes)
-wasn’t as important as idealogical differences(designed to combie the 4 zones into a greater germany)
- Long-term decisons couldn’t be made (fundamental diffeence in iudealogy betwe USA and USSR (comunism/reparations)
-France wanted Germany weak (no centrailised government) so no unanious vte
-short-term decisons could beamde (zones seperate)
Germany already divided into 4 zones (east agaisnt West becuase fo fundamental differences like Communism)
-It isn’t as improtnat as idealogy- ACC origianlly set up to unite Germanty - did make so e gains mainly Bizonia (4d’s)
Joining of Trizone
This was most important factor in finilising divide of Germany#
-completely unalign themselves with USSR
-had diiferent views on government- Trizone had a democratic constution, under Basic Law (voting)/East forced parties to co-operate -forced SPD and KPD to join/political repression
Shows how idealogical (by far most improtant) underlying flaw in all other factoss
-Bizoen joined more becuase of situation in Britian -helping Germany rebuild so they don’t depend on them (than agrreing on policies)
Shiow sin factors like ACC (delays-idealogy)
Actions fo USSR in division of Germany?
Actions of USSR further devlops idealogy being the main reasn as opposed to west forming trizone. Actions: centralsiation of private banking, any indutry they hadn't stripped being nationilsied creation of SMAD and SED (West hated) showsb early aims of a socialist east germany. -not as improtant as introduction of Deutschmark (combat the black market) in the west Soviet exansion (eastern europe) and Bizone led to further tensions but was buildingn on tensions already there by idealogical differences (commmunist view v rebuilding)
The actions of the west finalised the diviison…?
-forming of Bizone (1947)
$1.5 million aid from the Marshall Plan (rebuild industry/invest in infrastrucure) /shows them extended their fianical control
-alienated the east (idealogiclaly opposed to it- banned all satellite states frok accepting money)
-introducton of new currency (deutschmark) also alienated the east (onyl benefited west)
-trying to create a seprate captialsit system (free-market policies)
-However, Bizone- necesary for recovery/dire situation in Germany (other Germany would always be dependant (Britian already in decline)
-East’s choice to reject money from Marshall Plan (gew out of Trumen doctrine-‘protect aginast communism’ due to communist beliefs
-Actions of the west wouldn’t have been so significant if East hadn’t been so fundamentally opposed
-Important but it wiouldn’t ahve made such a divide (west being mroe prosperous) had there not been such a strong ideological opposition by USSR
German leaders in divison of Germany?
Some blame but it would ahve been very dificult to ignore their occupying powers
-Germany was completely defeated (10 million prisoners-of-war/50% of housing destroyed/food shrotages/industry collapsed
-need help for rebuilding by occupying powers -not much choice
-In trying to please their occupying power (Ulbricht with collectivising industry/political repression/ Adenauer with free-market polciies capitalist system (pushed further apart)
e.g. Lander conference (1947)
Some blame but mostly ideological differences of their occupying powers
Physical factor (Berlin…
Blockade- June 1948-May 1949)- trigger in final isolation of East
-Berlin crisis was a direct result of new currency To combat black market, Bizone introuced it in West (not East) divided it into 2 economic blocs
Occupation rights in Berlin (introuced it)
USSR - deliberate undermining Soviet rule
blocked all land routes/important as it prevented future co-operation
Stalin hoped- push them out/Soviet infkleucne on whole of Berlin
-realised it was pointless when USA airlifted supplies in
Althoguh - blame USSR for blockade- West did antagomise them
-Although thisn is just a physical example of the enduring idealogical aims its still important in the final physical divide of Germany in 1949.
West Germany…
BRD (FGD)
East Germany …
DDR (GRD)
