Bizonia and currency reform Flashcards
(23 cards)
what did the USA and Britain want to do in their zones by 1946?
establish a degree of economic recovery in their zones
what were the British having to absorb?
huge numbers of German refugees expelled by the Poles and the Czechs
what was there a continuing dispute with the USSR over?
the scale of reparations that it could demand from the Western zones
what had the USSR done to help aid their recovery?
systematically removed industrial plant and other resources from Germany to restore its own industrial recovery
what was the USSR’s great grievance over their reparations?
the USSR wanted more reparations than the other allies could accept
what did General Clay announce in May 1946?
that no further reparations to the USSR would be allowed until there was an overall plan agreed for Germany’s economic recovery
what did the USSR see Clay’s announcement as?
an American strategy designed to create a German economy based on the Western capitalist strategy
what happened in January 1947?
the British and American zones were merged economically into ‘Bizonia’
what was the American position on Bizonia?
that it was consistent with the Potsdam Agreement
what was Bizonia a clear indicator of?
that four-power control of Germany had failed
why was Bizonia so significant in the long-term?
it is a fundamental factor in the development of a divided Germany
what was the Soviet response to Bizonia?
they opposed it
what happened in March-April 1947?
the Council of Ministers, Britain, France, China, the USA and the USSR, met at the Moscow Conference
what did the USSR demand at the Moscow Conference?
they demanded that a new central administration should be created
what was a result of the Moscow Conference?
the USSR attempt failed and no firm decisions on the future of Germany were reached
why did the London Conference of Nov-Dec 1947 fail?
the USSR accused the West of unjustly denying it the reparations it was due, and the West feared that a centralised administration would lead to a Soviet-controlled Germany
what was the outcome of the London Conference?
the Western powers recognised that four-power control of Germany wouldn’t work, and that there was now some urgency to strengthen the economy of the Western zones of Germany and move towards the creation of a West German state that was aligned to a Western alliance
who met in London between February and June 1948?
Britain, France, the USA, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg
what was the decision made in the second London Conference?
to introduce a new currency into the Western zones of Germany
what did the introduction of a new currency represent?
the beginnings of the formation of a separate and distinct West German state
what was agreed on 7 June 1948, at the London Conference?
that West Germany should have a formal constitution
who was the decision to form a constitution pressured by?
the USA and Britain; France agreed, despite objections
constitution definition
the rules defined by states, which define the rights of the people; the constitution also sets out the structure of government, the legislative system and the role of the judiciary
