Post World War II Germany
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Introduction
After The surrender of 1945, Germany was a country in shame, her once proud people, Prussian to Bavarian, were let down. The Third Reich was over, and the series of nations that would rise from the ashes would have much more in store for them. It would be another 40 years or so before she would be once again united, and encounter the taste of prosperity.
Part 1, A Divided Germany
I. Occupied Germany
After the surrender, Germany was split into 4 sectors. The French, The British, The Americans, And The Soviets. Once again, the Allies found each-other in a position in which they could not allow germany to rise once more. After the “denazification”, plans were drawn up to re-stabilize Germany. But many saw it as putting Germany down further more. The so called “Morgenthau Plan” was a plan made to lower Germanys industrial capability. The German armed forces were dismantled, meaning the destruction of any sort of war factories in the German homeland. Civilian industries that could pose a threat to the se-rounding nations if there was to be another war were banned as well. Germanys heavy industry was cut down by 50%. And several industrial caps were introduced. Germany all in all was reduced to the likes of a third world country.
Map Showing Occupied Germany, 1946
II. Suffering of the German People.
As the was was lost, all German people who had settled in the lands that the Nazi regime had conquered were told to pack up and return to the German homeland. Noticeable mainly in the chaos that issued after the Red Army advanced on poland. More than 1 million people died, 3.6 million expelled, and the few lucky 1 million were designated as Poles. Although they were disappointed of loosing their Germanic background, their lives depended on it. As the trains that lead to Germany were ill equipped and several people died of starvation or froze to death. And in the German homeland, famine was very-well wreaking havoc. Daily nutrition intake of the Germans was down to around 1200 calories. A crisis overlooked by the allies, whom their laws did not allow aid to the German people. The situation worsened in the winter. For every three children that died on the European continent, two were German. Sever hostility was shown to the Germans, many of their women and children abused by Soviet soldiers. As well as being starved purposely.
German people after being expelled from Poland
III. Debts, the Price of Defeat, and Two New Nations
The German currency was in a mess, which did not comfort the german people of the fact that they had to pay the Allies. Inflation was at a high. But that was quickly settled when the Allies introduce a new currency, the “Deutsche Mark” This did help the looming 7 billion marks(2 billion dollars) of reparations to be payed. One way they made them pay this sum was in forced labour. Of which 4,000,000 Germans were put into. Prisoners in France were used to clear minefields. Hundreds died of this. This went on till 1948. By then a new war was about to begin, a war between Democracy and Communism “The Cold War” This was an aspect that would divide germany into two nations, The former Allied sect becoming West Germany ( The Federal Republic of Germany) and the Soviet influenced,communist East Germany (The German Democratic Republic).
Part 2, East and West
I. West Germany, The Federal Republic of Germany
The new German state was gradually formed when the allies began to slowly hand over power to german officials. Made official by the economic merging of all the three Allied zones, and a new constitution. By 1955 they were independent enough to, without opposition, join NATO. And with the wake of the cold war, America was quick to remilitarize West Germany as a defense from the Soviet threat. But of-course this was met with opposition. Thus the EDC(European Defense Community) was formed. In which other european nations had right to control their own armys, but West Germanys army was to be controlled only by the EDC. This failed though as the French refused to ratify it. Giving way to a treaty that offered West Germany her own military. The Treaty of Brussels (treaty for the Western Union) was modified to include West Germany, giving her the right to bear arms once more, and in the process formed the Western European Union. The new nation had benefited from all this, as