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The Plight of Germany

The Plight of Germany. The European Example of the East and West Split. The Post War Divide. At Potsdam, Truman, Stalin, and Attlee set out the principles of the Allied Control Council Germany’s complete disarmament and demilitarization Destruction of war potential Rigid control of industry

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The Plight of Germany

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  1. The Plight of Germany The European Example of the East and West Split

  2. The Post War Divide • At Potsdam, Truman, Stalin, and Attlee set out the principles of the Allied Control Council • Germany’s complete disarmament and demilitarization • Destruction of war potential • Rigid control of industry • Decentralization of the political and economic structure • Germany was divided into four economic zones that were supposed to work together to eventually reunite the country of Germany

  3. Trouble Among the Victors • Western Powers were unable to agree with USSR on any important issues • 20 March 1948 Russia walked out of the Allied Control Council • France, Britain, and the US were merging their zones economically • 31 May 1948 – F, B, US, and BeNeLux agreed to set up a German state comprising the three Western zones • USSR was not to happy about this

  4. The Trouble with Berlin • Berlin sat in the middle of Eastern Germany, 200 miles from the East and West Germany border • It became a place for Eastern Germans to flee to in order to find work or even to make it to West Germany • Of the two Berlins, West was more prosperous, more economically strong

  5. The Berlin Airlift • June 1948 – Soviets cut rail, water, and road access to Berlin • “Bone in the Throat” – freedom and prosperity vs. control and hard living • US and Britain respond with an 11 month campaign of 24 hour flights

  6. Known as the Berlin Airlift

  7. West Germany • 23 May 1949 – Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) was proclaimed with its capital at Bonn • KonradAdenauer become chancellor and Theodor Heuss of the Free Democrats was elected the first president • 5 May 1955 – gained “the full authority of a sovereign stats” • Wirtschaftswunder – Economic miracle of the 1950s when West Germany went from the destruction of WWII to the third largest economy in the world

  8. East Germany • 7 Oct 1949 - More centralized constitution for the Democratic Republic of Germany (DRG) • West refused to acknowledge the DRG • Created a state controlled by a single party – the Socialist Unity Party - and a secret police force - the Stasi • With the creation of the DRG, more Germans began fleeing East Germany into either West Berlin or over the border • Little food, low wages, 25 % of products went to USSR

  9. East Germans share their thoughts • Revolt in 1953 – suppressed with military force • Berlin workers started protesting the Communist regime because of social and economic issues • Protests spread until there were more than a million people went on strike and demonstrating in 500 towns • Fifty people were killed and more than 10,000 were arrested

  10. Stemming the Tide • In order to keep East Germans from making it into West Germany, the Russians built a fortified border between the two states but… • They could still make it into West Berlin and find transport to West Germany from there • By 1961 – about 3 million people had taken this route (1/6 of the population) • Many of them were skilled workers who were sorely missed in the East

  11. The Monster • 13 August 1961 – “shock workers” shut off the border between East and West Berlin using barbed wire • 16 Aug – the barbed wire was replaced by concrete • The final wall was 4 m (13 ft) high and 111 m (364 ft) long • 300 watch towers with orders to shoot on sight • 190 people were killed on the eastern side of the Wall

  12. Get along with the voices…or get out

  13. The Fall of the Berlin Wall • 1985 – Gorbachev took control of the Soviet Union • Realized that the Soviet ways were killing the Eastern bloc countries (East Germany included) • GLASNOCT– allowed citizens greater opportunity to voice discontent • PERESTROIKA– openness in society • SINATRA DOCTRINE – allowed Eastern Bloc gov’t to make their own decisions • August 1989 – Hungary opened up its borders to Austria allowing Eastern Germans to make it West

  14. Germany reunified • 9 Nov 1989 – the Berlin Wall was dismantled, making unification all but inevitable • July 1990 – Kohl asked Gorbachev to drop his objections in exchange for financial aid for West Germany • 3 Oct 1990 – GDR acceded to the Federal Republic and Germany was again unified and sovereign for the first time since 1945 • Symbolized the end of the Cold War

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