Conflict over Germany, 1947–49; the zones

When was an opinion poll conducted by the US occupation forces in Germany on whether the German people trusted the allies to treat Germany fairly?

October 1947

__**US**__ opinion poll results for whether the German people trusted that the US would treat Germany fairly

63%

__**USSR**__ opinion poll results for whether the German people trusted that the USSR would treat Germany fairly

0%

What did each of the four zones of post-war Germany have?

A military governor, but each could be administered differently

What did the powers have to coordinate their actions in their zones through?

The Allied Control Council (ACC)

Why did the allies have to coordinate their actions in their zones through the Allied Control Council?

To enable economic and political unity in Germany to be maintained.

Why did decisions made by the ACC have to be unanimous?

This enabled each power to remain independent of each other.

How many political parties were the Soviets willing to accept the founding of in the Soviet Zone?

4

What were the names of the political parties that the Soviets allowed to be founded in the Soviet Zone?

* Communists (KPD)
* German Social Democrats (SPD)
* Liberals (LDPD)
* Christian Democrats (CDU)

What was the Soviet intention behind allowing the founding of political parties in the Soviet Zone?

Their intention was that the communist group would emerge as the dominant group, and this would form the nucleus of a whole-Germany communist movement.

What happened when the four-party system in the Soviet Zone did not achieve Soviet expectations?

The SPD (German Social Democrats) and the KPD (Communists) were forcibly merged by the Soviet Administration of Germany (SMAD).

What new party did the merging of SPD (German Social Democrats) and the KPD (Communists) create?

The German Socialist Unity Party (SED)

Who led the significant opposition amongst the SPD (German Social Democrats) to the creation of SED?

Kurt Schumacher

Did the Soviet aim to influence and control politics in any future United Germany succeed? Why did it/didn’t it? (3 points)

• No, it failed

• The Soviet Zone was increasingly being perceived as a place of tyranny and repression by Germans in the Western Zones

• Stalin could dominate politics in the Soviet Zone but not on a national scale

What breaches did the Soviet make to the principle of joint occupation policies (unilateral policies instead) in the ACC? (4)

* The unification of left-wing parties
* Land reform
* Nationalisation of large industrial production
* Compulsory tuition in the Russian language for German school pupils

What was increasingly apparent that the Soviet Zone was being subjected to?

The Soviet model of peoples’ democracies emerging across the rest of Eastern Europe.

What happened to left-wing groups in the Soviet Zone?

The communists gradually took control of them and subsumed them under its authority

Make 3 points about the British Zone

* It was in the north-western part of Germany


* Consisted of about 22.5 million people
* Included the major port of Hamburg and the Ruhr industrial area

Why did the fact that the British Zone consisted of so many people cause problems?

The large population was costly to feed and this increased Britain’s dependency on the USA.

What was Britain concerned about when it came to the Ruhr, which was in the British Zone?

Britain was concerned about both Soviet and French efforts to influence the control of the Ruhr.

Why was the Ruhr region so important?

This region in the British Zone was the industrial heart of Germany and it was, therefore at the centre of economic recovery

What did the economic importance of the Ruhr region have?

Political implications

What could Soviet influence over the Ruhr cause? (2)

* Soviet influence over it would provide access to further reparations from Germany, which might weaken Germany’s economic recovery
* This could strengthen the possibility of a shift towards support for the communists among disaffected Germans.

What was the primary British fear by the spring of 1946?

That a revived Germany might either cooperate with the USSR or, worse still, become dominated by it

What is the name of the state that Britain’s military governor created in August 1946?

North Rhine-Westphalia

When does Britain’s military governor in Germany create the state of North Rhine-Westphalia?

22nd August 1946

At what point did Britain commit itself to the merger of the British and American zones?

When the state of North Rhine-Westphalia was created

What did George Kennan make clear in the summer of 1945? (2 points)

* That the USA must develop in its zone of Germany a degree of independence and economic security
* This was to ensure Germany’s safety from any potential threat from the Eastern Bloc communist states in Europe.

The US administration was initially committed to making joint occupation work. Name two people on the US administration who intended it to work.

The first commander of the Office of Military Government, United States (OMGUS), General Dwight D. Eisenhower and his deputy, General Lucius Clay

What was Clay’s position by the spring of 1947? (4)

* Less compliant

‘No’ to…
* The Soviet demand that the Ruhr should be placed under joint allied control
* The continued social and economic deprivation of the US and British zones
* The Soviet desire to create a centralised Germany

What was the Office of Military Government, United States (OMGUS)?

This was the administrative organisation set up by the USA to manage its zones of Western Germany and West Berlin. It was led by General Clay.

What did OMGUS do? (2 points)

* It carried out a survey to establish the extent to which Nazism and Nazi sympathy had been removed from Germany with its defeat
* It was also responsible for monitoring the appointment of new officials from among the German population

When was OMGUS dismantled?

1949

Did the USA allow free elections in its zone?

Yes

What did the USA regard the German Lander?

The basis for a future national structure based on federalism

What had France been calling for up to 1947? (2 points

* The complete dismemberment of Germany
* The internationalisation of the Ruhr in particular, with a strong French influence on its administration

What was France a major factor in?

Ensuring that the Allied Control Council could not function effectively

What was the French position, ultimately? What did it conform to?

* To support the creation of two German states with the Western part closely allied and influenced by the Western powers
* It conformed to the French determination to see the dismemberment of Germany and its strategy of ensuring France’s long-term security against a resurgent German state