1.1: The post war division of Germany

What was the context of post-war Germany?

• Germany surrendered to the allies in 1945, leaving the country in ruins

• No functioning government or economy was present → No currency

• Consequences: Widespread fear of starvation, outbreaks of disease and 7 million soldiers dead

Why did the events in the years 1945-49 lead to the division of Germany?

Yalta

• Allies agreed to dividing Germany into 4 military zones, one area for each ally

• overseen by allied control council

• Stalin sought to redraw German boarders to favour Poland

  • Given land to the East of the boarder and Weisse Rivers as compensation

Potsdam

• Large German industrial concerns would be dismantaled to keep Germany weak as well as ship materials to the USSR as reperations

• Agreed that Germany should be prepared for democracy

How was ‘Denazification’ demonstrated?

Former Nazi leaders brought to justice in post-war trials

How was ‘Demilitarisation’ demonstrated?

Military redactions ensured Germany could never start aggressive wars again

What were the different zones?

Bizonia - Trizonia: Set up a zone directly opposed the idealogies of the Soviet zone. Trizonia was made up of Western and Socialist countries which aimed to unify and recover the Soviet Union.

What was the Soviet zone and how did it operate?

The area of eastern Germany occupied by the Soviet Union after World War II, from 1945 until 1949

What was SMAD?

The SMAD was created in 1945 and was named the Soviet Military Admission. It’s purpose was to ensure the Soviet zone prospered in the way Stalin wanted. All the while, supervising German administrations. Its responsibilities include:

• Military affairs

• The economy

• Civil administration 

• Political questions

Who was Walter Ulbricht and what was the ‘Ulbricht Group’?

Ulbricht was born in Leipzig in 1893 and served in World War 1 on the Eastern front, he deserted and spent time in prison

In 1924 - he joined the KPD and went to the Lenin school → To establish future leaders of World revolution

The Ulbricht group was

What was the SPD and the KPD?

The SPD and KPD were 2 socialist parties

SPD: the Socialist Party of Germany

KPD: Communist Party

They sought for control of the key industries and the abolition of private ownership

What did the SPD and KPD merge to form?

The SPD and KPD merged to create a large Communist Party. Following the conference in April 1946 in East Berlin, the merger was agreed and the Socialist Party of Germany (SED) was born

Why did the conference at Potsdam add to division amongst the allies?

There were arguments between the allies over where the boundaries between the zones would be drawn

There were arguments about how much the USSR should be allowed to take in reparations. It was agreed that the Soviets could take whatever they wanted from the Soviet controlled zone and 10 per cent from the Western zones.

What were Bizonia and the Truman Doctrine, and how did they contribute to growing divisions?

Bizonia was the economical merging of the Western zones, the French joined their zone to Bizonia in April and created Trizonia

The 3 Western zones now joined economically, political unification seemed more likely

What were the key differences between the USSR and the Western powers in relation to how Germany should develop after 1945?

In the Allied Control Council was where relations began to truly break down:

• The USA suspended reparation payments to the USSR

• There were external tensions due to the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia

• A Russian representative walked out an ACC meeting after the introduction of a new currency called the Deutschmark

What were the events of the Berlin airlift?

Berlin lay within the Soviet zone, there was no guarantee of access for the Western powers. Stalin changed his mind and decided to take full control of Berlin.

• West organized an airlift.

• By September, they were flying in 4641 tonnes of supplies every day.

• By the time the blockade was destroyed, they were managing 8000 tonnes per day.

• Over 2,325808 tonnes were delivered.

• By May, Stalin realised that the Allies wouldn’t give up and restored electricity supplies again, as well as canal and roads again.

What was the impact of the airlift and how did this lead to the formation of the FRG?

Berlin Blockade failed and airlift showed that the West wouldn’t give up on Berlin. This also meant that Europe was divided further.

GDR was known as Stalin’s unwanted child.

• The SED leaders spoke of a “people’s democracy”

• Stalin doubted that the SED had the power to impose a Communist regime.

• Soviet leaders were realistic enough to know it would take the Communist regime years to catch up economically with the FRG.

• SMAD abolished but turned into the Soviet Control Commission whose role was to supervise the State’s implementation of any allied directives.

Why and when was NATO created?

NATO was formed on April 4, 1949

Its primary purpose was to provide collective security and mutual defense for its 12 founding member states against the perceived threat from the Soviet Union, which was a major concern after World War II.

When and how was the GDR formally set up?

The key decision to create a new state was ratified at the Third People’s congress in May 1949

330 Congress members agreed a draft Constitution of the GDR, announced the formation of the new state on October 7th.