1945 Upwards Flashcards
When was the Yalta Coneference? Who joined it?
4-11 Feburaury 1945 with Churchill, Stalin and FDR
What was Marshall Aid? When was it?
June 1947 George Marshall (US secretary of state) called for large sums of money and machinery to be distributed to promote European recovery (helped to recover trade and industry). Soviets rejected it and forced their satelite states to reject it also
What happened in 1948 regarding reformation of the economy?
The Bank Deutscher Lander was established in 1948. And later on June 1948 the Deutschmark was issued in the Western Zones replacing the Reichsmark. The Soviets declared that the Western currency reform had broken the Potsdam agreement which stated that Germany should be treated as a single economic unit. Possession of it in the Soviet zone would be a criminal offence, and the reform provoked the Soviet authorities still further and broke relations
What happened between the 20-23 June 1948?
Road and railway traffic to and from Berlin was halted, to protect the Soviet Zone from an influx of the okd devalued currency. And on the 23rd the SMAD the issued the Ostmark
What happened at the Yalta conference?
- Germany was to be split into 4 different spheres
- Russia agreed to help invade Japan in exchange for land lost in the Russo Japanese war before the Manhattan project came into effect (1905)
- The 4 D’s were issued
How much % of Germanys coal and steel did the UK zone hold?
They held 87% of Germanys coal and 70% if their steel
What happened in March 1946?
The ‘Law for Liberation from National Socialism’ established new tribunals staffed by Germans but supervised by the allies to investigate ex nazi members. Each zone had its own Minister of Denazification and turned over responsibility to the Germans
What were the 4 D’s?
Denazification, decentralisation, democratisation and demilitarisation
When did Hitler commit suicide?
30th April 1945 while the battle for Berlin raged
How many Germans had been killed in WW2?
6.5 million Germans were killed and many were still unacounted for
In the first elections for the FRG in August 1949, what was the voter turnout to that of the election in 1933?
In August 1949 the voter turnout was at 78.5%, and the 1933 election there was a 88.7% voter turnout
How many seats the the CDU/CSU, KPD and SPD gain in the first election?
CDU/CSU gained 139 seats, KPD at only 15 seats and SPD at 131 seats
When did allied occupation of zones end?
May 1955
When was the Basic Law passed? What was it?
In May 1949 The Basic Law approved the new West German constitution
When was the Reinstatement act? What was it?
1951, the Reinstatement act made it so ex nazis could be re-emplyed into the civil services
How many nazis were re-employed in the 1950s due to the Reinstatement Act?
40-80% of officials, including members of the judicairy were former ex nazis
Between 1949-1957 how many seats did the SPD and CDU increase by?
CDU increased from 139-270 seats and the SPD increased from 131-169 seats
How much did the Marshall Plan give?
The Marshall Plan gave $15 million to provide aid
What happened in 1952 regarding Isreal and Germany?
100 billion Deutchmarks were sent to Isreal in 1952 by Adenuaer in conpensation for the Nazis on the Jewish
What was the outcome of Adenuaer sending money to Isreal?
- This raised Germanys status internationally but domestically it was met with opposition from the public and his cabinet
- Indicated that Germany was excepting guilt for the war (Versailles)
- Might have had a negative effect ok Germanys already crippled economy
When was the Equalisation of Burdens Act, what did it do?
1953, it gave compensation to victims of wartime bombing/those effected by the Nazis. Claims were verified by the new government committe
How many members of the foreign ministry created in 1949 were Nazis?
Out of the 49 members, 39 members were ex nazis
When was the Reconstruction Law? What did it do?
1950, the Reconstruction Law aimed to build houses and apartments (which also increased job opportunities)
How long did Hans Globke serve as Secretary of State?
1953-1963, he was an ex nazi
What parties did Adenuaer shut down for being anti democratic and extremist?
- The SRP (Socialist Reich Party) in 1952
- And the KDP in 1956
When was the Bad Godesberg Programme? What was it?
In 1959 the program made the SPD drop its commitment for anti capitalism and accepted supporting Western integration
When did Adenauer run for presidency? What happened?
In 1959 Adenuaer ran for President of the FRG, but withdrew because he could not identify a protege to replace himself as chancellor- his arrogant behaviour caused friction in his party
When was the Berlin Wall erected? What did it do to weaken Adenuaer?
In 1961 the GDR erected the Berlin Wall. Despite the outcry in the west, Adenuaer didn’t visit Berlin until later, allowing Brandt to accuse him of indifference
What were the election results for 1961?
In the 1961 elections the CDU/CSU vote fell to 46% from 50.2% in 1957, the FDP increased its vote from 7.7% to 12.8%- increased influence
What was the only condition Adenuaer could secure his coalition after the fall in reputation in the 1960s?
Adenuaer negotiated a coalition but only on the terms he would resign in favour of Erhard after 2 years. However after a political scandal he had to resign after 1 year
When was the Spiegel Affair? What was it?
In 1963 Adenuaers defence minister Franz-Josef Strauss ordered the arrest of the editors of Magazine Dee Speigel after it published an article condemning the insufficiencies of the army (Bundeswehr). Police seized the journalists at night (similar to the Nazis)