Allied Occupation in the Western Zones Flashcards
What was an issue with the Allied Occupation in the Western Zones?
-each of the 3 zones were administered differently and had to cope with providing basic necessities
What percentage of housing had been destroyed by war and what was a result of this?
-25%
-led to a crisis whereby undamaged homes had to accommodate refugees->poor quality housing
What was a result of the coal production collapsing?
-led to a fuel crisis, lack of heating for homes and industry->main priority and focus on coal industry was worthwhile
What was an impact of malnourishment increasing as rations declined?
-epidemics of illnesses (Typhus)->average calorie intake was 700-1,200 a day for adults->food parcels sent as international charity intervention->increased German willingness to comply
What became clear between the zones?
-that working together would benefit the zones economically and politically
Why did situations in each zone differ?
-each zone was in a different situation depending on war damage
How different were the Western Zones to the Soviet Zone? Why?
-very different due to the different political views
What was the Iron Curtain speech?
-Churchill’s ‘iron curtain speech’ outlined the fear of growing Soviet influence
What did Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech led to the cooperation of?
-the cooperation of the British and USA and the creation of the Bizone (Britain and the US merged together
What was the Bizone?
-USA and Britain merged together to form it
What was a negative impact of the creation of the Bizone?
-aggressive act because they were allying within an alliance->Soviets would feel threatened
What was the German Economic Council created to do?
-was created to administrate the zones and encouraged Germans to take more responsibility for running the area
What did Churchill describe in the Iron Curtain speech?
-the deterioration of the relationship between East and West and the different zones
What did Churchill believe the Iron Curtain actually was?
-the iron curtain was a literal barrier that Churchill believed was existing between Europe and it was an ideological barrier->the USSR had managed to take over a lot of land during the war years and they feared that the USSR wouldn’t stop invading countries
What did the Iron Curtain speech reveal about the relationship between the different zones?
-they pretended to like each other to complete the task of rebuilding Germany but they didn’t like each other->there was animosity between them
