The post-war division of Germany Flashcards
When did Germany surrender to the victorious Allies?
8 May 1945
What had brought Germany to catastrophe during the Second World War?
Hitler’s expansionist aims and genocidal policies against Jews and others
The state of Germany following the Second World War
Many of its cities were destroyed by mass bombing or battle
It had no functioning institutions or economy
Its currency had collapsed
There was widespread fear of starvation and the outbreak of disease among its inhabitants, many of whom were living in cellars or in the open, their homes having been destroyed
What did the four zones of occupation initially focus on? How did this develop?
The four zones of occupation initially focused on demilitarisation and denazification, then later on economic development
How did Stalin provoke a crisis?
Stalin provoked a crisis by blockading the Western zones of the city, to which the USA and UK responded with an airlift of supplies
By the time Stalin reopened the borders…
the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) had been created
This was followed by the foundation of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in October 1949
When was the Yalta conference?
4 February 1945
What was the primary purpose of the Yalta conference?
To discuss the post-war reorganisation of Europe and the establishment of a new world order after the defeat of Nazi Germany
What was discussed in the Yalta conference?
The leaders discussed various issues related to the post-war division of Germany, the formation of the United Nations, the fate of Eastern European countries liberated from Nazi occupation, and the ongoing war in the Pacific against Japan
The Yalta conference resulted in several key agreements including…
the division of Germany: It was agreed that Germany would be divided into four occupation zones, each administered by one of the Allied powers (the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France)
When was the Potsdam conference?
17 July 1945
What were the main objectives of the Potsdam Conference?
The conference aimed to determine the post-war order, address issues in Germany, establish peace treaties, and discuss the fate of Eastern European countries
In the Potsdam conference, the allies agreed to the following policies…
- Denazification
- Demilitarisation
- Deindustrialisation
- Democratisation
Denazification
Former Nazi leaders would be brought to justice in post-war trials
The most famous of these was held at Nuremberg in 1945—46
Demilitarisation
Military reductions would ensure Germany could never wage aggressive wars again
Deindustrialisation
Large German industrial concerns would be dismantled partly to keep Germany weak but also to ship them to the Soviet Union to help pay reparations
Democratisation
It was agreed that Germany should be prepared for democracy
As a result of war losses, the ratio of women to men in the Soviet zone was…
135:100
As a result of war losses, for every ___ persons of employment age, there were __ who were not
100
58
Thousands of former Nazi Party members and officials were…
arrested and often sent to concentration camps such as Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen where conditions were as bad as during the Nazi period
Why was the eradication of Nazism widened?
To effectively purge the Soviet zone of any potential opposition
What was believed gave rise to Nazism?
It was felt that the elitist nature of pre-war Germany, with its wealthy classes and inequalities, gave rise to Nazism
It was felt that the elitist nature of pre-war Germany, with its wealthy classes and inequalities, gave rise to Nazism. The removal of these preconditions took various forms such as…
Land reforms, the confiscation of property and reforms in the education system
What was the aim of the initial land reforms, the confiscation of property and reforms in the education system?
The aim was to reduce elitism and widen equality of opportunity, binding beneficiaries to the new regime
Land reforms
In September 1945 all land owners who were tainted with support for Nazism with holdings exceeding 100 hectares lost their land without compensation
Two million hectares were redistributes to formerly landless peasants or smallholders
Confiscation of property
In October 1945, property firms belonging to former Nazis or leading officers in the wartime armed forces were confiscated by the regional administrations
Education
Higher education was opened up to members of the working class, thus creating a new graduate class dependent on the new state
In 1945 members of the working class compromised three per cent of university students; by 1950 this figure had risen to 58 per cent
Marshall Aid
Marshall Aid, also known as the Marshall Plan, was a significant program initiated by the United States to provide economic assistance to war-torn European countries after World War II
Why do many historians see the July Conference in Paris in which the Marshall plan was discussed as the formal division of Europe into Soviet and capitalist zones of influence?
The USSR and most of its satellite countries did not attend the July conference
Many historians see this as the formal division of Europe into Soviet and capitalist zones of influence, the two sides represented by those countries which did send delegates and those which did not
What was the Berlin Blockade?
The Berlin Blockade was a Soviet attempt to block Western access to West Berlin
When did the Berlin Blockade occur?
24 June 1948 to 12 May 1949
Why did the Soviet Union impose the Berlin Blockade?
The Soviet Union imposed the Berlin Blockade in response to the introduction of a new currency, the Deutsche Mark, in the western zones of Germany and concerns over the potential integration of those zones with the East
Faced with a ____ ________ that Germany would be divided, Stalin appears to have decided to take control of all Berlin for _________ in the Soviet zone
fait accompli
inclusion
fait accompli
a thing that has already happened or been decided before those affected hear about it, leaving them with no option but to accept it
What did Stalin say to Pieck?
“Let’s try with all our might and maybe we can drive them out”
Stalin decided to take full control of Berlin - how did he do this?
- He ordered a blockade of West Berlin
- He ordered electricity supplies, which were generated in the East, to be cut off to the West
- On 24 June 1948 all land and canal routes from the Western zones to West Berlin were blocked
Berlin Blockade - Stalin’s aim
It was intended that the West Berlin authorities would face the alternative of starvation or agreeing to join the Soviet zone
How did the Western Allies respond to the Berlin Blockade?
The Western Allies responded by organising the Berlin Airlift, a massive airlift operation to supply West Berlin with food, fuel, and other necessities
What was the Berlin Airlift?
The Berlin Airlift was a humanitarian operation in which the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Western Allies flew over 200,000 flights into West Berlin, delivering supplies and sustaining the city during the blockade
How did the Berlin Airlift end?
The Berlin Airlift ended on May 12, 1949, when the Soviet Union lifted the blockade after realising it was not achieving its objectives
Stalin, realising that the Allies would not give in, restored electricity supplies and allowed convoys to use land and canal routes again
What were the consequences of the Berlin Blockade and Airlift?
The Berlin Blockade and Airlift deepened the divide between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies, leading to the formal division of Germany into East and West Germany
It also marked a significant victory for the Western Allies in the early stages of the Cold War
What had the GDR been variously referred to as?
“Stalin’s unwanted child” (Wilfried Loth)
“the unloved country”
(Michael Simmons)
What did Historian Mike Dennis emphasise about the creation of the GDR?
Historian Mike Dennis had emphasised that it was created more out of default that design
Why did Historian Mike Dennis emphasise that the GDR was created more out of default that design?
After the creation of the FRG in May 1949 in the Western zones, there seemed little alternative
Even then Stalin was reluctant to give the go ahead; when SED leaders spoke of creating a People’s Democracy along the lines of other communist states, Stalin insisted on a gradual route to communism
When was the GDR founded?
7 October 1949
