The split of Germany and the formation of NATO (S1.4)

Question 1

What were some areas of disagreement on Germany, between the West and the East?

Answer 1

Denazification (how far, and how fast)
Democratization (western-style liberal democracy or soviet-style land reform)
Decentralization
Borders
Reparations

Question 2

How many died in Germany from WWII, how many POWs were there, and what was the average calorific intake per day post-WWII?

Answer 2

4 million dead killed in fighting/bombing
Eight million POWs
1,080 calories.

Question 3

What was the German population mostly made up of and how many foreign-born slave workers lived in Germany post-WWII?

Answer 3

Mainly composed of women, the elderly, the infirm and children
Four million foreign-born slave workers

Question 4

What percentage of all housing was destroyed or damaged beyond repair?

Answer 4

40%

Question 5

How many railway bridges over the Rhine and the Danube were destroyed, how many wrecked ships blocked the Rhine, and what percentage of the railway network was impassable?

Answer 5

All 33 railway bridges over the Rhine
22/34 over the Danube

1,500 wrecked ships blocked the Rhine

33% of the railway network was impassable

Question 6

What was the main agreement surrounding Germany made at Yalta?

Answer 6

Germany (and Berlin) was to be divided into four zones (US, UK, France and Soviet)

Question 7

What happened in April 1946 in the Soviet zone, and how was this viewed in the West?

Answer 7

Foundation of the SED through the unification of the SPD and KPD (April 1946)
> West saw this as proof the USSR were aiming at taking over Germany

Question 8

What happened at the Paris Conference of Foreign Ministers? (April-July 1946)

Answer 8

USSR insisted that Germany provide it with $10 billion in reparations
Byrnes (US Secretary) insisted this could occur, but only when Germany was ‘back on its feet’

Question 9

What happened in May 1946, what did it do, and how did the Soviets view this?

Answer 9

Stopped the Soviets take reparations from their zones in May 1946
> Exacerbated tensions in Germany
> Seen as an attempt to create a new anti-Soviet bloc by the USSR

Question 10

What happened in January 1947?

Answer 10

Merged the British and American zones economically (Bizonia)
> Clear indicator that four-power control had failed

Question 11

How did the Soviets respond to Bizonia?

Answer 11

USSR attempted to scuttle and oppose it, at the Moscow Conference, and London Conference.

Question 12

What happened at the Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers? (Spring 1947)

Answer 12

• Soviets attempted to destroy Bizonia by demanding a new central government
• Opposed by Bevin through ‘political unity to follow economic unity’
  > Seen as a successful failure for the West

Question 13

What happened at the London Conference? (Autumn 1947)?

Answer 13

USSR accused the West of unjustly denying reparations
> All issues were aired out and bitter divisions were revealed

Question 14

What happened in June 1948?

Answer 14

• Trizonia formed
• Deutschemark launched

Question 15

How did Stalin respond to the formation of trizonia/launch of the deutschemark, and how did he justify this?

Answer 15

• Stalin argued that the West had no reason to stay in Berlin if they were against German reunification but for a West Germany
  > On the 24th of June, 1948, Stalin launched a ‘blockade’, cutting off all ground and water traffic to Berlin from the West.

Question 16

How did the West respond to the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 16

Launched the Berlin Airlift (June 1948-May 1949)

Question 17

Who was Lucius D. Clay, and what was his role in the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 17

US Military Governor in Germany
> Leadership was crucial in the Berlin Airlift
> Stood firm to Soviet demands; became a central and pivotal figure.

Question 18

What happened by May 1949, and what was the impact for Stalin?

Answer 18

By May 1949, Stalin ended the blockade in failure, and had forced through the complete opposite of his aim (aimed to unite Germany, and instead cemented its divsion)

Question 19

What happened in May 1949?

Answer 19

Initial formation of the FDR with Grundgesetz (Basic Law)

Question 20

Who was Konrad Adenauer?

Answer 20

First Chancellor of the FDR from 1949 to 1963.
> Leader of the CDU, which became the dominant force in the country under his leadership.
> Pro-western and anti-Soviet

Question 21

What was formed in September 1949?

Answer 21

Federal Republic of Germany (FDR)

Question 22

Who was Walter Ulbricht?

Answer 22

Walter Ulbricht was a German communist politician.
> Leader of the SED from 1950-1971
> Established the German Democratic Republic (DDR)

Question 23

What was formed in October 1949?

Answer 23

German Democratic Republic (DDR)

Question 24

What was formed in the DDR?

Answer 24

Stasi (secret police), allowing for communist oversight; “surveillance socialism”

Question 25

What did Adenauer say about the influence of the Soviets on Germany, and what does this reflect about himself?

Answer 25

“A divided Germany is better than a communist Germany,”
> Reflects anti-communist sentiment of Adenauer himself and broader western policy driving the creation of the FDR.

Question 26

What did Ulbricht say about how the DDR would be run?

Answer 26

“It has to look democratic, but we must have everything in control”
> Authoritarian; contrasted with Adenauer

Question 27

How much in Marshall Aid did West Germany recieve, and what did this contribute and lead to?

Answer 27

Joined the OEEC (Organisation for European Economic Cooperation).
> West Germany received approximately $1.4 billion in aid from 1948 to 1952, which contributed to the “Wirtschaftswunder” (economic miracle) in the 1950s, leading to rapid industrial growth and rising living standards.

Question 28

What was formed in April 1949?

Answer 28

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

Question 29

What was the Brussels Treaty?

Answer 29

The Brussels Treaty, signed by the UK, France, and Benelux in March 1948, laid the groundwork for the North Atlantic Treaty, providing collective security and promoting economic cooperation.

Question 30

Why was NATO such a critical moment in Cold War geopolitics?

Answer 30

It marked the first peacetime military treaty involving the US, a departure from its isolationist stance.

Question 31

How did Truman justify the creation of NATO?

Answer 31

Truman justified NATO’s formation by stating, “By this treaty, we are not only seeking to establish freedom from aggression but we are also striving to promote and preserve peace throughout the world,” framing NATO as a defensive alliance against Soviet expansion.

Question 32

What was Article 5 of NATO, and what did this intend to ensure?

Answer 32

Article 5, the collective defence clause
> Declared that an attack on one NATO member would be considered an attack on all.
> Intended to ensure solidarity among member states in the event of Soviet aggression.

Question 33

What did General Hastings Ismay state about NATO’s purpose?

Answer 33

NATO’s purpose was to “keep the Americans in, the Russians out, and the Germans down,” emphasising the alliance’s anti-communist stance.

Question 34

What did the Soviet Union do in immediate response to NATO?

Answer 34

• Solidified the Eastern Bloc
• Molotov denounced NATO as a “war-mongering pact” and accusing it of advancing US imperialism.

Question 35

When was NATO’s true potential realised?

Answer 35

However, NATO’s full significance only became apparent later, with the inclusion of West Germany in 1955.

Question 36

What happened in August 1949, and what were the consequences?

Answer 36

USSR tests its first nuclear weapon
> US nuclear monopoly is over; also important as many details of the Manhattan Project were leaked to the Soviets (fuels McCarthyism)

Question 37

What happened in October 1949, and what were the consequences?

Answer 37

Establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in October 1949 under Mao Zedong.
> America lost a valuable ally (Jiang Jeshi, who moved to Taiwan)
> Early sign that passive containment could fail (spent $2.6 billion)