History of Germany since 1945

After the Second world war, Germany was occupied by the four victorious powers, then divided in two States, one under Western domination (the the Federal Republic of Germany, FRG ), the other under Soviet domination (the German Democratic republic, GDR ). It is only in 1990 that the FR of Germany could reinstate GDR in the national territory.

French people and German reflect fine at centuries of antagonism by melting the base of European construction. Germany is besides one of the six founding members of the European Union.

The division of Germany

See also: Occupation of Germany after the Second world war

The Second world war is a total conflict which brings Germany of the IIIe Reich to an unconditional surrender on May 8th, 1945. It is " die Stunde Null" (hour Zero). The three Allied ones (the United States, Soviet Union and the United Kingdom) decide future of Germany at the time of several conferences, in particular those of Yalta (February 1945) and Potsdam (August 1945 July), one and the other without France.

Germany is finally divided into 4 zones:

Berlin pareillement is pareillement divided into 4 sectors managed by an interallied military Command. Three air lanes are set up to connect the Western zones of Berlin to the Western zones of Germany. Since 1946, the British zone will accommodate, of Cologne to Bonn and of Aachen to Siegen and Soest, the Belgian Forces of occupation (then Belgian Forces in Germany (FBA)).

The 4 allied ones must make joint decisions concerning the management of Germany: it is the goal of the Council of interallied control.

Each ally has particular reasons to see Germany thus managed: the United States sees there an insurance of peace in Europe, the USSR a pledge of safety as well as a means of extending its sphere of influence, the United Kingdom a balance found between the various European powers. They are all of agreement to democratize, decentralize, dénazifier and to demilitarize Germany. In spite of that, too strong divergences between those (particularly the United States and the USSR) dedicated a possible policy common of Germany to the failure. January 1st, 1947, the zones British and American are linked in a bizone, joined the following year by the French zone.

If the common Council is planned for the direction of Germany, the Allies manage nevertheless with their own way the zones which were entrusted to them. One thus observes notable differences in management of the zones.

The British associate the Germans with their administration for better controlling them. The political life begins again gradually, in spite of the strict conditions as for the formation of political parties.

The Americans are very being wary vis-a-vis the Germans. Fraternization between the soldiers and the people is prohibited. The Americans are paradoxically the first to organize elections in their zone with the autumn 1945. A liberal economy and a federal organization of the zone are installation. (Of new Länder are recreated in all Germany. The Land of Prussia is dissolved).

The policy of French occupation is ironically summarized in " Safety and Charbon" (in which the Saar abounds). They manage the Saar indeed in a particular way, and set up a federal structure pushed at the extreme. Besides they oppose systematically their veto vis-a-vis a unit of Germany.

The Soviet policy is particular. She answers the communist ideology in place in the USSR. The Soviets take measures which lead to an economic reorganization of their zone like to land reforms (dépropriations and nationalizations) and industrial. A centralization is installation (Länder will be dissolved in 1952), with an aim antifascist (thus communist) and democratic (predominance of the majority party) making socialist party unified (SED) the only one managing zone.

In 1948, the USSR leaves the Council. It is the end of a possible common policy for Germany. The Germans themselves were unable to get along, with the image of the vain test of presidents de Länder.

In spring 1948, a conference with London takes place to which assists the United Kingdom, the United States, France, the Belgium, the Netherlands and the Luxembourg. They make the decision to make of Trizone a State anchored in the Western block and ask the presidents of Länder to write a Constitution. They will write a " Law Fondamentale" , giving a provisional character to the text with a view to write some another later in common with the Soviet zone. A parliamentary Conseil with representatives of all the parties is created under the presidency of Konrad Adenauer.

The year 1948 is also remembered by a reform of the currency, reinforcing existing divisions. The Ostmark is introduced into the Soviet zone while the Deutsche Mark replaces the Reichsmark in the other zones.

An open crisis between the Allies completes to divide them: the Blockade of Berlin by the Soviets. For 11 months, the ways connecting Berlin to the Western zones are blocked. Western Berlin is supplied thanks to the Airlift.

The Fundamental law is finished on May 8th, 1949, it comes into effect the 23, thus giving birth in West Germany to the German Federal republic. The rupture with the East is ratified when the Popular Congress, under domination of SED, founds a Constitution in Soviet zone. This one will come into effect on October 9th, 1949, thus giving rise to the German Democratic republic.

The political life of the West is dominated a long time by the Union Christian Democrat (CDU). She is characterized by preserving elements (financing of the clergy by the State, prohibition of the abortion), but also by a high degree of social protection and a coadministration employers-trade unions in the companies. The " model rhénan" will remain a reference developed until the reunification.

Birth of the EEC

The West Germany is one of the six founding members of the European Union, born from the the Treaty of Rome (1957). The bringing together between the Western-European States is facilitated by the community of doctrines between the French Christian-Democrats (Robert Schuman), Italian (Alcide De Gasperi) and German (Adenauer) and, on the European ground, with certain Belgian Socialists (Spaak) and French (Guy Mollet). For the FR of Germany, after the failure of CED, it is a question of leaving insulation and the mistrust from which she suffers since 1945. It is also a question of ensuring the opening of the markets for its industry in full growth. Concerned not to worry its partners, Germany plays low profile: it accepts French like single official language (later with English), the leader bodies with Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg, the equality of principle with less populated European States and less rich person. It will be the largest contributor Net at the European bottoms. Skilful strategy which allows him, by avoiding the effects of platform and the quarrels, to direct the European evolution discreetly.

Germany in the cold war

During the post-war period, GDR, completely under the Soviet influence, will not play of significant role on the international scene, if it is not that of a window of the Communisme. The FRG will be on the other hand, with France, one of the engines of European construction. Treated of the Elysium with the advent of the Euro, one cannot forget the important role of FRG. How after “the year a zero” so fast rectification it was possible?

First of all, the American assistance (Marshall plan) for the European rebuilding was particularly effective in FRG. Then, it was the will of chancellors such as Konrad Adenauer, Willy Brandt or Helmut Kohl, which has work so that the Germany take an important role in the construction of the Europe.

But the " German Economic miracle " (Wirtschaftswunder) is explained perhaps especially by its excellent technique. The high level of the applied research, inherited Germany before 1945, is accompanied by a massive effort of formation of skilled labor. German industry, largely exporting, will make it possible the FR of Germany to finance European construction, then the reunification.

In the years 1970 and 1980, FRG was in particular marked by the emergence of the movements of Extreme left: Red Army Fraction, autonomous Movement, movements of the squatters, antinuclear Movement, pacifist or anti-impérialistes movements . In 1980, German part of the extreme left broke with political violence to found the party of Grünen (the Greens) and to take a respectful route of the institutions (“Marsch durch den Institutionen”), with the success which one knows at the electoral level, that some will not fail to describe as electoralist.

Reunification

As from 1969, the West German chancellor Willy Brandt follows a policy of bringing together between the two Germany, it is " the Ostpolitik " : Basic Treaty bilateral in 1972, diplomatic exchanges of representatives between the two countries and entry with UNO in 1973. GDR and FRG will remain separate until the date symbolic system of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 which marks the end of the Cold war and will be actually reunified the October 3rd 1990, day which will consequently become the German national feastday. This process is commonly called German Réunification , but some, the ones nostalgic of East Germany, the other anticapitalists, rather see it like a economic annexation .

Difficulties of reunified Germany

The process of the German reunification, which will be effective the October 3rd 1990, causes a series of difficutés economic and social. To accelerate the bringing together and incidentally to be popular near the population of Länder of the East for the elections in GDR in March 1990, the West German chancellor Helmut Kohl envisages to overestimate the East-German mark compared to that of FRG during the economic unification and monetarist whom he recommends upstream of a political unification and whom he will propose with the new East-German government Lothar de Maizière. After negotiations, the two parts will sign the treaty on the “ Währungs-, Wirtschafts- und Sozialunion ” the May 18th 1990, this one coming into effect on July 1st, the Deutsche mark becoming the single currency for the two German States, and a foreign exchange rate 1 per 1 for the population and 1 per 2 with regard to the banks is applied, whereas the specialists recommended a rate of 1 per 3 or 4 (when all the process of the reunification was not called into question, in particular by the candidate Social-démocrate Oskar Lafontaine). The industry of the East, not very powerful is quickly rolled by the hard currency. It is then necessary to pay allowances unemployment with the Easts Germany, which inflates the public deficits. Moreover, the provisional boom of consumption caused by the parity delayed structural reforms necessary to the West German companies. Impetuses too late, they were finally more expensive and more painful. The protective system of the GDR (cribs, etc) which limited the fall in the birth rate has in fact disappeared from the day at the following day after the reunification. Fruitfulness was then divided by two. It fell into the länder from the East to 0,8 child by woman, which is the lowest level of reunified Germany. The release of the price of the residences made those less and less accessible to the " Ossis" with low-incomes, in the Berliner agglomeration in particular. The trade of the border region are penalized by the strong price difference with the adjoining countries: many Germans will make their purchases, in the hairdresser, etc, in Poland or a Czech Republic. Finally the way in which the privatization of the companies was carried out by Treuhand gave place to many scandals. Indeed, certain transferees touched governmental subsidies to restructure companies while preserving employment, but they often empoché the subsidy while laying off the personnel. The reunification carried out too quickly and without care for Länder of the East did not take into account the complexity of the process nor its human costs.

Part of the Easts Germany, traumatized and dissatisfied, turned to the old Communist party become PDS (“Left the socialist democratism”). It is in the areas marked by the massive dismissals as the Brandebourg where unemployment borders the 30 to 40% of the active population that this one reached its best scores. But, in spite of these disappointments, there is no massive questioning of the German unit, in spite of the “wall in the heads” which would remain.

Germany today

After the reunification, Germany had to face in the the Nineties on a return of the Extrême right-hand side, particularly marked in Länder of the East which still suffer from the consequences of the reunification.

The deceleration of the growth, the public debt due to the cost of the reunification, the delocalization of industries of labor, the problems of integration of the minorities, the Turks in particular, mark the end of the " model rhénan" traditional. On the other hand, Germany is sensitized more and more with the questions of environment: the consensus on this point largely exceeds the limits of the party of the Greens.

From 1998 to 2005, Germany was controlled by a red and green coalition (SPD, Grünen) directed by the social democrat Gerhard Schröder, putting thus fine at more than twenty years of democratic Christian domination. However, the German federal elections of 2005 which did not make it possible to make emerge a clear majority, again changed gives it political. The new chancelière Angela Merkel (CDU) directs now a great coalition or are represented members of the various great German parties of left and right-hand side.

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

  • Easts Germany and of the West, difficult union by François-George Dreyfus, Professor emeritus of the university Paris Iv-Sorbonne.
  • the German-American transatlantic partnership: a new birth by Pierre Hillard, specialist in Germany.
  • Germany at the dawn of the {{S|XXI|E}} by Edouard Husson, researcher.
  • the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9th, 1989 by the general Vernon Walters, ambassador of the United States in the Federal Republic of Germany of 1989 to 1991.
  • German reunification and the Franco-German relations by Jacques Jessel, honorary ambassador plenipotentiary.
  • Some facts relating to the problem of expelled and taken refuge German. Bonn: Federal minister of expelled, taken refuge and disaster victims of war, 1966
  • Germany in 1945 -…
  • the Honecker lawsuit, public administration of the East-German past and long life by Guillaume Mouralis
  • 50 years of federalism, by Serge Gosselin

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