The division of Germany into West Germany and East Germany emerged as a stopgap solution for the woeful state of the nation following its defeat in the Second World War. With the United States (US) ultimately gaining full control over West Germany, East Germany increasingly became alienated towards it, as it went under the influence of the Soviet Union (USSR). West Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), rapidly grew into one of the most politically and economically influential nations in Europe representing the democratic interests of the US in the region, while East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR), went seemingly the other way. East Germans became increasingly disillusioned by the way their …show more content…
To formalize German reunification, parties to the “two plus four” negotiations considered two options from the Basic Law of the FRG – Articles 23 and 146. Article 23 provided for the incorporation of new states via majority voting, while Article 146 stipulated formal reunification of the FRG and GDR through the creation of an entirely new constitution. Considering that Article 146 requires a longer period for formally reunifying the FRG and GDR, the “two plus four” negotiations opted to use Article 23 instead to facilitate German reunification quickly via incorporation. Whereas Article 23 emerged as a practical choice for German reunification, in that it enabled the FRG to take over the five former GDR states under its Basic Law (as amended) and effectively retain its membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), United Nations (UN) and the European Community (later known as the European Union), several political and economic problems continue to plague Germany following reunification (Fulbrook 243-257; Turner 225-255).
Reunification Sentiments throughout Germany The reunification of the FRG and GDR did not translate to the complete resolution of political and economic problems that alienated the Western and Eastern parts of Germany from one another. Given that the FRG and GDR
Following the Second World War, Germany had split into two states: East and West Germany. East Germany fell behind economically and forced its citizenry from moving to West Germany. West Germany, conversely, had become overwhelmingly successful. West Germany had established itself as one of the world’s wealthiest nations. Finally, in 1990, full German unity succeeded in bringing both West and East Berlin together.
But on the other side East Germany was not doing as well as West Germany was. East Germany was under the full influence of the Soviet union and was a Communist society when it became its own country. Do to the dragged economy and that the individual freedoms were restricted many citizens living in East Germany wanted to leave they could no longer stand the conditions in which they were living in.Many citizens gathered their things and left to th the West. Many of them made it across the border as for others were stopped along the way. From then on East Germany began to lose its population and labor force. As they lost more of their population the Soviets wanted to take over the West. They tried to threaten the United States by the use of nuclear weapon issue but the United States and all the other Western countries were very committed to protecting West Berlin.
Nationalism contributed to the outbreaks of wars in the nineteenth century. During Germany’s unification, Bismarck aimed to eliminate all opposition to the imperial state. Bismarck fought three wars in which he increased Prussia’s power and expanded Prussian territory, paving the way for German unification. “This contest can only be settled by blood and iron. There is one way to guarantee our success.” (Document 5). In Italy, a nationalist movement, the Risorgimento, passed onto Sardinia with the hope of uniting among other states. Count Camillo Cavour, the Prime Minister of Sardinia, allied with Britain and France while acknowledging Austria to be Italy’s biggest barrier against unification. After negotiating a clandestine arrangement with France,
Sixteen years after the end of World War II, the countries that fought on the allies side began clinging to the left overs of Nazi Germany. The victors of World War II, The United States, The United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union divided Germany into four sectors. The U.S.A, England and France were all democratic, capitalist countries, while the Soviet Union was a communist country. While the capitalist countries all shared common believes and ideas, the Soviet Union wanted nothing to
After World War Two, Germany was war ravaged and destroyed. The Allies, Britain, France, United States and the Soviet Union occupied the war-torn and defeated Germany. Germany was split into two sections. The Western part controlled by the U.S., France, and Great Britain. The Eastern part of Germany was controlled by the Soviet Union. Tensions between the West and East emerged during what became known as the Cold War period (1945-1989). The difference in ideologies and ideas led to close calls to war between the west and east. Within the Eastern part of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), society was being controlled ruthlessly by the government. In Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall, Anna Funder discussed the struggles East Germans
The Division of Germany caused Germany to divide into a east and west side, the east was under the Soviet government rule. As a consequence of the
To refresh your memory, at the end of World War II, the Allied powers divided Germany into four different zones. Decided at the Potsdam Conference, each separate zone was controlled by The United States, Soviet Union, France, and Great Britain. (Rosenburg) But as the relationships between The Soviet Union and the rest of The Allied Powers quickly evaporated, aggression and power became the main focus. The United States, France, and Great Britain combined their zones, creating “West Germany”, and The Soviet controlled zoned turned into “East Germany” (Rosenburg). Being controlled by democratic nations, West Germany’s living conditions and economy were flourishing. Almost Miraculously. On the other
Germany, a country rich in culture and heritage, yet plagued by the fallout of World War I and World War II, has progressed to become the centerpiece of the European Union and the world’s third richest economy. The first German Empire dates back to the Roman Empire starting in the 8th century AD. During the Middle Ages the German Empire fended off many attacks against their soil from the Hungarians and the Slavs. Fighting and power struggles continued until the 1400’s, when the modern world gradually came into existence with intellectual, economic and political changes.
The United States and Russia were feuding at the time during the Cold War – United States being a capitalist state whilst Russia being communist. The people of Germany although had the same history and same language were divided. West Germans had freedoms whilst East Germans had tight restriction and oppression under the USSR. Under the USSR persons were under strict censorship and were unable to leave country whilst under the Allied powers all persons of West Germany had freedom of speech, religion as well as could even form their own political parties to help in
While these thoughts and considerations continued to swirl around in the minds of those on the West side, the people of East Germany, including East Berlin, along with the citizens of the other nations controlled by the communist Soviet Union, grew increasingly dissatisfied with communist rule. The economic hardships they
As it began, our century drew to a close, with Germany once again the economic powerhouse and political hub of Europe. What is remarkable is how quickly this happened, how unbidden and unanticipated: the toppling of the Berlin Wall in November 1989; the reunification a year later; the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War in late December 1991; a resurgent impetus to West European integration in 1992; and NATO enlargement, which was consecrated in April 1999. Unquestionably, this chain of events has profoundly affected Germany’s situation over the past decades. For the first time since the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in 1949 and the painstaking process of
To illustrate, the SPD lost nearly half its seats (many to the USDP) and the right wing parties (DVP and DNVP) increased their share at the expense of the democrats. “Defeated on the battlefield, defeated at the conference table, defeated at the polls, the republic embarked on its uncertain career.” Furthermore, compliance with the Treaty
Along with every other nation around the globe, Germany has its own unique past. From the days previous to Bismarck to present time, the Germans have undergone significant trials and tribulations. Unfortunately for Germany the world will forever equate German history with Hitler and the Third Reich. As educated people, we need to be able to get past this stigma and appreciate the Germans for who they truly are. After the ending of the Second World War, Germany was divided in two: a free western Germany, and the communist East Germany. West Germany flourished while East Germany struggled to breathe under the heavy shadow of the Soviet Union. In 1990, after the Berlin Wall fell, Germany finally became one again with the union of East
But the two ideologies – Capitalist and Communist could not. As a result, the new relationship between the Allied powers transformed Germany into West vs East and democracy vs Communism.
war with a unique goal for its conclusion as his main goal was not to