how did relations change between the 2 germanies?

• the cold war


  started in 1945 and lasted for 40 years

  USA vs Soviet Union

  NATO vs Warsaw Pact
• nuremburg trials


  • 12 were sentenced to death, 7 were given long prison sentences --> senior nazis
  • Goering k!lled himself with a cyanide tablet before his execution.
  • trials of Nazi prison camps guards and army officers continued for many years, in the British zone, between 1945 - 49, 24,000 were put on trial.
• denazification


  • the nazi party was made illegal
  • german school removed all nazi propaganda and Nazis were removed from positions of power.
  • they couldn't arrest everyone or there would be no experienced people to run the country
• Berlin Blockade and Airlift 1948 -49


  causes:

  • BR, USA + FR wanted to rebuild Germany while Stalin didn't and was suspicious of why the others wanted to. he thought they wanted to rebuild germany to overpower the USSR.
• Berlin Blockade and Airlift 1948 - 49


  • stalin tried to blockade berlin.
  • in 1 month, he closed all road and rail connections from berlin and west germany
  • hoped to force the western allies out of the city.
• Berlin Blockade and Airlift 1948 - 49


  airlift:

  • lasted until spring 1949
  • reached its peak on 16 - 17 april when 1,398 flights landed nearly 13,000 tonnes of supplies in 24 hours.
  • west berliners were supplied with food, clothing, oil, building supples etc.
• Berlin Blockade and Airlift 1948 - 49


  may 1949 - ussr lifted the blockade.

  = relations with USSR hit rock bottom.
• 1949 - Western powers formed NATO [the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation] - military alliance between 12 states, directed against the communist threat.

  the USSR and Eastern Bloc formed the Warsaw Pact in 1955
• between 1949 - 1961, 2.5 million East Germans fled from East to West Germany.

  aug 1961 - 2000 east germans fled -> devastating effect on economy.
• hallstein doctrine


  • used by adenauer
  • if any country recognised East Germany other than the USSR, then west germany would cut all diplomatic ties by seeing this as an unfriendly act.
• USSR threat


  by the 1980s, USSR stationed their SS20 nuclear missiles in East Germany, facing West Germany so USA stationed cruise missiles in west germany facing east germany.