the creation of East and West Germany

• creation of a West German state in June 1948 
• Western allies drew up a constitution which was finally approved in early 1949
• First elected leader of the new state was Konrad Adenauer
• West German state was subjected to an Occupation Statute, which set up a High Commission that gave Britain, France and the USA the authority to determine any final decisions on West German foreign policy and security 
• The USSR initially reluctant to establish a permanent division of Germany 
• USSR Objective = create a pro-Soviet united Germany 
• By March 1949 – a constitution for the new East German state had been assembled
• Despite this democratic façade, the constitution was based on a one-party state system with the SED as the party for voter choice 
• October – the new East German state was officially formed