Chapter 4

• How was Germany organised at Yalta and Potsdam?

  - Germany and Berlin were both divided into four zones of occupation.

  - Each zone had a military governor, but the country was run through the ACC (Allied Control Council)

  - All 4 powers had to co-ordinate their actions through the ACC

  - It aimed to maintain Germany's political and economic unity

  - Decisions made by the ACC had to be unanimous
• Why was Germany a problem?

  - Front line of the Cold War

  Yalta and Potsdam had created a temporary arrangement for Germany and Berlin - this could not last

  - Western zones had received Marshall Aid and had started to recover whereas East Germany bore the brunt of force reparations
• How did the attitudes of the USA and the USSR differ towards Germany? Why?

  USA: Wanted RECOVERY

  - Western Europe could not recover if Germany was unable to thrive. Also wanted markets for US goods.

  - Marshall Aid/Bizonia/New Currency

  - To prevent communism spreading to Western parts of Germany.

  
  

  USSR: Wanted a WEAKENED GERMANY

  - Create a united Germany that was neutral or under Soviet influence

  - Reparations.

  - Fear of a resurgent Germany.
• Political parties initially permitted in the Soviet Zone

  - Communist Party (KPD)

  - Social Democrat Party (SPD)

  - Liberal Party (LDPD)

  - Christian Democrats (CDU)
• Soviet intentions for the politics of their zone

  - KPD would emerge as the dominant group

  - It would form the center of a nation-wide communist movement
• What happened that meant Stalin could not control German politics in a future united Germany? (Action taken by the Military Administration)

  - Soviets intended for communists to be dominant group

  - Did not achieve Soviet expectations so SPD and KPD forcibly merged into German Socialist Unity Party (SED)

  - Significant opposition to this by SPD members
• Unilateral policies introduced by Stalin into the Soviet Zone

  - Land reform

  - Nationalisation of major industry

  - Compulsory Russian tuition for German schoolchildren
• Method for eventual total Soviet control of its zone

  Communists gradually took control of all other left-wing groups to establish a one-party state
• How was the Soviet zone perceived by Germans in the Western zones?

  A place of tyranny and repression
• Around how many people were in the British zone?

  22.5 million people
• What major region parts did British zone cover?

  - Included the major port city of Hamburg

  - Included the Ruhr industrial area
• Why did owning major region parts of Germany cause problems for Britain?

  - large population = costly to feed, increasing dependency on USA

  - Ruhr central to German economic recovery, therefore political implications

  - Soviet influence over Ruhr would provide access to further reparations for Soviets, weakening German economy
• Impact of the USSR gaining access to the Ruhr

  - It would provide access to further reparations

  - This would weaken Germany's economic recovery

  - This could lead to Germans turning to communism
• What was the primary British fear by Spring 1946?

  Germany would be taken over by the Soviets
• What did GB military governor 23 August 1946 do with fear that Germany would be taken over by the Soviets in mind?


  - Creation of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

  - GB had committed itself to merger of USA and GB zones
• When was creation of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia?

  23 August 1946
• Initially, US administration was committed to making joint occupation work. Who was this the intent of?

  First Commander of Office of Military Government, Dwight D Eisenhower and his deputy, General Lucius Clay
• Why, by Spring 1947, was Clay less compliant to making joint occupation work?


  - Soviet desire to create a centralised Germany

  - Continued social and economic deprivation of German population in GB and US zones

  - Soviet demand that the Ruhr should be placed under joint allied control
• Policy of the American Administration towards its zone by 1947


  - Free elections were be held

  - Länder (states) would be used as the basis of a future structure based on federalism
• French policy on Germany until 1947


  - Germany should be completely dismembered

  - The Ruhr should be internationalised, with a strong French influence on its administration

  - Germany should become a number of autonomous states, preventing the ACC from adequately functioning
• French policy on Germany after 1947

  - What was France's main aim?

  After heavy influence from Britain and America, it accepted the creation of 2 states within the west of Germany

  - Ensuring France's long-term security against a resurgent German state
• German situation by 1946

  - British Zone was absorbing huge numbers of refugees expelled by Poland and Czechoslovakia

  - Soviets were stripping Germany of its economic resources in order to restore its own recovery

  - Stalin wanted more reparations than the other Allies could accept
• Announcement made by Clay in May 1946

  - How did the USSR view this?

  No further reparations to the USSR would be allowed until there was an overall plan agreed for Germany's economic recovery

  
  

  - USSR saw this as a US strategy designed to create a German economy based on the Western capitalist system
• When + what was Bizonia

  - January 1947, the British and American merged their zones into a single zone called Bizonia.

  - It was clear that 'Four Power' control over Germany had failed.
• Motives for Bizonia

  Reinforced indication the US was interested in creating clearly defined WG state that was to become a leading force in unified Western European bloc
• Opposition to Bizonia

  - 1947

  - The USSR opposed the creation of Bizonia

  - 2 failed conferences with the Council of Ministers (Moscow March 1947 and London Nov 1947)
• When + what was the Moscow conference?

  - March - April 1947

  - Attendees: America, Soviet Union, Britain, France, China

  
  

  - Soviet demands to create a new central administration in Germany were firmly rejected

  - No concrete agreements were reached
• When + what was the London Conference?

  - November - December 1947

  - USSR accused the west of depriving it of reparations it was due

  - West feared a centralised administration would lead to a soviet-controlled Germany

  - Clear 4 power control would not work

  - Western nations knew they needed to economically strengthen their zones
• When + what was the London Conference of Western powers?


  - February - June 1948

  - Attendees: America, Britain, France, Benelux states (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg)

  
  

  - A new currency (Deutschmark) should be introduced into the western zones

  - Introduced 23 June 1948 to Germany + Berlin, did not have support of USSR
• Aims of introducing the Deutschmark into the western zones

  - Move the zones towards greater economic stability

  - Represent the start of the formation of a distinct West German state (France was pressured into this)
• Trizonia formed

  March 1948
• What did the Western areas of Germany receive from US?

  - Marshall Aid from 1948 but this aid was denied to the Soviet controlled zones by Stalin.
• London Conference 1948 agreement

  - June 7th 1948

  - the Western Allies at the London Conference agreed that the Trizone (merged 3 western sectors of Germany) should have its own Constituent Assembly or Parliament.

  - The USSR wasn't consulted.
• Soviet response to the introduction of the Deutschmark into Bizonia and the French Zone

  All road and rail links between the western zones and western Berlin were blocked.

  Berlin Blockade
• When did the Berlin Blockade begin?

  24th June 1948

  - the day after the Deutsche Mark was introduced
• Argument of Ernest Bevin (British Foreign Secretary) on the Berlin Blockade


  - Stalin was trying to spread communism throughout Germany

  - Blockading western Berlin was the first step
• Bevin and Clay's (Governor of US zone) response to the Berlin Blockade

  - 26 June 1948

  - They refused to withdraw from Berlin.

  - Began the Berlin airlift to provide essential goods

  - Refused to use military force
• How did the US raise the stakes when the blockade started?

  By stationing B29 bombers in the UK - atomic bomb capability
• Codenames for the counter-airlift

  - Operation Vittles (USA)

  - Operation Planefare (UK)
• How many days food did Berlin have left?

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