division of Germany

• allies entered Germany Sep 1944 and faced with: 20% of houses destroyed and 30% badly damaged. Large cities destroyed, huge number of refugees, food shortages, average calorie consumption dropped to 1000 a day
• infrastructure broken in war, massive debts, inflation rising, growth in wartime black market however Germany had an industrial base to potential for productivity
• Germany signed unconditional surrender 8th May 1945 so government dissolved by allies who took control of Germany
• USSR, France, Britain and USA uniting due to long-standing opposition to Hitler; long standing differences between two groups based on Russia revolution '
• In 1944 the Soviet union created buffer states to ensure they could not be invaded again by Germany however the west saw this as attempt to spread communism.
• Feb 1945, allied powers agreed once Hitler defeated Germany and Berlin would be divided into 4 sections. however once the allies met at Potsdam in July, the Soviet red army had strong hold in Europe so stronger position.
• the allies were still fighting Japan during the Potsdam agreement and Harry Truman (USA president) expected it to be a long war
• At the Potsdam conference 17th July-2nd August 1945 it was agreed Germany would be divided jointly. The zones was based on the governments policies; conflict likely due to contrast of west and Soviet union.
• The Potsdam conference discussed 4 main issues: disarmament, de-Nazification, territorial adjustments and reparations
• 22 leading Nazi's put on trial in 1946 however only 12 sentenced to death, 7 given prison sentences with 3 aquitted
• The UUSR's zone was 40% of Germany
• more German civilians died during 1945-7 than during the previous 6 years of WW2
• Winston Churchill's speech on 5th March 1946 called the iron curtain and claimed the USSR was trying to spread communism
• The communist zone was led by Walter Ulbricht and the SED was created; merge between SPD and KPD
• The Bizonia created in Jan 1947. The Soviet zone failed to fulfil their part of the Potsdam agreement, sending agricultural goods, therefore General Clay stopped deliveries of industrial goods from the US zone to Soviet zone.
• On the 1st Jan 1947 Britain and America agree to merge zones and created Bizonia; the Soviets say this as turning against communism and a threat. The French joined in 1948 to form Trizonia
• The Truman doctrine was a promise that the US would do whatever necessary to stop the spread of communism around the world.
• The Marshall plan aimed to achieve economic recovery for all European countries. It created the integration of the three zones into the ERP run by the organisation for European economic co-operation. This widened the gap between east and west
• by 1951 Germany had been given £1.5 billion out of the £12.7 billion in the Marshall plan. hoping to create economic recovery
• The Soviets said during the marshal plan, America is buying votes while America says with a successful economy in Europe, communism would not exist.
• The currency reform June 1948, by work of Ludwig Erhard, triggered the Berlin blockade. The allies introduced a new currency: military mark, in 1945. However this became devalued because the Soviet zone had printed so much. danger of inflation and growing black market.
• The currency reform saw introduction of the Deutsche mark which brought a stable economy; the Soviets refused to introduce this and they said this was a way to undermine them.
• In the currency reform it saw great success: black market collapsed as bank notes exchanged, business increased, hard work encouraged, resurrected trade. by the end of 1948 industrial production increased to inflator pressure.
• The Berlin blockade June 1948-May 1949 confirmed division. The Soviets blocked all transport by road, railway and canal to starve West Berlin. The Soviet's say this was the result of 'technical difficulties' but the west would not back down.
• For the west it was useful to have Berlin as outpost and home of spying. The Soviet wanted to take over Berlin to have a communist takeover
• The Berlin aircraft lasted 320 days, it carried 279,000 flights and one every minute in it's peak; unless the Soviets wanted to shoot them down there was nothing else they could do as this would start war.
• The West provided 2.3 million tons of food and supplies and 1.5 million tons of coal during the Berlin aircraft. 76 aircrew lost their lives and 24 plane crashes.
• Stalin hoped the west would back down and hopes the western allies would give up plans for new currency during the blockade.
• The Trizonia April 1949 combined all three western zones. The French initially pursued extracting reparations in terms of industrial machinery from their zone however threats from the Soviets caused them to give this up.
• The Deutsche mark was introduced for all three of the zones 14th April 1948. clear sign to the communists.
• during the Potsdam agreement and Allied control council was set up which said decisions had to be unanimous, however this was hard and when decisions were not unanimous there were no consequences> therefore each zone were independent
• NATO formed April 1949 as a result of the Berlin blockade