Allied Occupation of Germany
The Allied Occupation of Germany (1945-1949) followed Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender in May 1945 and established the framework for post-war Germany. The concept of "Stunde Null" (Zero Hour) emerged, signifying a complete break with the Nazi past and the beginning of a new era. At the Potsdam Conference (July-August 1945), the Allied powers established occupation policies based on the Four Ds: Demilitarization, Denazification, Decentralization, and Democratization. Germany and Berlin were divided into four occupation zones controlled by the United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France. The Allied Control Council was established as the supreme governing body, requiring unanimous decisions among the four powers. Denazification efforts included the Nuremberg Trials of major war criminals and the classification of Germans according to their involvement with the Nazi regime. Economic conditions were dire, with destroyed infrastructure, housing shortages, and food scarcity leading to widespread black markets. Growing Cold War tensions led to the breakdown of four-power cooperation, exemplified by the Berlin Blockade and Airlift (1948-1949), during which the Soviet Union blocked land access to Berlin, prompting the Western Allies to supply the city by air for nearly a year. The occupation period ended with the formal establishment of two separate German states in 1949: the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), a division that would last for four decades until reunification in 1990.
Timeline and Overview
The Allied Occupation of Germany (1945-1949) followed Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender in May 1945 and established the framework for post-war Germany. The concept of "Stunde Null" (Zero Hour) emerged, signifying a complete break with the Nazi past and the beginning of a new era. At the Potsdam Conference (July-August 1945), the Allied powers established occupation policies based on the Four Ds: Demilitarization, Denazification, Decentralization, and Democratization. Germany and Berlin were divided into four occupation zones controlled by the United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France. The Allied Control Council was established as the supreme governing body, requiring unanimous decisions among the four powers. Denazification efforts included the Nuremberg Trials of major war criminals and the classification of Germans according to their involvement with the Nazi regime. Economic conditions were dire, with destroyed infrastructure, housing shortages, and food scarcity leading to widespread black markets. Growing Cold War tensions led to the breakdown of four-power cooperation, exemplified by the Berlin Blockade and Airlift (1948-1949), during which the Soviet Union blocked land access to Berlin, prompting the Western Allies to supply the city by air for nearly a year. The occupation period ended with the formal establishment of two separate German states in 1949: the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), a division that would last for four decades until reunification in 1990.