What was life like living in Germany immediately post WW2?

Question

This is a serious question, and I would be grateful if you are thinking of giving smart-alec comments if you would leave this one out. Thank you.

I mean particularly in Berlin. And was there is a difference depending on race or location?

I look forward to anyone with specialist knowledge on this subject answering this question.

Answer 1

Life was difficult in both sides of Berlin, but to be certain it was worse in East Berlin. Of course, the French did not go out of their way to be sunny and full of rainbows in their section, either.

Originally, the occupation zones were only supposed to be temporary, which is why neither the Soviets nor the Western Allies ever officially recognized the other side's puppet state. In the East, Russia was tearing up as much of the surviving economic infrastructure (factories, railroads, electicity machinery, etc) as a sort of reparation to send back to Russia. In the western section, Berlin was accessible only through three 'avenues' of roads and rail lines, so delivery of supplies was very tenuous. Also, as stated above, the city was particularly hard hit in the bombing campaign, so rebuilding was very slow (slower on the Eastern side, since the Russians felt they had to rebuild their own country first - you break it you bought it!).

As time went on, the United States went to great efforts to make life in the western sectors much better since at first the Soviets were at least providing emergency food relief in an effort to win hearts and minds towards a revolution. When the west started to get better and people in the east started trying to cross over, the Russians closed off access for several months in the winter of 1947 in what is now remembered as the Berilin Airlift.

I hope this will get you started.

Answer 2

Life was in complete turmoil. The cities were largely destroyed (see Dresden). The economic base was gone due to the destruction of all industry related to the war. Total war, pushed by Goebbels, made all industry war-related by 1944. Farmland was still intact throughout parts of Bavaria. Transportation was largely gone, however, and that made the movement of anything almost impossible. Severe rationing was in place for several years. Resonstruction began slowly and was only possible through the development of the Marshall Plan.

Answer 3

This is a very complex question, not easy to answer.
But here is one little known and very sad fact about the life in Berlin after the sowjet occupation:
About 10 000 German women killed themselves because they could not stand the constant rape by the Russian soldiers.

Answer 4

there have been easily some Jews left alive in Germany, in 1945. what number, i don't comprehend. This grew to become into attainable because of the fact in assessment to Poland, Germany did not have ghettos: for an prolonged time the Jews have been integrated into German society and would desire to not actual be picked out of the gang. those I heard of survived by ability of having fake papers or by ability of being sheltered by ability of buddies. One Jewish guy even served in the SS decrease than a pretend call - with what thoughts i could somewhat not think of. Jewish women folk married to German Gentiles had a useful hazard of survival too. i don't think of there have been lots of them, nevertheless. I think of that "hundreds" is an exaggeration, and that they easily weren't residing brazenly as Jews.

Answer 5

There was great depredation even starvation ,There money was worthless it cost a million german marks to purchase a loaf of bread , I remember seeing a film of a man wheeling a wheelbarrow full of money to purchase one ,it took many years before things became normal , You must remember every German was blamed for the terror and death that had been heaped on the world, there was very little sympathy for them especially as it had only been 20 years since they had done it all before

Answer 6

i imagine that in Berlin especially life was very basic . the Allies were squabbling over who has control over what , food was scarce,water would have been a problem , surviving would have been a serious problem,Can you imagine foreign troops in your home city looking for vengeance. The horror of war on your doorstep , unimaginable

Answer 7

IN the city's it was terrible but in a lot of the country side not so bad as they could feed themselves
overall we were better of in the UK than the Germans

Answer 8

I believe that it was a mass of rubble and everything was controlled by the Allies.

Answer 9

lets just say it was rubbish