What happened to Germany after World War II?

Answer 1

1. Germany surrendered unconditionally. In other words, the Allies could do as they pleased with the country.

2. The country was divided into four zones (American, British, French and Soviet) governed by the four powers of occupation. Berlin, which geographically lay in the Soviet Zone, was divided into four sectors.

3. Germany east of the Oder and Neisse rivers was transferred to Poland and Soviet Union. The German population of these areas and also of Czechoslovakia and some east European countries was expelled and forcibly moved to Germany. Many estimates put the number of expelled Germans at about 11.7 million. Obviously, many suffered grievously and some died in the process. (Estimates of the number of Germans that died as a result of the expulsions range from 1 million to 2 million).

4. Hyperinflation. Prices rose by about 85% in the twelve months from December 1944. (For many Germans this was the second hyperinflation in a generation).

5. Germany was *morally* bankrupt.

6. All people who wished to keep positions of responsibility (such as teachers) had to convince the Allies that they weren't Nazis. This process of 'denazification' was felt to be very degrading.

7. The infrastructure had been very badly damaged by British and Americas bombing, and by fighting on the ground. Twelve months after the end of the war in Europe it took 72 hours to travel by rail from Munich to Hamburg.

8. In many parts of the country essentials such as food were in short supply. Even if they were 'there' on paper, transport problems often prvented efficient distribtion.

9. For both the Allies and the Germans, one of the top priorities was to clear rubble from the streets of the cities. Often the rubble made it impossible for vehicles to use the carriageway. This work was largely done by women. In exchange, they and their children were fed, but they were paid the equivalent of only 10 cents an hour.

10. The repatriation of prisoners of war took quite a while. The Red Cross tried to make sure that next of kin knew whether their menfolk were still alive, but for years after the war many women didn't know whether their husbands were still alive. The Soviet Union didn't return all POWs till 1955 - and sometimes didn't give information either.

11. It was above all the Cold War and the long postwar boom that pulled Germany out this mess.

Answer 2

Germany was occupied by the allies who split the nation into 4 zones,also Berlin was split into 4 zones.In the 1949, i think? the french,British and American zones were unified and West Germany was created. The soviet zone became East Germany.
West Germany saw massive economic growth from 1950-1990 and by 1965 was richer than the Uk. East Germany became one of the wealthiest countries in the Warsaw pact, but obviously miles behind their Western counterpart. Unification in 1990 caused many problems for the new German state as the east was economically behind.

Answer 3

Germany was split up between the Soviet Union and the allies. There were many buildings that were destroyed (even some to present-day Germany). I think that it was the only option at the time so we could make sure the Nazis would not come together and take over Germany again. But that is my personal opinion.

Answer 4

The Marshall Plan named after U.S. secretary of state George C. Marshall devoted U.S. money to rebuilding the German economy after 1947 figuring that a friendly rebuilt Germany which might be a bulwark against communist Russia was better than an impoverished bitter Germany hating the West as they did after the Versailles settlement ended WWI.

Answer 5

They ran like rabbits. Cowering in front of the Allied Forces....They either killed themselves or ran off to South America and others are still Hiding in the United States and other countries around the world!

Germany was divided into East and West with the same fences between them with guards, dogs, separated from their families and Cozentina Wire Fences..they were unceremoniously Shot on the spot without a trial

Most religious ceremonies were banned or deemed illegal and their Bigotry and Religious Intolerance is their Shame.

Answer 6

It was divided into four zones of occupation: French (I know. I don't know why they rated one, either.) English, American, and Russian. The Russian zone became East Germany and remained under the control of the USSR until its dissolution in about 1990. (The Berlin wall came down in 1989.)

The other three zones eventually became united as a free German Republic and experienced great growth and prosperity, thanks to all the assistance they received from the Allies, mainly America.

Many of these free German citizens, while glad that the country was reunited, were disturbed to find how backward and poor the East Germans were and a lot of resources had to be diverted to bring their standard of living up to the rest of Germany.