What’s the Matter with Germany?
A Review of the German Question from 1945-1961
Germany has been at the center of conflict throughout the 20th century. This is a brief review of the major issues concerning Germany in the
early years of the Cold War.
“Underlying all the questions that separated the Great Powers in the first 16 years of the Cold War was
Germany.”- Colin Brown and Peter Mooney
Yalta Conference, 1945 The Big Question – what to do with a
defeated Germany? De-militarization and Occupation
Zones Reparations A temporary situation administered
by the Allied Control Commission (ACC)
Potsdam, 1945 “Bad tempered” conference Zones of control would be independently
administered Strong Germany vs. Weak Germany issue
Marshall Plan Aid, 1948 US viewpoint – to revive European
economies; not aimed against any country or doctrine
USSR viewpoint – “dollar imperialism” meant to tie countries to US economy and influence
Result: US aid flowed to the US/British/French zones but was kept out of the Soviet
Soviets implement their own plan = COMECON for Eastern Europe/Germany
The Berlin Blockade, 1948-1949
Stalin blocks all land routes to west Berlin to starve the city into (communist) unification and block western influence (especially economic)
US launches an airlift to provide necessities
The USSR lifted the blockade in May, 1949
Impact: West Germany and East Germany officially formed from occupation zones
NATO alliance founded
NATO and the Warsaw Pact, 1949 & 1955
US + Canada + north/west European countries
Joint military assistance/defense pack
First US peacetime commitment West Germany, created in 1949,
joins in 1954 East Germany, created in 1949, joins
the Warsaw Pact (founded in 1955 in response to NATO)
East German Uprising, 1953
Walter Ulbricht pushed unpopular and unsuccessful policies of forced collectivization and high production quota targets
Mass exodus of East Germans through West Berlin
Workers throughout the East Berlin and Germany rose up in revolt
Brutally repressed by East German and Soviet security forces; very embarrasing
Walter Ulbricht, leader of East Germany (GDR), 1950-
1971
Khrushchev Ultimatum The Problem: many East German citizens were fleeing to
the more prosperous and free West Germany through Berlin’s open border
1945-1961 = 1/6 of the population “moves” Khrushchev wanted a regional solution in the context of
the superpower rivalry Ulbricht wanted an immediate solution (and more power) The Ultimatum: Berlin demilitarized, Western forces
withdrawn, Berlin is a “free city”. OR the USSR would turn over control to the East German government (and the West would be forced to recognize it’s legitimacy).
Increasingly tense conferences are held between the US and USSR over this issue in 1958, 1959, and 1960