May 23 - West Germany is Established

This Day in History: 23 May 2020

 

23 May 1949

 

71 years ago, today, the Federal Republic of Germany, also known as West Germany, was formally established as an independent and separate nation. After World War Two, Germany was divided into four occupation zones, with each zone controlled by Britain, France, the United States and the Soviet Union. Berlin was also divided in the same way. This division was supposed to be temporary, but due to the emergence of the Cold War, it became clear that Germany would instead be split into communist and non-communist sections. In December 1946, the United States and Britain combined their zones into Bizonia, with France later joining theirs in May 1949, creating Trizonia and isolating the Soviet Union.

 

On this day, the West German Parliamentary Council met and formally announced the establishment of West Germany, with Konrad Adenauer, the president of the council, declaring that "today a new Germany arises". This occasion, however, was not a festive one, as many of the German representatives at the meeting were subdued, as they previously held hope that Germany would be reunified. The Soviets quickly reacted to this, as in October 1949, the German Democratic Republic, also known as East Germany, was announced, marking the end of any talk of a reunified Germany. The two states acted as symbols of the ongoing Cold War for the next 41 years. In 1990, East and West Germany were finally reunited as the declining Soviet strength saw an end to the Cold War.

 

Want to find out more about East and West Germany during the Cold War? Click here for more information.