To what extent did decisions about post-war Germany contribute to the breakdown of East-West relations between 1945 and 1949?
- Introduction: Show awareness that there is more than one model for explaining how disagreements over Germany led to the deterioration of East-West relations.
- Key Arguments: Stalin’s objectives for Post War Germany were: A). A weakened Germany, B). Germany’s eastern borders to be redrawn, C). Eastern German territories ceded to Poland and Russia.
Economic: Reparations of 20 billion USD mentioned at Potsdam July 1945.
Festung policy meant that soldiers were not allowed to surrender to the Red Army, in addition to fear of the repercussions that surrendering German soldiers would have faced, vicious fighting ensued and thus devastated Eastern Germany.
Russian soldiers would steal as many of them from urals in Eastern Russia had not seen a watch before arriving in Europe. Formal reparation payments took the form of Russia dismantling factories and taking them back to Russia as there was no capital for Russia to seize the 20 billion USD mentioned at the Potsdam Conference July 1945 and discussed at Yalta Conference in February 1945.
Governance of Germany:
Stalin’s initial objective war military government in the in the Eastern Sector.
Occupational zones agreed at Yalta Conference in February and signed off at Potsdam; Russian zone (Eastern Germany), American Zone (South East), British Zone (Northern Germany) and French Zone (South West)
Berlin is also partitioned as well even though the Red Army captures it.
British, French, American and Russian zones in Berlin are created.
For quite a long time Eastern Germans could leave and move to Western Germany, it is not until the 1950’s that this changes and Eastern Germany becomes a proper state.
Stalin wanted the sections to remain distinct, which made economic recovery very difficult with 3 different military government’s ruling Western Germany.
Marshall Plan, 1948, funding consolidated the Western German government. This drove organizational unification of the Western sectors of Germany into Bizonia, a collective Allied sectors.
In 1947 Molotov, Stalin’s foreign minister rejects the Marshall Plan and labels it “Dollar imperialism” because he argues it creates a Western Germany that hostile towards Eastern Germany and undermines Russia through promoting the American currency.
War Crimes trials take place in Western Germany at Nuremberg, e.g. Goring and Himmler. Stalin questions these trials as many key people within the Nazi Party, such as Reinhard Gehlen, head of the German military intelligence are brought onto the CIA pay roll.
Stalin believes that the Allies are soft on former Nazis.
The new leaders of Britain and America, Clement Atlee and Harry Truman take a very suspicious view of Stalin whereas their predecessors, Franklin D Roosevelt and Winston Churchill both felt that they had rapport with Stalin.
In June 1948 Stalin began the Berlin Blockade which blocked the autobahn connecting the Allied sectors of Berlin with Western Germany.
British and American governments find a way around the blockade through the Berlin airlift, Stalin gives way in May 1949 which results in further merging of Bizonia, which leads to the formation of the Federal German Republic with its capital in Bonn, Konrad Adenauer is elected its leader.
Stalin views Allied actions as a rebuilding attempt to threaten the Soviet Union.
Indeed the Bunderswer is run by men who fought on the Western front during the Second World War which leads to further distrust of the West by Stalin.
1949 Federal German Republic is created.
In response to the USA enabling the creation of the DDR (Democratic Deutsche Republic), the same year 1949, Russia carefully selects German communists who had spent World War Two in Moscow.
Walter Ulbricht became the Chairman of the KDP (Communist Party in East Germany) and was in power from 1950 until 1971.
Red Army Chief in East Germany was Marshall Ivan Koven, stationed in Karlshorst, who effectively ran East Germany on orders from the Kremlin.
Marshall Zhukov, was also a key figure however he was reassigned to a minor administrative roll because he was accused by his fellow officers of being an opportunist.
Topic 5: The Cold War
To what extent did decisions about post-war Germany contribute to the breakdown of East-West relations between 1945 and 1949?
- Introduction: Show awareness that there is more than one model for explaining how disagreements over Germany led to the deterioration of East-West relations.
- Key Arguments: Stalin’s objectives for Post War Germany were: A). A weakened Germany, B). Germany’s eastern borders to be redrawn, C). Eastern German territories ceded to Poland and Russia.
Economic: Reparations of 20 billion USD mentioned at Potsdam July 1945.
Festung policy meant that soldiers were not allowed to surrender to the Red Army, in addition to fear of the repercussions that surrendering German soldiers would have faced, vicious fighting ensued and thus devastated Eastern Germany.
Russian soldiers would steal as many of them from urals in Eastern Russia had not seen a watch before arriving in Europe. Formal reparation payments took the form of Russia dismantling factories and taking them back to Russia as there was no capital for Russia to seize the 20 billion USD mentioned at the Potsdam Conference July 1945 and discussed at Yalta Conference in February 1945.
Governance of Germany:
Stalin’s initial objective war military government in the in the Eastern Sector.
Occupational zones agreed at Yalta Conference in February and signed off at Potsdam; Russian zone (Eastern Germany), American Zone (South East), British Zone (Northern Germany) and French Zone (South West)
Berlin is also partitioned as well even though the Red Army captures it.
British, French, American and Russian zones in Berlin are created.
For quite a long time Eastern Germans could leave and move to Western Germany, it is not until the 1950’s that this changes and Eastern Germany becomes a proper state.
Stalin wanted the sections to remain distinct, which made economic recovery very difficult with 3 different military government’s ruling Western Germany.
Marshall Plan, 1948, funding consolidated the Western German government. This drove organizational unification of the Western sectors of Germany into Bizonia, a collective Allied sectors.
In 1947 Molotov, Stalin’s foreign minister rejects the Marshall Plan and labels it “Dollar imperialism” because he argues it creates a Western Germany that hostile towards Eastern Germany and undermines Russia through promoting the American currency.
War Crimes trials take place in Western Germany at Nuremberg, e.g. Goring and Himmler. Stalin questions these trials as many key people within the Nazi Party, such as Reinhard Gehlen, head of the German military intelligence are brought onto the CIA pay roll.
Stalin believes that the Allies are soft on former Nazis.
The new leaders of Britain and America, Clement Atlee and Harry Truman take a very suspicious view of Stalin whereas their predecessors, Franklin D Roosevelt and Winston Churchill both felt that they had rapport with Stalin.
In June 1948 Stalin began the Berlin Blockade which blocked the autobahn connecting the Allied sectors of Berlin with Western Germany.
British and American governments find a way around the blockade through the Berlin airlift, Stalin gives way in May 1949 which results in further merging of Bizonia, which leads to the formation of the Federal German Republic with its capital in Bonn, Konrad Adenauer is elected its leader.
Stalin views Allied actions as a rebuilding attempt to threaten the Soviet Union.
Indeed the Bunderswer is run by men who fought on the Western front during the Second World War which leads to further distrust of the West by Stalin.
1949 Federal German Republic is created.
In response to the USA enabling the creation of the DDR (Democratic Deutsche Republic), the same year 1949, Russia carefully selects German communists who had spent World War Two in Moscow.
Walter Ulbricht became the Chairman of the KDP (Communist Party in East Germany) and was in power from 1950 until 1971.
Red Army Chief in East Germany was Marshall Ivan Koven, stationed in Karlshorst, who effectively ran East Germany on orders from the Kremlin.
Marshall Zhukov, was also a key figure however he was reassigned to a minor administrative roll because he was accused by his fellow officers of being an opportunist.
Topic 5: The Cold War
To what extent did decisions about post-war Germany contribute to the breakdown of East-West relations between 1945 and 1949?
- Introduction: Show awareness that there is more than one model for explaining how disagreements over Germany led to the deterioration of East-West relations.
- Key Arguments: Stalin’s objectives for Post War Germany were: A). A weakened Germany, B). Germany’s eastern borders to be redrawn, C). Eastern German territories ceded to Poland and Russia.
Economic: Reparations of 20 billion USD mentioned at Potsdam July 1945.
Festung policy meant that soldiers were not allowed to surrender to the Red Army, in addition to fear of the repercussions that surrendering German soldiers would have faced, vicious fighting ensued and thus devastated Eastern Germany.
Russian soldiers would steal as many of them from urals in Eastern Russia had not seen a watch before arriving in Europe. Formal reparation payments took the form of Russia dismantling factories and taking them back to Russia as there was no capital for Russia to seize the 20 billion USD mentioned at the Potsdam Conference July 1945 and discussed at Yalta Conference in February 1945.
Governance of Germany:
Stalin’s initial objective war military government in the in the Eastern Sector.
Occupational zones agreed at Yalta Conference in February and signed off at Potsdam; Russian zone (Eastern Germany), American Zone (South East), British Zone (Northern Germany) and French Zone (South West)
Berlin is also partitioned as well even though the Red Army captures it.
British, French, American and Russian zones in Berlin are created.
For quite a long time Eastern Germans could leave and move to Western Germany, it is not until the 1950’s that this changes and Eastern Germany becomes a proper state.
Stalin wanted the sections to remain distinct, which made economic recovery very difficult with 3 different military government’s ruling Western Germany.
Marshall Plan, 1948, funding consolidated the Western German government. This drove organizational unification of the Western sectors of Germany into Bizonia, a collective Allied sectors.
In 1947 Molotov, Stalin’s foreign minister rejects the Marshall Plan and labels it “Dollar imperialism” because he argues it creates a Western Germany that hostile towards Eastern Germany and undermines Russia through promoting the American currency.
War Crimes trials take place in Western Germany at Nuremberg, e.g. Goring and Himmler. Stalin questions these trials as many key people within the Nazi Party, such as Reinhard Gehlen, head of the German military intelligence are brought onto the CIA pay roll.
Stalin believes that the Allies are soft on former Nazis.
The new leaders of Britain and America, Clement Atlee and Harry Truman take a very suspicious view of Stalin whereas their predecessors, Franklin D Roosevelt and Winston Churchill both felt that they had rapport with Stalin.
In June 1948 Stalin began the Berlin Blockade which blocked the autobahn connecting the Allied sectors of Berlin with Western Germany.
British and American governments find a way around the blockade through the Berlin airlift, Stalin gives way in May 1949 which results in further merging of Bizonia, which leads to the formation of the Federal German Republic with its capital in Bonn, Konrad Adenauer is elected its leader.
Stalin views Allied actions as a rebuilding attempt to threaten the Soviet Union.
Indeed the Bunderswer is run by men who fought on the Western front during the Second World War which leads to further distrust of the West by Stalin.
1949 Federal German Republic is created.
In response to the USA enabling the creation of the DDR (Democratic Deutsche Republic), the same year 1949, Russia carefully selects German communists who had spent World War Two in Moscow.
Walter Ulbricht became the Chairman of the KDP (Communist Party in East Germany) and was in power from 1950 until 1971.
Red Army Chief in East Germany was Marshall Ivan Koven, stationed in Karlshorst, who effectively ran East Germany on orders from the Kremlin.
Marshall Zhukov, was also a key figure however he was reassigned to a minor administrative roll because he was accused by his fellow officers of being an opportunist.
Topic 5: The Cold War
To what extent did decisions about post-war Germany contribute to the breakdown of East-West relations between 1945 and 1949?
- Introduction: Show awareness that there is more than one model for explaining how disagreements over Germany led to the deterioration of East-West relations.
- Key Arguments: Stalin’s objectives for Post War Germany were: A). A weakened Germany, B). Germany’s eastern borders to be redrawn, C). Eastern German territories ceded to Poland and Russia.
Economic: Reparations of 20 billion USD mentioned at Potsdam July 1945.
Festung policy meant that soldiers were not allowed to surrender to the Red Army, in addition to fear of the repercussions that surrendering German soldiers would have faced, vicious fighting ensued and thus devastated Eastern Germany.
Russian soldiers would steal as many of them from urals in Eastern Russia had not seen a watch before arriving in Europe. Formal reparation payments took the form of Russia dismantling factories and taking them back to Russia as there was no capital for Russia to seize the 20 billion USD mentioned at the Potsdam Conference July 1945 and discussed at Yalta Conference in February 1945.
Governance of Germany:
Stalin’s initial objective war military government in the in the Eastern Sector.
Occupational zones agreed at Yalta Conference in February and signed off at Potsdam; Russian zone (Eastern Germany), American Zone (South East), British Zone (Northern Germany) and French Zone (South West)
Berlin is also partitioned as well even though the Red Army captures it.
British, French, American and Russian zones in Berlin are created.
For quite a long time Eastern Germans could leave and move to Western Germany, it is not until the 1950’s that this changes and Eastern Germany becomes a proper state.
Stalin wanted the sections to remain distinct, which made economic recovery very difficult with 3 different military government’s ruling Western Germany.
Marshall Plan, 1948, funding consolidated the Western German government. This drove organizational unification of the Western sectors of Germany into Bizonia, a collective Allied sectors.
In 1947 Molotov, Stalin’s foreign minister rejects the Marshall Plan and labels it “Dollar imperialism” because he argues it creates a Western Germany that hostile towards Eastern Germany and undermines Russia through promoting the American currency.
War Crimes trials take place in Western Germany at Nuremberg, e.g. Goring and Himmler. Stalin questions these trials as many key people within the Nazi Party, such as Reinhard Gehlen, head of the German military intelligence are brought onto the CIA pay roll.
Stalin believes that the Allies are soft on former Nazis.
The new leaders of Britain and America, Clement Atlee and Harry Truman take a very suspicious view of Stalin whereas their predecessors, Franklin D Roosevelt and Winston Churchill both felt that they had rapport with Stalin.
In June 1948 Stalin began the Berlin Blockade which blocked the autobahn connecting the Allied sectors of Berlin with Western Germany.
British and American governments find a way around the blockade through the Berlin airlift, Stalin gives way in May 1949 which results in further merging of Bizonia, which leads to the formation of the Federal German Republic with its capital in Bonn, Konrad Adenauer is elected its leader.
Stalin views Allied actions as a rebuilding attempt to threaten the Soviet Union.
Indeed the Bunderswer is run by men who fought on the Western front during the Second World War which leads to further distrust of the West by Stalin.
1949 Federal German Republic is created.
In response to the USA enabling the creation of the DDR (Democratic Deutsche Republic), the same year 1949, Russia carefully selects German communists who had spent World War Two in Moscow.
Walter Ulbricht became the Chairman of the KDP (Communist Party in East Germany) and was in power from 1950 until 1971.
Red Army Chief in East Germany was Marshall Ivan Koven, stationed in Karlshorst, who effectively ran East Germany on orders from the Kremlin.
Marshall Zhukov, was also a key figure however he was reassigned to a minor administrative roll because he was accused by his fellow officers of being an opportunist.
