Division of Germany

Potsdam Conference

In a few months following the German capitulation in May, the Big Three (Stalin, Truman and Churchill) met on the outskirts of Berlin, in the small city of Potsdam.

On 17 July 1945, the three leaders met to discuss the future of Germany. The conference concluded on 2 August 1945 and it seemed like the Big Three had come to an understanding. Germany would go through a series of Four Ds:

1. Demilitarisation
2. Decentralisation
3. Denazification
4. +Democratisation.

Fig. 1: The Big Three during the Potsdam Conference

To complete the Four Ds, the Allies believed it was imperative to, at least for the time being, continue their occupation of Germany. Only this time, instead of occupying the entire country Germany would be divided into four separate sectors each controlled by an Ally.

On 1 August, the penultimate day of the Potsdam Conference, Germany was divided into occupation zones between the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and France. Just like Germany, its capital, Berlin, too was divided into four occupation zones, each zone administered by an Ally. As the governing body, the Allied Control Council was made the head of Allied-occupied Germany. The governing body was made up of members from all occupying states.

Map of the Division of Germany

The map below shows the division of Germany after World War 2 into four occupation zones by the Allied powers: the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and France. You can see the four sections, with the Soviet zone in the east, the American zone in the south, the British zone in the northwest, and the French zone in the southwest. The city of Berlin, which is located within the Soviet zone, is also divided into four sections, with the Allied powers each controlling a sector.

The map also shows the inner German border, which separated East and West Germany. The inner German border was the border between the two German states from 1949 to 1990, East Germany and West Germany.

Fig. 2: Division of Germany into zones of occupation

Consequences of the Division Of Germany

The division of Germany between the Allies soon transformed into a point of contention, especially between the Soviet Union and the rest of the occupying powers. There was a common consensus among the Western Allies (U.S., U.K. and France), that despite the division, Germany would have to be united again.

The Western Allies never actually intended to occupy Germany for longer than they had to. The Soviet Union, however, had other plans. Stalin believed that the West sought to weaken the Soviet Union and in the worst-case scenario, even invade. To keep the West as far as possible, Stalin believed it to be more beneficial if the Soviet Union had a vast amount of territory between the Soviet Union and the nearest Western country.

This was already a reality for the Soviet Union as it and the West. were separated by Soviet satellite states, also called the Eastern Bloc. In his way, Stalin also wanted a Communist outpost in the heart of Europe and Germany was the perfect candidate.

Fig. 3: Map of the Eastern Bloc

Division of Germany into East and West

Eventually, the German debate reached its boiling point in 1948. Representatives of the United States, the United Kingdom and France met in London in March. As had been discussed, the countries agreed to unite their zones of occupied Germany and establish the Federal Republic of Germany or West Germany. From 23 May 1949, West Germany was a fully sovereign state in Europe.

Soviet response to the creation of West Germany was also planned. As soon as the Federal Republic of Germany was established, the Soviet Union left the Allied Control Council and established the German Democratic Republic or East Germany. Germany would remain divided until 3 October 1990.

Fig. 4: The two Germanys