Post-War Division of Germany
The immediate post-war period saw the Allied powers attempting to cooperate in governing occupied Germany, but tensions quickly emerged between the Soviet Union and Western Allies.
In 1945, Stalin announced plans for the German Communist Party KPD to gain support from workers, while using the Red Army to control the Soviet occupation zone. At the Potsdam Conference, the Allies agreed on demilitarization, denazification and punishing war criminals. An Allied Control Council was established, but in practice each power controlled its own zone.
Highlight: The Potsdam Agreement laid out initial plans for governing post-war Germany, but implementation proved difficult as Cold War tensions increased.
By 1946, the Soviets had forcibly merged the Communist and Social Democratic parties in their zone to form the Socialist Unity Party SED. This move was rejected in the Western zones.
Example: At least 20,000 Social Democrats were interrogated and imprisoned during the forced merger with the Communist Party in East Germany.
In January 1947, the United States and Britain merged their zones economically to form Bizonia. This was partly in response to disagreements with the Soviet Union over reparations and economic policy. The creation of Bizonia was a significant step towards the eventual division of Germany.
Definition: Bizonia refers to the merger of the British and American occupation zones in Germany in 1947, creating a larger economic unit that excluded the Soviet zone.
The Moscow Conference in spring 1947 failed to resolve differences between the Soviet Union and Western powers regarding Germany's future. This failure further entrenched the developing East-West divide in Germany.
