Comparative characteristics of the GDR and the FRG. Formation of frg and gdr

Despite the fact that at the Potsdam Conference, the victorious countries agreed to consider Germany as a single power, already in the very joint occupation of the defeated country by the four victors, the prerequisites for the subsequent dismemberment of Germany were laid. The struggle between the two systems, which engulfed the whole world, was reflected in the most direct way on Germany, which was pulled by both the West and the USSR.

In the Eastern (Soviet) zone of occupation of Germany, the Socialist Unified Party of Germany (SED) became the mainstay of the new system. It arose by merging the Communist Party with the Social Democratic Party. In the British and American zones, the influence of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) increased. The founders of these parties hoped that the revival of Christian principles in German political life would help her to reconcile with the West. In the ranks of these parties were representatives of different strata of the population.

The deterioration of relations between the recent allies already at the end of 1947 led to the breakdown of negotiations on the payment of German reparations. Back in December 1946, the American and British occupation zones merged into the so-called Bizonia. In February 1948, a separate London conference of Western powers was held, which spoke in favor of the creation of Trizonia (which included the lands occupied by France). A course was taken to include West Germany in the Marshall Plan and to prepare for the creation of a West German state on the territory of three zones of occupation.

The question of Berlin was especially acute. The western sectors of Berlin were an enclave within the Soviet occupation zone. The USSR hoped to completely oust the Western powers from Berlin. In the spring of 1948, the Soviet side limited communications, transport links and trade between the eastern and western zones, and on June 24 completely blocked West Berlin, making it extremely difficult to supply its residents with food and basic necessities.

The official reason for the blockade was an attempt to extend the currency reform carried out in the western occupation zones to West Berlin. This action was caused by the fact that the USSR and Western countries could not agree on the creation of a single all-German bank under the Union Control Council and on granting it the right to issue money. Meanwhile, hard currency was needed to support the Marshall Plan. New stamps appeared in Trizonia. At the same time, state control over prices was abolished, which was also required by the mentioned plan.

In response, the Eastern Mark was put into circulation in the Soviet zone, which the USSR sought to extend to all of Berlin, thus including West Berlin in the economic system of East Germany. The head of the Soviet military administration in Germany (SVAG), Marshal Sokolovsky, said that the blockade would continue until the West abandons plans to create a West German government.

The commander of the American forces in Germany, General L. Clay, proposed to release West Berlin with ground forces, but President Truman considered it too risky. Then the air bridge was organized: American heavy transport planes uninterruptedly delivered goods to West Berlin, previously carried by trains. The Americans transferred 60 heavy bombers capable of carrying atomic weapons to England, and put their strategic aviation on alert. On May 12, 1949, the blockade of Berlin was lifted. The USSR was unable to get from the former allies to abandon the course of creating a new West German state, to include West Berlin in its sphere of influence (even purely financial). On May 23, representatives of the states (Parliamentary Council) of West Germany voted to approve a new constitution.

The Berlin crisis became, in fact, the starting point on the road to the final split of Germany into two states. On September 20, 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany was proclaimed, which included three western occupation zones. On October 5, the German People's Council, created with Soviet assistance in East Germany, announced its transformation into a parliament. On October 7, 1949, he proclaimed the creation of the German Democratic Republic and the implementation of its constitution. East Berlin became the capital of the GDR.

Germany was a federation of individual states with their own governments. The main body of power was a bicameral parliament. The lower house is the elected Bundestag, the upper house is the Bundesrat, formed from representatives appointed by the governments of the states. The head of state is the president and the powerful head of government - the chancellor. The first elections to the Bundestag, held in 1949, were won by the CDU-CSU bloc of parties led by K. Adenauer. Until a certain point, the powers that occupied West Germany reserved the right to control its disarmament, the level of industrial production, the development of the Ruhr region, foreign relations and trade, and other issues.

On October 11, 1949, the Provisional Parliament elected Wilhelm Pieck, a prominent figure in the German workers' movement, as President of the GDR. On October 12, the Provisional Government of the GDR was formed, headed by O. Grotewohl. The Soviet government transferred the administrative functions of the Soviet military administration to the GDR.

For a long time relations between the republics remained hostile. The FRG refused to recognize the GDR until 1970, and the German question remained one of the main sources of international tension.

Germany quickly overtook its eastern neighbor in terms of development. It was here that the main stocks of raw materials and skilled labor resources were concentrated. West Germany under the Marshall Plan received significant assistance from the West, an effective model of a market economy was created here. By the end of the 1950s, Germany became the second in the Western world in terms of industrial production, only at the end of the 1960s it was overtaken by Japan.

One of the consequences of the Berlin crisis was the creation in April 1949 of the North Atlantic bloc - NATO. NATO includes the USA, Canada, Great Britain, France, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Iceland. In 1952 Greece and Turkey joined NATO.

In early 1949, the USSR and the countries of Eastern Europe, in opposition to the Marshall plan, created the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA), and then began preparations for the creation of common military structures, which ended in 1955 with the formalization of the Warsaw Pact Organization (OVD). Europe was divided into warring military and economic blocs.

1969-1974 Gustav Heinemann 1974-1979 Walter Scheel 1979-1984 Karl Carstens 1984-1990 Richard von Weizsacker Federal Chancellor of Germany 1949-1963 Konrad Adenauer 1963-1966 Ludwig Erhard 1966-1969 Kurt Georg Kiesinger 1969-1974 Willie Brandt 1974-1982 Helmut Schmidt 1982-1990 Helmut Kohl

West Germany, officially Federal Republic of Germany (German Bundesrepublik Deutschland), FRG (BRD) was proclaimed on May 23, 1949 in the territories located in the American, British and French zones of occupation of Nazi Germany (Trizonia). It was assumed that subsequently the rest of the German territories would also become part of the Federal Republic of Germany, which was envisaged and ensured by special article 23 of the Constitution of the FRG.

History [ | ]

Germany in the early years after surrender[ | ]

After the occupation of Germany by the Allied forces (the "Four Powers" - the USA, Great Britain, France and the USSR), its territory was divided into four zones of occupation - Soviet, French, British, American and the city of Berlin with a special status (also divided into four zones). By 1949, the Western powers consolidated the administration of their zones of occupation into Trizonia. The eastern part of Germany was still under Soviet rule.

Proclamation of the Federal Republic of Germany[ | ]

Political status and claims to the entire German territory[ | ]

From the very beginning, the government of the FRG viewed itself as the only legitimate representative of the entire German people, and the FRG - as the only state-follower of the German Empire, and therefore had claims to all territories belonging to the German Empire as of December 31, 1937 (before the start of the military expansion of the Third Reich), including the territory of the German Democratic Republic, West Berlin and the "former eastern regions" that were ceded to Poland and the USSR. The preamble to the FRG constitution emphasized the desire of the German people for reunification in a single state. In the early years, the FRG government in every possible way avoided any direct contacts with the GDR government in order to avoid the possible interpretation of such contacts as recognition of the GDR as an independent state.

The German state, which did not cease to exist after the collapse, persists even after 1945, even if the structure created on the basis of the Basic Law is temporarily limited in its effect on part of the territory of this state. Thus, the Federal Republic of Germany is identical with the German Empire. Constitutional Court Judgment, 1957 - BVerfGE 6, 309 (336 ff., Zit. Abs. 160, Abs. 166)

Britain and the United States were also of the opinion that the Federal Republic of Germany was the legal successor of the German Empire, but France supported the idea that the German Empire completely disappeared as a state in 1945. US President Harry Truman opposed the signing of a peace treaty with Germany, since, in his opinion, this would mean recognition of the existence of two German states. At the New York conference of foreign ministers of the three powers in 1950, the status of the FRG was finally officially determined. The states recognized the claims of the FRG government to the right of the only legitimate representation of the German people, but refused to recognize the FRG government as the government of all Germany.

Due to the non-recognition of the GDR, the legislation of the Federal Republic of Germany recognized the further existence uniform German citizenshiporiginating from the citizenship of the German Empire, therefore they called their citizens simply german citizens and did not consider the territory of the GDR abroad. For this reason, the German citizenship law of 1913 continued to operate in the country, and a new German citizenship law was not adopted. It is curious to note that the same German citizenship law of 1913 continued in the GDR until 1967, and the GDR Constitution also recognized the existence of a single German citizenship. In practice, this situation meant that any "German citizen" from the GDR could officially obtain a passport to the FRG, once on its territory. To prevent this, the government of the GDR legally prohibited its residents from obtaining passports in Germany. Only in 1967 in the GDR instead of german citizenship its own gDR citizenship, which was given to all German citizens who lived in the territory of the GDR at the time of its creation and did not lose the right to citizenship of the GDR for a number of reasons. In the Federal Republic of Germany, the existence of the special citizenship of the GDR was officially recognized only in October 1987, when the Constitutional Court of the Federal Republic of Germany ruled that any person who received GDR citizenship by naturalization automatically receives German citizenship (in fact, citizenship of the Federal Republic of Germany).

Non-recognition of the existence of the GDR was also reflected in the designation of the borders of states in geographic atlases. So, in the maps published in 1951 in the FRG, as before, there is a unified Germany within the borders of 1937. At the same time, the border between the FRG and the GDR, as well as the Oder / Neisse line (the new border with Poland) and the border between Poland and the USSR in East Prussia are indicated by barely visible dashed lines; the territories ceded to Poland and the USSR, as before, are part of a unified Germany, although they were signed as "territories under Polish and Soviet rule", and the place names on them still bear the old German names. The existence of the GDR is also out of the question. In the 1971 edition, the indicated boundaries are already indicated with a sharper dashed line, but are still different from the line denoting national boundaries.

Domestic development[ | ]

Thanks to US assistance under the Marshall Plan, as well as the implementation of the country's economic development plans developed under the leadership of Ludwig Erhard, the 1950s saw rapid economic growth (a German economic miracle) that lasted until 1965. To meet the need for cheap labor, Germany supported the influx of guest workers, mainly from Turkey.

Since 1954, on June 17, the country has celebrated the "Day of German Unity" in honor of the performances on June 17, 1953 in East Berlin. With the abolition of the occupation regime on May 5, 1955, the Federal Republic of Germany officially became a sovereign state. At the same time, sovereignty extended only to the area of \u200b\u200boperation of the "Basic Law" and did not include Berlin and other former territories of the German Empire.

Until 1969, the country was ruled by the CDU party (usually in a bloc with the CSU and less often with the FDP). In the 1950s, a number of emergency laws were drafted, many organizations were banned, including the Communist Party, and occupational bans were imposed. The internal political course related to denazification, that is, eliminating the consequences of the Nazis in power, preventing the revival of Nazi ideology and organizations, was continued. In 1955, Germany entered NATO.

Foreign policy and relations with the GDR[ | ]

The German government not only did not recognize the existence of the GDR, but for a long time (from September 1955 to October 1969) adhered to the doctrine according to which all diplomatic relations with any states were severed (the only exception was the USSR due to its belonging to the Four Powers), which officially recognized GDR. In practice, the rupture of diplomatic relations for this reason occurred twice: in 1957 with Yugoslavia and in 1963 - with Cuba.

Flags of the Federal Republic of Germany and the GDR

After the construction of the Berlin Wall by the authorities of the GDR in 1961, discussions about the possible recognition of the GDR as an independent state began to appear more and more often in the FRG. With the entry of Willy Brandt into the office of Chancellor of the FRG in 1969, a new stage begins in relations between the FRG and the GDR and between the FRG and the socialist countries of Eastern Europe in general. The Moscow Treaty signed in 1970, according to which the Federal Republic of Germany renounced its claims to the former eastern regions of the German Empire, which after the war went to Poland and the USSR, marked the beginning of the era of "new eastern politics."

Most influential political parties:

• Communist Party of Germany ( Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, KPD, KKE) - the most left of the influential parties, did not vote for the Bonn Constitution, insisting on the convocation of a Parliamentary Council representing all lands, including the 5 eastern lands, in 1956 was banned, created in 1968 instead of the German Communist Party ( Deutsche Kommunistische Partei, DKP, NCP) did not enjoy serious influence
• Social Democratic Party of Germany ( Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, SPD, SPD) - to the right of the KKE, supported the Bonn Constitution, but to the left of the FDP, the left wing sympathized with the KKE
• Free Democratic Party ( Freie demokratische partei, FDP, FDP) - to the right of the SPD, but to the left of the CDU, supported the Bonn Constitution
• Christian Democratic Union ( Christlich Demokratische Union, CDU, CDU) - to the right of the FDP, supported the Bonn Constitution
• German Conservative Party - German Rightist Party ( Deutsche Konservative Partei - Deutsche Rechtspartei) - the most right-wing of the influential, did not support the Bonn Constitution, in 1950 it joined the German Imperial Party ( Deutsche Reichspartei, DRP) was banned in 1964, created in 1964 by the National Democratic Party of Germany ( Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands, NPD) did not enjoy much influence

Judicial system[ | ]

The highest court is the Federal Court ( Bundesgerichtshof), courts of appeal - Oberlandesgericht ( oberlandesgerich), courts of first instance - landgerichts ( landgericht), the primary link of the judicial system - amtsgerichty ( amtsgericht):

• Schleswig-Holstein Oberlandesgericht ( Schleswig-Holsteinisches Oberlandesgericht) (Schleswig-Holstein)
• Hanseatic Oberlandesgericht ( Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht) (Hamburg)
• Kamergericht ( Kammergericht) (West Berlin)
• Oberlandesgericht Celle ( Oberlandesgericht Celle) (Lower Saxony)
• Oberlandesgericht Braunschweig ( Oberlandesgericht Braunschweig) (Lower Saxony)
• Oberlandesgericht Oldenburg ( Oberlandesgericht Oldenburg) (Lower Saxony)
• Hanseatic Oberlandesgericht Bremen ( Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht Bremen) (Bremen)
• Oberlandesgericht Hamma ( Oberlandesgericht Hamm) (North Rhine-Westphalia)
• Oberlandesgericht Dusseldorf ( Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf) (North Rhine-Westphalia)
• Oberlandesgericht Cologne ( Oberlandesgericht Köln) (North Rhine-Westphalia)
• Oberlandesgericht Koblenz ( Oberlandesgericht Koblenz) (Rhineland-Palatinate)
• Palatinate Oberlandesgericht ( Pfälzisches Oberlandesgericht) (Rhineland-Palatinate)
• Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt an der Oder ( Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt am Main) (Hesse)
• Saarland Oberlandesgericht ( Saarländisches Oberlandesgericht) (Saarland)
• Oberlandesgericht Karlsruhe ( Oberlandesgericht Karlsruhe) (Baden-Württemberg)
• Oberlandesgericht Stuttgart ( Oberlandesgericht Stuttgart) (Baden-Württemberg)
• Oberlandesgericht Munich ( Oberlandesgericht München) (Bavaria)
• Oberlandesgericht Nuremberg ( Oberlandesgericht Nürnberg) (Bavaria)
• Oberlandesgericht Bamberg ( Oberlandesgericht Bamberg) (Bavaria)

The highest court of administrative justice - Bundesferwaltungsgericht ( Bundesverwaltungsgericht), courts of appeal of administrative justice - oberferwaltungsgerichty ( Oberverwaltungsgericht), courts of first instance of administrative justice - ferwaltungsgerichty ( Verwaltungsgericht):

• (Joint) Oberferwaltungsgericht of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein ( (Gemeinsames) Oberverwaltungsgericht für die Länder Niedersachsen und Schleswig-Holstein) (Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony)
• Oberferwaltungsgericht of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen ( Oberverwaltungsgericht der Freien Hansestadt Bremen) (Bremen)
• Oberferwaltungsgericht of North Rhine-Westphalia ( Oberverwaltungsgericht für das Land Nordrhein-Westfalen) (North Rhine-Westphalia)
• Oberferwaltungsgericht Rhineland-Palatinate ( Oberverwaltungsgericht Rheinland-Pfalz) (Rhineland-Palatinate)
• Oberferwaltungsgericht Saarland ( Oberverwaltungsgericht des Saarlandes) (Saarland)
• Hesse Administrative Court ( Hessischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof) (Hesse)
• Administrative Court of Baden-Württemberg ( Verwaltungsgerichtshof Baden-Württemberg) (Baden-Württemberg)
• Bavarian Administrative Court ( Bayerischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof)

Prosecutor's supervision bodies are the Bundes Prosecutor General at the Federal Court ( Generalbundesanwalt beim Bundesgerichtshof), the Prosecutor's Office of the Bavarian Supreme Land Court, Prosecutor General's Offices and Prosecutor's Offices:

• Schleswig-Holstein General Prosecutor's Office ( Schleswig-Holsteinische Generalstaatsanwaltschaft) (Schleswig-Holstein)
• General Prosecutor's Office Hamburg ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Hamburg) (Hamburg)
• Berlin General Prosecutor's Office ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Berlin) (West Berlin)
• Attorney General's Office Celle ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Celle) (Lower Saxony)
• Attorney General Oldenburg ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Oldenburg) (Lower Saxony)
• Attorney General's Office of Braunschweig ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Braunschweig) (Lower Saxony)
• Attorney General's Office Hamm ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Hamm)
• Düsseldorf General Prosecutor's Office ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Düsseldorf)
• General Prosecutor's Office Cologne ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Köln)
• General Prosecutor's Office of Koblenz ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Koblenz)
• General Prosecutor's Office Zweibrucken ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Zweibrücken)
• General Prosecutor's Office Saarbrücken ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Saarbrücken)
• Attorney General's Office Frankfurt am Main ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Frankfurt am Main)
• General Prosecutor's Office Karlsruhe ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Karlsruhe)
• General Prosecutor's Office of Stuttgart ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Stuttgart)
• General Prosecutor's Office Munich ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft München)
• Attorney General's Office of Nuremberg ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Nürnberg)
• Bamberg General Prosecutor's Office ( Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Bamberg)

In 1988-1989, the number of representatives of the legal profession in Germany was:

• Professional judges - 17627 people. (294 people per million population);
• State prosecutors - 4560 people. (75 people per 1 million population);
• Lawyers - 54,107 people. (902 people per million population).

• Large number of lawyers... In the GDR, there was 1 lawyer for 2 public prosecutors and for 2 judges, while in the FRG there were 3 lawyers for 1 judge;
• Many more professional judges... In the FRG there were 294 judges per million of the population, and in the GDR there were 90 judges.

At the same time, the number of public prosecutors in the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany in 1988-1989 was comparable - 75 people per 1 million of the population.

Strong structure[ | ]

Economy [ | ]

Monetary unit - mark ( Deutsche Mark) (32 kopecks of the USSR, 1 US dollar - 2 marks 75 cents) was presented

Regional state savings banks were subordinated to the Bundesbank:

• Bavarian Land Bank ( Bayerische Landesbank)
• State Bank of Stuttgart ( Landesbank Stuttgart)
• Hesse Land Bank ( Hessischen Landesbank)
• State Bank of Rhineland-Palatinate ( Landesbank Rheinland-Pfalz)
• Saarland Land Bank ( Landesbank Saar)
• Western Land Bank ( Westdeutsche Landesbank)
• Hamburg Land Bank ( Hamburgische Landesbank)
• Bremen Land Bank ( Bremer Landesbank)
• Lower Saxon Land Bank ( Niedersächsische Landesbank)
• State Bank Schleswig-Holstein ( Landesbank Schleswig-Holstein)
• Berlin Savings Bank ( Berliner Sparkasse)

Of the private banks, the 3 largest banks played the main role:

Railway operator - Bundesbahn ( Bundesbahn), air transportation - Lufthansa ( Deutsche Lufthansa), postal and telephone communications - Bundespochta ( Bundespost).

Mass media[ | ]

Supra-regional daily newspapers:

Supra-regional socio-political weeklies:

Party organs:

• Vorwarts, the organ of the SPD, published in Bad Godesberg;
• Sozialdemokrat Magazin - SPD monthly, published in Bonn;
• Freie Demokratische Korrespondenz, an FDP newsletter published in Bonn;
• "Unsere Zeit" - daily newspaper, Central Organ of the GKP, published in Essen
• "Union in Deutschland" - CDU weekly
• Deutsches Monatsblatt, a monthly magazine and organ of the CDU, was published in Bonn;
• "Bayern-Kurier", weekly newspaper, organ of the CSU, published in Munich
• Deutsche Wochen-Zeitung, weekly newspaper, published in Hanover

There were regional television and radio centers in Germany:

• North German Radio ( Norddeutscher Rundfunk) (Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony and Hamburg)
• South German Radio ( Süddeutscher Rundfunk) (part of Baden-Württemberg)
• West German Radio ( Westdeutscher Rundfunk) (North Rhine-Westphalia)
• Southwest Radio ( Südwestfunk) (part of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate)
• Radio Hessian ( Hessischer Rundfunk) (Hesse)
• Bavarian radio ( Bayerischer rundfunk) (Bavaria)
• Bremen radio ( Radio Bremen) (Bremen)
• Saar radio ( Saarländischer Rundfunk) (Saarland)

2 nationwide TV programs were broadcast:

Radio stations broadcast abroad:

• Deutsche Welle ( Deutsche Welle) in 3 languages;
• Deutschlandfunk ( Deutschlandfunk) in 14 languages, and another program was broadcast inside Germany.

Religion [ | ]

Most of the Lutherans and some of the Calvinists were represented by the Evangelical Church of Germany ( Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland), consisting of:

• Evangelical Unionist Church ( Evangelische kirche der union), which united both Lutheran and Calvinist communities, which in turn consisted of:
  • Bremen Evangelical Church ( Bremische Evangelische Kirche)
  • Lippe churches ( Lippische landeskirche)
  • Evangelical Church of Westphalia ( Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen)
  • Evangelical Church of the Rhineland ( Evangelische Kirche im Rheinland)
  • Evangelical Church of Kurgessen-Waldeck ( Evangelische Kirche von Kurhessen-Waldeck)
  • Evangelical Church of Hesse and Nassau ( Evangelische Kirche in Hessen und Nassau)
  • Evangelical Church of Baden ( Evangelische Landeskirche in Baden)
  • Evangelical Church of the Palatinate ( Evangelische Kirche der Pfalz)
  • Evangelical Reformed Church ( Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche)
• United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany ( Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands), which in turn consisted of:
  • Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schleswig-Holstein ( Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Schleswig-Holsteins)
  • Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hamburg ( Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche im Hamburgischen Staate)
  • Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lübeck ( Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Lübeck)
  • Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover ( Evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche Hannovers)
  • Oldenburg Evangelical Lutheran Church ( Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Oldenburg)
  • Evangelical Lutheran Church of Braunschweig ( Evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche in Braunschweig)
  • Evangelical Lutheran Church of Schaumburg-Lippe ( Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Schaumburg-Lippe)
  • Evangelical Church of Württemberg ( Evangelische Landeskirche in Württemberg)
  • Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bavaria ( Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern)

A minority of Lutherans were represented by the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church ( Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche), part of the Calvinists - the Union of Evangelical Reformed Churches in Germany ( Bund Evangelisch-reformierter Kirchen Deutschlands).

Catholics were represented by dioceses united in the Fulda Conference of Catholic Bishops:

• Munich-Freising Metropolitanate
  • Archdiocese of Munich and Freising
  • Diocese of Regensburg
  • Diocese of Passau
  • Diocese of Augsburg
• Bamberg Metropolitanate
  • Archdiocese of Bamberg
  • Diocese of Eichshtet
  • Diocese of Würzburg
  • Diocese of Speyer
• Freiburg Metropolitanate
  • Archdiocese of Freiburg
  • Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart
  • Diocese of Mainz
• Metropolitanate of Cologne
  • Archdiocese of Cologne
  • Diocese of Munster
  • Diocese of Trier
  • Diocese of Aachen
  • Diocese of Limburg
  • Diocese of Osnabrück
• Metropolitanate of Paderborn
  • Archdiocese of Paderborn
  • Diocese of Fulda
  • Diocese of Hildesheim

Judaists were represented by the Central Council of Jews in Germany ( Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland), consisting of:

• State Federation of Jewish Religious Communities of Bavaria ( Landesverband der Israelitischen Kultusgemeinden in Bayern)
• Jewish Religious Community of Württemberg ( Israelitische Religionsgemeinschaft Württemberg)
• Jewish Religious Community of Baden ( Israelitische Religionsgemeinschaft Baden)
• Jewish community of Saar ( Synagogengemeinde Saar)
• State Federation of Jewish Communities of Hesse ( Landesverband der Jüdischen Gemeinden in Hessen)
• State Federation of Jewish Communities of Rhineland-Palatinate ( Landesverband der Jüdischen Gemeinden von Rheinland-Pfalz)
• State Federation of Jewish Communities of the North Rhine Region ( Landesverband der Jüdischen Gemeinden von Nordrhein)
• Land Federation of Jewish Communities of Westphalia-Lippe ( Landesverband der Jüdischen Gemeinden von Westfalen-Lippe)
• State Federation of Jewish Communities of Lower Saxony ( Landesverband der Jüdischen Gemeinden von Niedersachsen)
• Jewish Community of Hamburg ( Jüdische Gemeinde Hamburg)
• Jewish community of Bremen ( Jüdische Gemeinde im Lande Bremen)
• State Federation of Jewish Communities of Schleswig-Holstein ( Landesverband der Jüdischen Gemeinden von Schleswig-Holstein)

According to which the existence of two German states was recognized on the historical German territory. The official text of the final settlement treaty with respect to Germany also called the country the "Federal Republic of Germany"

After 1990, the Russian language uses the form "Federal Republic of Germany i", Emphasizing the completeness of the process of uniting the German people in a single state - Germany. In modern sources, the FRG of that time is called both the "Federal Republic of Germany" and the "Federal Republic of Germany". Including RIA Novosti uses both options.

Meanwhile, the FRG rejected the two-state theory. From the very moment of its creation, the FRG did not recognize the GDR as a subject of international law and considered itself the only full-fledged follower of the German Empire. This was reflected in the press as well. For example, up to 1989, Die Welt magazine.

In the GDR, in relation to the FRG, both the abbreviation “FRG” and the form “West Germany” and even the “German Federal Republic” (GFR) were used by analogy with the GDR. In the Soviet press until the mid-1950s, a variant of the GFR (German Federal Republic) could also be used. For example, the name "German Federal Republic" was used in reports for the 1955 football match between the USSR and the FRG.

Until 1974, both the FRG and the GDR continued to use the international automobile code introduced back in 1910. D (Deutschland), which created some confusion. On January 1, 1974, the GDR began to use the code DDR, which developed, according to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, as a result of the "separatist policy of the Western powers." For example, the explanatory dictionary Duden, published in 1960 in Leipzig (GDR), contained the articles “West Berlin” and “Berlin”; the latter even claimed that Berlin was the capital of Germany. In publications published in the GDR, the name "democratic Berlin" was also used to refer to the eastern part of Berlin.

In Germany and in West Berlin itself, self-designation was used West-Berlin and Berlin (West), which emphasized that the western part of the city is part of a single city, and not a separate administrative unit. The FRG constitution, adopted in 1949, generally considered the whole of Greater Berlin as a federal state and part of the FRG, despite the fact that the quadripartite agreement on West Berlin, adopted in 1971, considered the western sectors of the city outside the zone of the FRG constitution. The name East Berlin was not officially used either in the FRG or in the GDR. In unofficial documents, the names were used to designate the eastern part of the city in Germany and West Berlin Berlin (Ost) and Ost-Berlin.

see also [ | ]

The date of formation of Germany (in the form in which it is now) is October 3, 1990. Prior to this, the country's territory was divided into two states: the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Today we will take a closer look at what the FRG and the GDR are, and get acquainted with the history of these states.

a brief description of

On May 23, 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) was proclaimed. It included sections of Nazi Germany located in the British, American and French zones of occupation. A special article of the FRG constitution assumed that in the future the rest of the German territories would also be included in the newly formed state.

Due to the occupation of Berlin and giving it a special status, the capital of the country was moved to the provincial town of Bonn. On October 7 of the same year, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was proclaimed in the Soviet zone of occupation. Berlin was designated its capital (in fact, only the eastern part of the city, which was under the control of the GDR). For the next 40 plus years, the two German states existed separately. Until the 1970s, the government of the FRG country categorically did not want to recognize the GDR. Later, she began to recognize "neighbors", but only partially.

The peaceful revolution in the GDR, which took place in the fall of 1990, led to the fact that on October 3 its territories were integrated into the FRG. Then the capital of Germany was returned to Berlin.

Now let's get acquainted with these events in more detail.

Partition of Germany after surrender

When the troops of the allies (America, USSR, Great Britain and France) seized fascist Germany, its territory was divided between them into four zones of occupation. Berlin was also divided, but it received a special status. In 1949, the Western Allies united the territories under their control and called this region Trizonia. The eastern part of the country was still under the occupation of the Soviet Union.

Formation of the Federal Republic of Germany

On May 24, 1949, the Parliamentary Council, meeting in Bonn (a city that belonged to the British occupation zone), under the strict control of the military governors proclaimed the FRG. It included the newly created by that time areas related to the British, American and French occupation zones.

The constitution was adopted on the same day. The 23rd article of the document declared its distribution to Berlin, which formally could only partially enter the FRG. The main provisions of this article also provided for the prospect of extending the constitution to other German lands. Thus, the foundation was laid for the entry into the FRG of all territories of the previously existing German Empire.

The preamble to the constitution clearly indicated the need for the unification of the German people on the basis of the re-established state. The document itself was positioned as temporary, so it was officially called not the constitution, but the "Basic Law".

Since Berlin was endowed with a special political status, it was not possible to keep the capital of the Federal Republic there. In this regard, it was decided to appoint the provincial city of Bonn, in which the FRG country was proclaimed its temporary capital.

Creation of the GDR

The German lands of the Soviet occupation zone did not intend to recognize the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, adopted on May 23, 1949. On May 30, the delegates of the German People's Congress, elected two weeks earlier, adopted the constitution of the GDR, which was recognized as 5 lands of the Soviet occupation. On the basis of the adopted constitution in the republic, which also called itself East Germany, government bodies were created.

On October 19, elections were held to the House of Lands and the People's Chamber of the first convocation. Wilhelm Pieck, chairman of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), became President of the GDR.

Political status and prospects for the expansion of the FRG

From the very beginning, the government of the Federal Republic of Germany clearly defined what the FRG was. It positioned itself as the only representative of the interests of the German people, and the FRG itself as the only follower of the German Empire. Therefore, it is not surprising that it had claims to all lands belonging to the empire prior to the expansion of the Third Reich. These lands included, among other things, the territory of the GDR, the western part of Berlin, as well as the "former eastern regions" that were ceded to Poland and the Soviet Union. In the first years after the founding of the FRG, its government tried in every possible way to avoid direct contact with the government of the GDR. The reason is that it could testify to the recognition of the GDR as an independent state.

America and Great Britain also remained in the opinion that the FRG is the legitimate successor of the empire. France believed that the German Empire disappeared as such back in 1945. Harry Truman, the 33rd President of the United States, refused to sign a peace treaty with the FRG, because he did not want to recognize the existence of two German states. In 1950, at the New York conference, the foreign ministers of the three countries nevertheless came to a common denominator on the question "what is the FRG?" The claims of the government of the republic regarding the only representation of the German people were recognized. However, they refused to recognize the government as the governing body of all Germany.

Due to the refusal to identify the GDR, the legislation of the Federal Republic of Germany recognized the existence of a single citizenship of Germany, therefore it called its citizens simply Germans, and did not consider the territory of the GDR as abroad. That is why the country had a law on citizenship, adopted back in 1913. The same law until 1967 was in force in the GDR, which was also a supporter of a single citizenship. In practice, the current situation meant that any German living in the GDR could come to the FRG and get a passport there. To prevent this, the leaders of the Democratic Republic prohibited its residents from obtaining passports in the Republic of Germany. In 1967, they introduced the citizenship of the GDR, which received official recognition in the FRG only 20 years later.

The reluctance to recognize the borders of the Democratic Republic was reflected in maps and atlases. So, in 1951, maps were published in Germany, in which Germany had the same borders as in 1937. At the same time, the division of the republic, as well as the division of lands with Poland and the Soviet Union, were indicated by a barely noticeable dotted line. On these maps, the toponyms that had gone to the enemy remained under the old names, and there were simply no signs of the GDR. It is noteworthy that even in the maps of 1971, when the whole world clearly understood what the FRG and the GDR were, the situation did not change much. The dashed lines became more prominent, but still differed from those that will mark the borders between states.

Development of the Federal Republic of Germany

The first Chancellor of the Federal Republic was Konrad Adenauer, an experienced lawyer, administrator and activist of the Center Party. His leadership concept was based on a social market economy. As Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, he remained for 14 years (1949-1963). In 1946, Adenauer founded a party called the Christian Democratic Union, and in 1950 he led it. The head of the opposition Social Democratic Party was Kurt Schumacher, a former Reichsbanner fighter who was imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps.

Thanks to US assistance in the implementation of the Marshal Plan and Ludwig Erhard's plans for the economic development of the country in the 1960s, the German economy rushed upward. In history, this process was called "German economic miracle". To meet the need for inexpensive labor, the Federal Republic supported an influx of guest workers, mainly from Turkey.

In 1952, the lands of Baden, Württemberg-Baden and Württemberg-Hohenzollern were united into a single state of Baden-Württemberg. The FRG became a federation of nine states (member states). In 1956, after a referendum and the signing of the Luxembourg Treaty with France, the Saar region, which was previously under the protectorate of France, became part of the FRG. Its official accession to the Republic of Germany (FRG) took place on January 1, 1957.

On May 5, 1955, with the abolition of the occupation regime, the FRG was officially recognized as a sovereign state. Sovereignty extended only to the zone of the provisional constitution, that is, it did not cover Berlin and the former territories of the empire, which at that time belonged to the GDR.

In the 1960s, a number of emergency laws were developed and implemented, which banned the activities of a number of organizations (including the Communist Party), as well as some professions. The country was actively denazifying, that is, fighting the consequences of the Nazis in power, and tried with all its might to ensure that the revival of Nazi ideology was impossible. In 1955, Germany became part of NATO.

Relations with the GDR and foreign policy

The government of the Republic of Germany did not recognize the GDR and until 1969 refused to enter into diplomatic relations with states whose position on this issue is different. The only exception was the Soviet Union, which recognized the GDR, but was part of the four occupying powers. In practice, this reason only twice led to the severance of diplomatic relations: with Yugoslavia in 1967 and with Cuba in 1963.

Back in 1952, Stalin spoke of the unification of the FRG and the GDR. On March 10 of the same year, the USSR suggested that all the occupying powers develop a peace treaty with Germany as soon as possible in cooperation with the all-German governments, and even drew up a draft of this document. The Soviet Union agreed with the unification of Germany and, provided it did not participate in military blocs, even allowed the existence of an army and a military industry in it. The Western powers actually rejected the Soviet proposal, insisting that the newly united country should have the right to join NATO.

Berlin Wall

On August 11, 1961, the People's Chamber of the GDR decided to erect the Berlin Wall - an engineering and defensive structure 155 km long, strengthening the border between the two German republics. As a result, construction began on the night of 13 August. By one in the morning, the border between West and East Berlin was completely blocked by the troops of the GDR. On the morning of August 13, people who routinely went to the western part of the city to work faced resistance from law enforcement agencies and paramilitary patrols. By August 15, the approach to the border was completely blocked by barbed wire, and the construction of a fence began. On the same day, the metro lines were closed, which communicated the two parts of the city. Potsdamer Platz, which was in the border zone, was also closed. Many buildings and residential buildings adjacent to the dividing line between East and West Berlin were evicted. The windows facing the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany were bricked up. Later, during the reconstruction of the fence, the buildings adjacent to it were completely demolished.

Construction and re-equipment of the structure continued until 1975. Initially, it was a fence made of concrete slabs or brickwork, equipped with barbed wire. In some areas, these were simple Bruno spirals that could be overcome with a dexterous jump. At first, this was used by defectors who managed to bypass police posts.

By 1975, the wall was already an impregnable and rather complex structure. It consisted of 3.6 meters high concrete blocks on top of which cylindrical barriers were installed. A restricted area with a large number of obstacles, sentry posts and a lighting device were set up along the wall. The exclusion zone consisted of a simple wall, a few strips of anti-tank hedgehogs or metal spikes, a metal mesh fence with barbed wire and a signal flare system, a patrol road, a wide strip of regularly leveled sand, and finally the impregnable wall described above.

Chancellor change

When Willy Brandt took over as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1969, a new round began in relations between the FRG and the GDR. The Social Democrats who came to power weakened legislation and recognized the inviolability of the post-war state borders. Willie Brandt and his successor Helmut Schmidt improved relations with the Soviet Union.

In 1970, the Moscow Treaty was signed, in which the FRG renounced its claims to the eastern regions of the former German Empire, which were ceded after the war to the USSR and Poland. The document also declared the possibility of uniting the republics. This decision marked the beginning of a "new Eastern policy". In 1971, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic signed the Founding Treaty governing their relationship.

In 1973, both republics joined the UN, despite the fact that the Federal Republic of Germany still did not want to recognize the international legal independence of the GDR. Nevertheless, the status quo of the Democratic Republic, enshrined in the Founding Treaty, contributed to a warming in relations between the “neighbors”.

"Peaceful revolution"

In September 1989, the New Forum opposition movement arose in the GDR, in part consisting of members of political parties. The following month, a wave of protests swept across the republic, demanding the democratization of politics. As a result, the SED leadership resigned and was replaced by representatives of the disaffected population. On November 4, a massive rally, agreed with the authorities, took place in Berlin, the participants of which demanded respect for freedom of speech.

On November 9, the citizens of the GDR received the right to free (without good reason) travel abroad, which led to the spontaneous fall of the Berlin Wall. After the elections in March 1990, the new government of the GDR began active negotiations with representatives of the FRG on the prospect of unification.

Unification of Germany

In August 1990, the FRG and the GDR signed an agreement on the unification of the country. It provided for the liquidation of the Democratic Republic and its entry into the Republic of Germany in the form of five new lands. In parallel with this, the two parts of Berlin were reunited, and he again received the status of the capital.

On September 12, 1990, representatives of the GDR, FRG, USA, USSR, Great Britain and France signed an agreement that finally settled the German question. According to this document, an amendment was to be included in the constitution of the FRG stating that after the re-establishment of the state, it renounces claims to the rest of the territories that once belonged to the German Empire.

In fact, in the process of unification (the Germans prefer to say "reunification" or "restoration of unity"), no new state was created. The lands of the former territory of the GDR were simply taken over by the FRG. At the same time, they began to obey the "provisional" constitution of the Republic of Germany, adopted back in 1949. The re-created state has since become known simply as Germany, but from a legal point of view, this is not a new country, but an expanded FRG.

The Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic that emerged in the post-war period on German soil for forty years, as it were, personified two socio-economic and political systems, two ways of life - capitalist (FRG) and socialist (GDR). Each of them "worked" in its own way for the authority of the corresponding system.

However, this economic competition in the end result was not in favor of the socialist model. Thus, in the late 1980s, labor productivity in the GDR was much lower than that of West German and a significant part of enterprises in the country were unprofitable, but it must be borne in mind that this was based not only on institutional reasons, but also on political pressure from the West.

The starting conditions after the war were similar, the political split in Germany led to the economic disintegration of the countries, to the split of the single economy. But the main disparities arose between the relatively developed manufacturing industry on the territory of the GDR and the extremely inadequate coal and metallurgical raw materials and energy base, which remained in the West. The war caused more damage to the eastern part of Germany, where the main fighting took place. Here 45% of industrial assets were destroyed, including 30% of the capacity of energy facilities, transport was completely disorganized, industrial development was not provided with coal, oil, iron ore, non-ferrous metals. There was no basis for the heavy industry historically developed in West Germany.

Considering the almost complete absence of foreign currency loans (the USSR provided them, but not in such volumes as the United States under the "Marshall plan" for the FRG), the burden of reparations (the FRG paid to a lesser extent) and the costs of maintaining Soviet troops (they were limited to 5% the annual budget of the GDR only after 1953), the economic achievements of the GDR in the 50s can be called phenomenal. If the Federal Republic of Germany (and its growth rates were several times higher than those of Great Britain and France) increased from 1950 to 1958. industrial output by 210%, the GDR - by 241%. Average annual growth of industrial production in the GDR in 1950-58 was 10%, and in Germany - 8.5%. In 1957, the GDR also surpassed the FRG in terms of industrial growth in comparison with 1936. If we take the level of this year as 100%, then in 1957 the industrial potential of the GDR increased 2.4 times, and the FRG - 2.26 times. Moreover, the starting positions of both countries in 1950 were approximately the same: the GDR - 110.6% of the 1936 level, the FRG - 110.9%. Behind these impressive numbers, however, were serious structural problems in the GDR economy.

Developing heavy industry and at the same time contriving to avoid inflation and budget deficits, the government of the GDR had to seriously restrict the growth of consumer goods production. The unrest of the population in June 1953 was largely due not only to an increase in the already high production rate, but also to interruptions in the supply of certain products, as well as high prices in state trade for meat, oil, fabrics, clothing, leather shoes and dishes. As a result, the GDR government made a massive redistribution of investments from heavy industry in favor of industries that directly met the needs of the population. However, the new direction of the state's investment policy made it impossible to radically re-equip the fixed assets of the rather outdated industry in East Germany. Most of its enterprises remained at the technological level of 1939, while in the FRG the renewal of equipment in the industry (and so much less war-affected than the GDR industry) happened twice after 1945.

And if initially the redistribution of funds in favor of the light and food industries was justified, then in the specific conditions of the industrially developed GDR it took too long. The country still could not objectively feed and clothe itself at the expense of internal resources. Consequently, it was necessary to increase exports, and the main export goods of East Germany have always been industrial equipment and products of the chemical industry. But since a sufficient amount of funds was not directed to these industries, their products became morally obsolete and every day became less and less competitive in the West. Accordingly, foreign exchange earnings were reduced, which could be used to purchase food and high-quality consumer goods, many of which (for example, coffee and chocolate, traditional for consumption in Germany) could not be supplied from the countries of the socialist camp. It turned out that by the mid-50s, West Germans were already getting a taste of the so-called. southern fruits (i.e. bananas, pineapples, etc.), while good coffee was still lacking for the inhabitants of the GDR. Moreover, it is very interesting that these problems were well understood in the USSR, although to many it seemed insignificant. But if Soviet workers and peasants in the 1950s were unpretentious in their choice of consumer goods, and the absence of some things was not perceived by them as hardships and hardships, then the Germans traditionally had a higher culture of consumption. The lack of coffee was very sensitive to them. In addition, the GDR had the example of the FRG before it, and the survival of the German workers 'and peasants' state really depended on whether it could provide its citizens with at least a standard of living comparable to that of the FRG. From year to year the GDR was forced to import (mainly from the USSR) a significant part of the food consumed in the country. Abroad, 25% of grain, 11% of meat, 7% of butter and 8% of eggs were purchased.

It is clear that in the GDR they formed the same structure of the economy as it was in the USSR, which entailed the processes of nationalization and stateization. In 1952, production cooperatives began to be created in the villages, with the use of both economic and administrative pressure. The peak of forced collectivization in the GDR was in 1960. During this year, as much agricultural land was collectivized as in all the previous eight years. By the end of 1960, more than 80% of agricultural land in the GDR was state-owned. A similar policy was built in the industrial sector, and if at the beginning of the 1960s the socialist industrial sector produced 85% of the total gross social product, then by the beginning of the 70s the share of national (state) enterprises in industrial production was already 94.9%.

In the FRG, by the mid-1950s, after a slight slowdown in economic growth, a new upturn began, caused by an inflow of capital, a significant renewal of technical production, and government measures to revive heavy industry. In 1953-56, the annual growth of industrial production was 10-15%. In terms of industrial production, Germany ranked third in the world after the USA and Great Britain, and surpassed Great Britain in some types of production. At the same time, the basis of the rapidly growing economy was small and medium-sized businesses: in 1953, enterprises with less than 500 employees provided more than half of all jobs in the economy, unemployment had a steady downward trend (from 10.3% in 1950 to 1.2% in 1960).

By the early 1960s. in terms of industrial production and exports, Germany was second only to the United States. It accounted for more than 60.5% of coal production, about half of steel production, about 40% of exports and 35% of imports of the EEC ("Common Market"). Agriculture also developed successfully. For example, in 1934-1938 the average annual wheat yield in the country was 22.3 centners per hectare, and in 1967 and 1968 - 41.2 and 42.3 centners per hectare, respectively. A separate mention should be made of the agrarian reform, which transferred the bulk of the land to small and medium-sized owners.

Among the factors that contributed to such a successful development of the German economy are the following:

• the western part of Germany was historically formed as the industrial center of the country, where the most qualified labor force was concentrated;
• significant initial assistance in the initial period of the restoration of the national economy according to the Marshall Plan ($ 3.9 billion), especially the supply of industrial equipment, which contributed to the inclusion of the FRG in the scientific and technological revolution;
• state support for entrepreneurial activity, a stake on the creation of medium-sized enterprises. Already in 1953, more than half of all employees were employed at enterprises with up to 500 people;
• rooting in all sectors of the national economy of the latest achievements of scientific and technological revolution;
• minimum military expenditures: until 1955-1957 they were limited only to financing the occupying forces, which cost the country 2–2.5 times cheaper than maintaining its own army;
• a multimillion influx of refugees from the Soviet occupation zone, which became an additional source of labor. For the German economy, refugees from the GDR gave a lot, so the cost of human capital moved from the GDR in the FRG in the 50s amounted to 2.6 billion marks annually (savings on education and training of personnel). In 1960, the proportion of refugees and migrants (not only from the GDR, but also from other countries of Eastern Europe) accounted for 30.7% of all persons employed in the FRG;
• maintaining a "class" peace in the country thanks to a reasonable social policy of the state.

The fact that already 15 years after the Second World War the FRG came out on top in Europe in terms of economic development, having outstripped its winners economically, speaks of the high efficiency of reforms at the turn of the 1940s-1950s, which became a reliable launching pad for the development of West German economy. For the socio-economic model of the GDR, all the shortcomings characteristic of the command-administrative system of state socialism were inherent. Thus, the planned economy largely deprived the citizens of the GDR of personal initiative and independence, the middle stratum of society was completely eliminated as the basis of economic development, entrepreneurship and labor activity were paralyzed. As a result, the productivity of the economy was relatively low compared to Western countries. In 1979 it was 46% of the western level and fell by 1989 to 30-40%.

Today, many Germans fundamentally do not want to divide the country into West and East and prefer to forget about the remnants of the past. However, even more than twenty years after the unification between the two parts of the country, significant economic and institutional differences remain, not in favor of the eastern region of Germany.

1) Economic development of Germany

The main political task of the FRG was to determine the status and strategy of the country's economic recovery and development. The FRG began to build a "social market economy".

The principles of the social market economy:

The state does not regulate economic processes, but establishes the rules by which private business entities operate ("the state is like a referee on a football field, who does not play football, but monitors compliance with the established rules")

The state supports competition, but does not cross the boundaries of business freedom

The state creates room for private initiative and entrepreneurship.

At the same time, the FRG had a strong social policy capable of softening social contrasts between rich and poor. As a result, the growth rates of industrial production in Germany in the 60s and 70s amounted to 8.5% per year. Germany took 2nd place in the world in terms of living standards. Since 1975, the FRG entered a period of economic crisis, to which the entire capitalist world was exposed.

2) Economic development of the GDR

After the formation of the GDR, the country's leadership took a course towards building a socialist society. Industrialization was carried out with a preponderance of heavy industry. In agriculture, collective and state farms have been established, and the principle of equalizing wages has been introduced. Until 1958, food ration cards were kept in the GDR. In 1953, in the GDR, there were mass protests of people against totalitarian socialism, which were suppressed by the Soviet government, the living standards of East Germans were 15 times lagging behind those of Western countries. The enterprises were poorly equipped technically, low labor productivity and low wages were observed. East Germans began to flee to the FRG, where the standard of living was much higher than in the GDR. Therefore, in 1961, the Berlin Wall was built, which finally divided one country into two states. In the early 60s, in the GDR, it was decided to abandon state subsidies to the economy of industrial enterprises, to transfer them to self-financing (enterprises were allowed to sell their products, make profits and put them into circulation). Enterprises have improved their technical equipment, increased product quality and labor productivity. The financial situation of the Germans has improved. In 1981, an ardent communist Erik Honecker came to power, who rolled back all democratic reforms and returned the country to a totalitarian regime. In October 1889, the economic crisis in the GDR reached its peak and the velvet revolution took place in the country. On October 18, 1989, Honnecker resigned, on November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, on October 3, 1990, a historic event took place - both parts of Germany were united into one state. The USSR, the USA and Germany signed an agreement on international partnership and cooperation.