Allied Occupation Zones in Germany facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Germany
Deutschland (German)
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| 1945–1949 | |||||||||||
.svg) The C-Pennant
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Germany in 1947
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| Status | Military occupation | ||||||||||
| Capital |
52°31′N 13°23′E / 52.517°N 13.383°E French occupation zone Saar Protectorate (de jure part of the French occupation zone) British occupation zone American occupation zone Soviet occupation zone |
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| Governors (1945) | |||||||||||
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• British zone
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Bernard Montgomery | ||||||||||
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• American zone
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Dwight D. Eisenhower | ||||||||||
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• French zone
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Jean de Lattre de Tassigny | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Cold War | ||||||||||
| 8 May 1945 | |||||||||||
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• Allied Control Council
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5 June 1945 | ||||||||||
| 17 December 1947 | |||||||||||
| 23 May 1949 | |||||||||||
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• East Germanyb
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7 October 1949 | ||||||||||
| 15 March 1991 | |||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||
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• 1945
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64,260,000 | ||||||||||
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• 1949
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68,080,000 | ||||||||||
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 The four sectors and exclaves of Berlin |
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After World War II ended in 1945, the country of Germany was taken over by the winning countries, known as the Allies of World War II. These countries were the United States, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and France. They took control of Germany from June 5, 1945, until May 23, 1949. This was when West Germany was formed.
Unlike Japan, which was also occupied, Germany lost its independence. The Allies decided to rule Germany together through a group called the Allied Control Council. This happened after Germany officially gave up on May 8, 1945.
At first, the Allies considered all of Germany as it was before 1938. But after a meeting called the Potsdam Agreement on August 2, 1945, Germany's eastern border changed. Parts of eastern Germany were given to Poland and the Soviet Union. The rest of Germany was then split into four parts, called "occupation zones." Each of the four Allied countries managed one of these zones.
Lands that Germany had taken from other countries before the war, like Austria and Czechoslovakia, were given back. The Memel Territory, taken from Lithuania, became part of the Soviet Union. All areas Germany had taken during the war from countries like Belgium, France, and Poland were also returned.
Before the war ended, American forces had moved further into Germany than planned. But in July 1945, these U.S. forces moved back to the agreed-upon lines. This helped convince the Soviet Union to let American, British, and French forces into their parts of Berlin.
By March 1948, the Soviet Union stopped working with the other Allies in the Allied Control Council. This disagreement led to Germany being split into two new countries in 1949: West Germany and East Germany.
Contents
How Germany Was Divided: The Occupation Zones
After World War II, the winning Allied powers divided Germany into four main areas. Each area was managed by one of the Allied countries. This section explains how these zones were set up and what they included.
The American Zone
The American zone was mostly in Southern Germany. It included areas like Bavaria and Hesse. It also had parts of what became Baden-Württemberg. The main office for the American military government was in Frankfurt am Main.
To help with shipping, the ports of Bremen and Bremerhaven were also put under U.S. control. By late 1946, the American zone had about 16.75 million people.
The Americans helped start new newspapers and radio stations. They made sure these media outlets were run by Germans who had not supported the Nazis.
The British Zone
The British and Canadian armies had taken control of Northern Germany by May 1945. After the war, the Canadian forces went home, and the British took over the occupation.
The British zone included important industrial areas like the Ruhr. The British also created new German states, such as Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, and North Rhine-Westphalia.
The city of Hamburg was also re-established as a German state within the British zone. By late 1946, the British zone had about 21.9 million people. The British headquarters were in Bad Oeynhausen, and later moved to Mönchengladbach.
Other Countries in the British Zone
Some other countries also had troops stationed in the British zone:
- Belgian forces: They had a strip of land about 200 km long, including cities like Cologne and Aachen. Belgian soldiers stayed in Germany until 2005.
- Polish units: These were mainly in the Emsland area. This region was meant to help Polish people who had been displaced by the war. A town there, Haren, was even renamed Maczków for a while.
- Norwegian and Danish troops: Norway and Denmark also had military groups stationed in the British zone for several years to help with the occupation efforts.
- Dutch troops: In 1949, the Netherlands was given some small border areas, like Elten and Selfkant, which Dutch troops occupied.
The French Zone
At first, France did not have an occupation zone. But the British and American governments later gave France some western parts of their zones. The French army had captured areas like Karlsruhe and Stuttgart during the war.
The French zone included two areas along the French border. Three German states were created here: Rheinland Pfalz, Württemberg-Hohenzollern, and South Baden. These later became part of Baden-Württemberg.
The Saargebiet was also part of the French zone but was later separated. By late 1946, the French zone had about 4.95 million people (including the Saar Protectorate).
Luxembourg's Role in the French Zone
From November 1945, Luxembourg was given a small area within the French sector. Luxembourg's soldiers were stationed in towns like Bitburg and Saarburg. The last Luxembourg forces left Germany in 1955.
The Soviet Zone
The Soviet occupation zone covered eastern parts of Germany. It included areas like Thuringia, Saxony, and Mecklenburg. The main office for the Soviet military was in Berlin-Karlshorst.
By late 1946, the Soviet zone had about 17.1 million people.
Berlin: A Special Case
Even though Berlin was completely inside the Soviet zone, it was very important as Germany's capital. So, Berlin was also divided into four sectors, with each Allied power controlling one. All four powers had special rights throughout Berlin, even in the Soviet sector. This made Berlin legally separate from the rest of the Soviet zone.
By late 1946, the western parts of Berlin had about 2 million people, and the Soviet sector had about 1.1 million.
Lost German Territories
In 1945, the Potsdam Conference decided that areas of Germany east of the Oder–Neisse line would be given to Poland. The northern part of East Prussia became the Kaliningrad Oblast within the Soviet Union (now Russia). Most German people living in these areas were forced to leave their homes.
The Saarland, an area in the French zone, was separated from Germany to become a French protectorate in 1947. This separation was not supported by the Soviet Union.
How Germany Was Governed and Split into Two Countries
The Allies originally planned to govern Germany as one country through the Allied Control Council. But this plan fell apart by March 1948. There were growing disagreements between the Allies. Britain and the U.S. wanted to work together, but France wanted to split Germany into many small states. The Soviet Union also started setting up its own communist system in its zone.
Another big problem was what to do with the millions of Germans who had been forced to leave their homes in eastern Europe. The U.S., UK, and Soviet Union agreed to take them in. However, France refused to accept these refugees into its zone. This meant the other Allies had to take on the burden of feeding and housing these people.
Because of these problems, each of the four Allied powers ruled their zones differently. The western zones (American, British, and later French) started to work together. They first formed the Bizone (American and British zones combined in 1947), then the Trizone (with the French zone added).
The complete breakdown of Allied cooperation became clear with the Berlin Blockade. This was when the Soviets blocked all land routes into West Berlin from June 1948 to May 1949. After this, the three western zones joined to form the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) in May 1949. The Soviets then created the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in October 1949.
In West Germany, the occupation officially ended on May 5, 1955, with the General Treaty. Military governors were replaced by civilian high commissioners, and then by regular ambassadors. West Germany was also allowed to create its own military, the Bundeswehr, in November 1955.
A similar change happened in East Germany. The Soviet military administration was replaced by a Soviet Control Commission, and East Germany gained some independence in 1949 and more in 1955. East Germany also formed its own military, the National People's Army, in 1956.
Even after 1955, neither West nor East Germany had full control over their own affairs. This full independence only came after Germany was reunited in October 1990. The last occupation troops left Germany in 1994.
In 1956, the people of Saarland voted to join West Germany. It became a German state on January 1, 1957. Berlin remained under Allied occupation until Germany's reunification in 1990. West Berlin was part of West Germany, and East Berlin was the capital of East Germany.
How the Allies Ruled Germany
The Allies had clear goals for Germany after the war. They wanted to:
- Take away all German weapons and military forces.
- Control or destroy German industries that could make military equipment.
- Punish war criminals.
- Make Germany pay for the damage it caused.
- Get rid of the Nazi party and its ideas.
- Remove all Nazi and military influences from public life.
The main goal was to make sure Germany could never start another world war. However, the Allies had different ideas about how to achieve this.
American Occupation Rules
The U.S. initially thought about a harsh plan to turn Germany into a farming country. But this plan was not fully adopted. Instead, U.S. policy focused on four main goals:
- Denazification: Removing all Nazi influences.
- Democratization: Helping Germany become a democracy.
- Demilitarization: Getting rid of Germany's military power.
- Decentralization: Breaking up large German companies and power structures.
At first, American soldiers were not allowed to be friends with German civilians. This rule was quickly relaxed because it was hard to enforce.
British Occupation Rules
British policy was similar to the U.S., but they focused more on economic problems. Their zone included the Ruhr industrial area, which had been heavily bombed. This area faced severe shortages of housing and food.
The British believed in re-educating Germans for democracy. They focused on setting up local governments like their own. They also prioritized restarting schools and universities.
French Occupation Rules
The French were mainly concerned with their own safety and using Germany's resources to help France recover. They wanted to make sure Germany could never threaten France again. So, they did not want a unified Germany and preferred a very decentralized government.
Economically, France took coal and steel from the Saar region. They linked the Saarland with France through customs and currency. This helped France's economy and prevented its zone from costing too much money.
Soviet Occupation Rules
The Soviets also wanted to prevent future German aggression and get payments for war damages. The Soviet military controlled political activities in their zone very closely. Key government jobs were given to members of the Communist party.
The Soviets also took control of large farms and businesses. They closed major banks and insurance companies and seized property that belonged to the former German state or Nazi party.
Life in the Occupation Zones
Life in occupied Germany was very difficult at first. Food was scarce. In 1946, the official food ration in the American zone was very low, sometimes as little as 700 calories a day. This was not enough for people to live on.
Some soldiers took advantage of the food shortages. They used their extra food and cigarettes (which were like money on the black market) to get things they wanted.
Children born to Allied soldiers often faced challenges. For example, American soldiers were not allowed to pay child support for children they had with German women at first. Marriages between white U.S. soldiers and German women were not allowed until late 1946.
Children of African-American soldiers faced even more difficulties. They were often called "Negro half-breeds" and could not hide their fathers' foreign identity. Interracial marriages were forbidden by the U.S. Army until 1948. The mothers of these children often faced harsh judgment from society.
Allied soldiers were supposed to follow German laws. However, they were usually judged by their own military justice system, not German courts. Sometimes, this led to harsher punishments for soldiers.
Expulsion of Germans
The Potsdam conference in 1945 decided that German people living in Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary would have to move to Germany. Millions of Germans were forced to leave their homes in these eastern areas and move to the Allied occupation zones in Germany. Many of them lived in refugee camps for a long time.
France was not at the Potsdam Conference, so it did not agree to take in these refugees. France refused to accept Germans who had been forced out of their homes in the East. However, France did take in German refugees who had fled from the war to Denmark.
Military Governors and Commissioners
Each occupation zone was led by a military governor or commissioner from the occupying country. These leaders were in charge of managing their respective zones and carrying out the Allied policies.
Images for kids
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Royal Air Force's Malcolm Club in Schleswig, formerly the Stadt Hamburg Hotel in late 1945
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British armoured car, at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, 1950
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Belgian occupation sub-zone of Germany
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French forces in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, 1946
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Pink: portions of Germany east of the Oder–Neisse line attached to Poland (except for northerly East Prussia and the adjoining Memel Territory, not shown here, which were joined directly to the Soviet Union). Red: the Soviet Occupation zone of Germany.
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American propaganda poster using images of concentration camp victims to warn against fraternization.
See Also
In Spanish: Ocupación aliada de Alemania para niños
- Allied-occupied Austria
- German-occupied Europe
- History of Germany since 1945
- Interzonal traffic
