Following the conclusion of World War II, Germany and its capital Berlin faced major transformations, which they exerted great influence upon the country’s political, economic and social self from that point onwards. This article explores what key events and development were presented during this period.

The Division of Germany

After Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender in 1945, the victorious allied powers — the United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom and France — planned to split Germany between themselves into four occupation zones. The capital itself, Berlin, was also divided into four sectors, each under control of the one of the Allied powers.

The Berlin Wall

In 1961 tensions with the Soviet Union reached their peak and the Berlin Wall was built. This wall actually divided East from West Berlin, the East being run by the Soviets, and the West by the Allies. It was a symbol of the wider East West conflict and stayed until 1989 when it fell.

The Economic Reconstruction

Following World War II, Germany had to be rebuilt after the devastation to reconquer its economy and infrastructure. The United States implementation of the Marshall Plan sent considerable money to Western European countries, among them west Germany. This aid helped the country in economic recovery.

The Wirtschaftswunder

But West Germany soon recovered and had an economic miracle: the ‘Wirtschaftswunder’. Despite the rapid economic growth and the rising living standards, the country favored industrial production and export oriented policies. In fact, this was the period of appearance of the global German brands: Volkswagen, Siemens and Bayer.

The Cold War Divide

Germany itself was divided in the same way as was the larger geopolitical cold war. There was, however, division of Germany, with the Western Bloc (led by the United States) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in Soviet control. It led to fundamentally different political economies and social structures.

The Inner-German Border

The government of East Germany placed the Inner German Border to keep citizens from leaving the East Germany for West Germany, which was more prosperous. The border was so heavily fortified with guard towers, barbed wire fences and minefields. It was difficult, if not impossible, to cross the border, and crossing it often led to even imprisonment or death.

Reunification

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 really marked the point in German history. Ultimately, the peaceful protests, desire for reunification, caused the collapse of East Germany. In 1990, Germany was reunified, so that a single German state was formed.

Challenges and Achievements

The reunification process both failed and succeeded. Integration of East Germany into the West German economy proved economically very hard. Revitalizing infrastructure and modernizing industries put burden on the country’s budget because of high costs. But after some time, East Germany started progressing with investments and development efforts.

Conclusion

Germany and Berlin changed greatly after World War II. Symmetry of the country and the construction of the Berlin Wall meant ideological gap, Cold War division. Of course, with the fall of the wall and reunification, Germany had to take a different path, have to confront challenges and seize new opportunities. Today Germany is a unified prosperous nation forged from an often turbulent past always searching for better days.