West Germany
Germany, 1949–1990. Draft, not yet reviewed
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. At the onset of the Cold War, Germany was divided into two countries. In the 1950s the economic miracle (Wirtschaftswunder) saw West Germany rise from the destruction of World War II to become the world's second-largest economy. Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, in office until 1963, worked for alignment with NATO rather than neutrality.
Seat of power: Bonn
Rulers
Theodor Heuss
president of Germany, 1949–1959
Heuss shaped the office of the president by his non-partisan governing. Although critical of German militarism, he supported re-armament and the founding of the new West German Army in 1955, in agreement with the Western European partners and within the structures of NATO.
Portrait of Theodor Heuss: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
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Heinrich Lübke
president of Germany, 1959–1969
Lübke was chosen by Adenauer as a candidate for the largely ceremonial post of president, to ensure that Adenauer's political schemes were not disturbed by too strong a personality. He resigned three months before the scheduled end of his second term amid a scandal as to his involvement with the Nazi regime during World War II.
Portrait of Heinrich Lübke: Unknown authorUnknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, file
Gustav Heinemann
president of Germany, 1969–1974
He established the tradition of inviting ordinary citizens to the president's New Year's receptions. In his speeches he encouraged West Germans to overcome the tradition of submissiveness to the authorities, to make full use of their democratic rights and to defend the rule of law and social justice.
Portrait of Gustav Heinemann: Bauer, Georg, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, file
Walter Scheel
president of Germany, 1974–1979
He was elected President of West Germany a week after relinquishing his other government roles and held the office from July 1974 until June 1979. As acting chancellor he chaired the government meetings for a little over a week, until Helmut Schmidt was elected.
Portrait of Walter Scheel: Unknown authorUnknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, file
Karl Carstens
president of Germany, 1979–1984
During his term of office, Carstens was well known for hiking in Germany in order to decrease the gulf between politics and the people. On 7 January 1983 he dissolved the Bundestag and called for new elections, and the Federal Constitutional Court approved his decision in February 1983.
Portrait of Karl Carstens: Engelbert Reineke, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, file
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Richard von Weizsäcker
president of Germany, 1984–1994
In 1984 Weizsäcker was elected as President of the Federal Republic of Germany and was re-elected in 1989 for a second term. He was famous for his speeches, especially one he delivered at the 40th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe on 8 May 1985.
Portrait of Richard von Weizsäcker: Unknown authorUnknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, file
Culture
- In the early 1970s, Willy Brandt's policy of Neue Ostpolitik led to a form of mutual recognition between East and West Germany.
- The currency reform of 1948 replaced the Reichsmark with the Deutsche Mark and halted rampant inflation, which sustained the economic miracle that began in 1950.
- Before the Wall was built, 3.5 million East Germans, 20% of the population, had defected from the GDR, many by crossing from East Berlin into West Berlin.
- Following the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, symbolised by the opening of the Berlin Wall, both states took action to achieve German reunification.
Picture
The Berlin Wall was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the German Democratic Republic.
Image: Noir, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.