Allied-occupied Germany: Map & History
Germany after its surrender in May 1945, divided by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union into four occupation zones, with Berlin split into four sectors. The zones became West and East Germany in 1949.
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Germany after its surrender in May 1945, divided by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Soviet Union into four occupation zones, with Berlin split into four sectors. The zones became West and East Germany in 1949.
Modern Countries Once Part of Allied-occupied Germany
At its mapped extent, Allied-occupied Germany covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Allied-occupied Germany's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Key Events in the History of The Allied-occupied Germany
Mapped, with their causes, timeline and answers to common questions.
Allied-occupied Germany Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Allied-occupied Germany appears, with the other states of the time.
Imperial History & Territorial Expansion
Nazi Germany surrendered on 8 May 1945. The Allies had agreed at Yalta to occupy the country jointly, and at Potsdam in July and August 1945 they set its new borders: the land east of the Oder and Neisse rivers went to Poland and the Soviet Union, and the rest was split into an American zone in the south, a British zone in the north-west, a French zone in the south-west and a Soviet zone in the east. Berlin, 160 km inside the Soviet zone, was divided the same way. An Allied Control Council in Berlin was meant to govern Germany as one unit, but the four powers soon disagreed about reparations, the economy and Germany's future government. The Americans and British merged their zones into the Bizone in 1947, and the French zone followed in 1949. When the western zones introduced the Deutsche Mark in June 1948, the Soviet Union cut the land routes to West Berlin, and the Western Allies supplied the city by air for almost a year. In 1949 the western zones became the Federal Republic of Germany (23 May) and the Soviet zone the German Democratic Republic (7 October).
Allied-occupied Germany Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Germany surrenders on 8 May; on 5 June the four Allies assume supreme authority. The Potsdam Conference (17 July – 2 August) fixes the zones and the Oder–Neisse line.
The International Military Tribunal sentences leading Nazis on 1 October 1946.
On 1 January the American and British zones merge their economies; the Marshall Plan follows in June.
The Deutsche Mark is introduced in the west on 20 June; four days later the Soviet Union blockades West Berlin, which is supplied by air.
The blockade ends on 12 May. The Federal Republic is founded on 23 May and the German Democratic Republic on 7 October.
Key Monarchs, Architects & Strategists
Enduring Planetary Legacy
- ✓The Oder–Neisse line, set at Potsdam, is still the border between Germany and Poland
- ✓The four sectors of Berlin outlived the zones: West Berlin stayed under Western Allied authority until 1990
- ✓The 1948 currency reform created the Deutsche Mark, used until the euro in 2002
- ✓The Nuremberg trials (1945–1946) established that leaders can be tried for crimes against peace and humanity
Allied-occupied Germany: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Allied-occupied Germany exist?
The Allied-occupied Germany is dated to 1945 – 1949, in the Modern & Contemporary era.
What was the capital of the Allied-occupied Germany?
The capital of the Allied-occupied Germany was Berlin (seat of the Allied Control Council).
How large was the Allied-occupied Germany at its peak?
At its peak in 1945 the Allied-occupied Germany covered about 357,000 km².
Why was Germany divided after World War II?
The Allies had agreed during the war to occupy a defeated Germany jointly, so that it could never again threaten its neighbours. Each of the four powers ran one zone. As the Cold War began, the Soviet Union and the Western Allies could not agree on reparations, the economy or a German government, so the zones grew apart and in 1949 became two states.
What were the four occupation zones of Germany?
The American zone in the south (Bavaria, Hesse, northern Württemberg-Baden and the port of Bremen), the British zone in the north-west (Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia), the French zone in the south-west (the Rhineland-Palatinate, southern Baden and Württemberg, and at first the Saar) and the Soviet zone in the east (Mecklenburg, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia).
How was Berlin divided in 1945?
Berlin lay inside the Soviet zone but was governed by all four Allies. The Soviet Union held the eastern boroughs, the United States the south-west, Britain the west and France the north-west. The three western sectors later formed West Berlin.
What land did Germany lose in 1945?
At Potsdam the Allies placed the German territories east of the Oder and Neisse rivers (most of Pomerania and Silesia, East Brandenburg and southern East Prussia) under Polish administration, and northern East Prussia around Königsberg under the Soviet Union. Germany accepted this border in the 1990 Two Plus Four Treaty.
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