West Germany: Map & History
West Germany, the Federal Republic of Germany as it was from its founding in the three western occupation zones on 23 May 1949 until East Germany joined it on 3 October 1990.
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West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It was sometimes known as the Bonn Republic after its capital city of Bonn, or as the Second German Republic. During the Cold War, the western portion of Germany and the associated territory of West Berlin were parts of the Western Bloc. West Germany was formed as a political entity during the Allied occupation of Germany after World War II, established from twelve states formed in the three Allied zones of occupation held by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.
Modern Countries Once Part of West Germany
At its mapped extent, West 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 West 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.
West Germany in Depth
History
On 4–11 February 1945 leaders from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union held the Yalta Conference where future arrangements regarding post-war Europe and Allied strategy against Japan in the Pacific were negotiated. They agreed that the boundaries of Germany as at 31 December 1937 would be chosen as demarcating German national territory from German-occupied territory; all German annexations after 1937 were automatically null. Subsequently, and into the 1970s, the West German state was to maintain that these 1937 boundaries continued to be 'valid in international law', although the Allies had already agreed amongst themselves that the territories east of the Oder–Neisse line must be transferred to Poland and the Soviet Union in any peace agreement.
Government and politics
West Germany was a federal parliamentary republic with the national capital being in Bonn. The executive branch consisted of a President and a Chancellor with the President being the head of state and a largely ceremonial role while the Chancellor was the head of the government and functioned in a capacity similar to that of a prime minister. The Chancellor was elected by the legislature for a four-year term and could not be removed from office during that term except for if the Bundestag had selected a replacement.
The country had a bicameral legislature consisting of an upper house, the Bundesrat and a lower house, the Bundestag.
The Bundesrat had 45 members and they were elected by the Länder (states).
Economy
The West German Wirtschaftswunder ("economic miracle", coined by The Times) began in 1950. This improvement was sustained by the currency reform of 1948 which replaced the Reichsmark with the Deutsche Mark and halted rampant inflation. The Allied dismantling of the West German coal and steel industry finally ended in 1950.
As demand for consumer goods increased after World War II, the resulting shortage helped overcome lingering resistance to the purchase of German products. At the time, Germany had a large pool of skilled and cheap labour, partly as a result of the flight and expulsion of Germans from Central and Eastern Europe, which affected up to 16.5 million Germans. This helped Germany to more than double the value of its exports during the war.
Culture
In many aspects, German culture continued in spite of the dictatorship and wartime. Old and new forms coexisted next to each other, and the American influence, already strong in the 1920s, grew.
Besides the interest in the older generation of writers, new authors emerged on the background of the experiences of war and after war period. Wolfgang Borchert, a former soldier who died young in 1947, is one of the best known representatives of the Trümmerliteratur.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: West Germany (CC BY-SA 4.0).
West Germany: Key Facts
| Capital | Bonn |
|---|---|
| Official language | German |
| Form of government | federal parliamentary republic, parliamentary republic |
| Currency | Deutsche Mark |
| Founded | 23 May 1949 |
| Dissolved | 3 October 1990 |
Preceded by
- Trizone
- German Reich
- Allied Control Council
Succeeded by
Facts from Wikidata Q713750 (CC0).
Key Events in the History of West Germany
Mapped, with their causes, timeline and answers to common questions.
Imperial History & Territorial Expansion
The Federal Republic was founded when the Basic Law took effect on 23 May 1949 in the American, British and French zones, with Bonn as its provisional capital. Under Chancellor Konrad Adenauer it tied itself to the West: it joined NATO in 1955 and was a founding member of the European Economic Community in 1957. Helped by the currency reform and Marshall Plan aid, its economy grew so fast in the 1950s that Germans called it the Wirtschaftswunder, the economic miracle. The Saar, run by France since 1947, joined on 1 January 1957 after a referendum. West Berlin was linked closely to the Federal Republic but stayed formally under the Western Allies. From 1969 Chancellor Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik sought better relations with the East, leading to the 1972 Basic Treaty with the GDR. When the Berlin Wall opened in 1989, Chancellor Helmut Kohl pressed for unity, and on 3 October 1990 the GDR joined the Federal Republic, which continues as today's Germany.
West Germany Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
The Basic Law takes effect on 23 May; Konrad Adenauer becomes the first chancellor in September.
The occupation formally ends on 5 May and West Germany joins NATO four days later.
The Saarland joins the Federal Republic on 1 January; West Germany co-founds the European Economic Community in March.
US President John F. Kennedy speaks in West Berlin on 26 June.
Willy Brandt's government signs the Basic Treaty with East Germany on 21 December.
The Two Plus Four Treaty is signed on 12 September and the GDR joins the Federal Republic on 3 October.
Key Monarchs, Architects & Strategists
Enduring Planetary Legacy
- ✓The Basic Law of 1949 remains the constitution of reunified Germany
- ✓The Wirtschaftswunder made West Germany the largest economy in Europe
- ✓A founding member of the European Economic Community (1957), today the European Union
- ✓Ostpolitik and the Basic Treaty eased relations with East Germany and Eastern Europe
West Germany: Frequently Asked Questions
When did West Germany exist?
West Germany is dated to 1949 – 1990, in the Modern & Contemporary era.
What was the capital of West Germany?
The capital of West Germany was Bonn.
How large was West Germany at its peak?
At its peak in 1957 West Germany covered about 248,577 km².
What was the capital of West Germany?
Bonn, chosen in 1949 as a provisional capital. After reunification the Bundestag voted in 1991 to move the government to Berlin, which happened in 1999.
Was West Berlin part of West Germany?
Not formally. West Berlin remained under the authority of the United States, Britain and France until 1990, but it used the Deutsche Mark, followed West German law and sent non-voting members to the Bundestag.
Is West Germany the same country as Germany today?
Yes. Reunification in 1990 took the form of the GDR joining the Federal Republic, so the Federal Republic of Germany, its Basic Law and its membership of NATO and the European Community simply continued.
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