Unemployment in Germany soared up to 12% meaning that up to 6million Germans were jobless, along with an increase in inflation. Germany suffered from frequent periods of economic collapse. There was concern that there would be mass starvation, as food was scarce and prices were too high because of the inflation situation, this would ultimately lead to lower standards of living and poverty throughout Europe.
Americas decision to introduce the Marshall plan to help boost the economy brought mixed feelings throughout the West, but America was persistent in their plan help recover Europe after the devastation from the war. A nation in this state of economic chaos could not pose a threat to any country with a stable economy.
However, in the 1950’s, something known to the Germans as wirtschaftwunder, the economic miracle, happened. The German economy was finally getting back to normal, exports increased at record levels, thanks to companies such as Volkswagen, exporting cars across the world. Germany became the second largest country in the world behind America for exporting goods internationally. Unemployment in Germany increased, thus boosting consumer spending on goods and services and increasing the level of living standards.
Germany no longer needed American dollars, to help them recover from the post war devastation, they plugged what is now known as the dollar gap.
Germany then became the motor behind the European economy; their prosperity had many dependants, for example, France, Holland and the United Kingdom.
Although Germany was experiencing this economic success, it was America who had helped them get to where they were. With Germany riding so high thanks to America, was it possible for the Germans to strike an attack on a nation that had helped them so much? This would not be in the best interests of the West Germans, whom had had enough of the communism that brought on war and conflict with the West and now between themselves.
By the 1950’s the German divide between, East and West Germany had already been well established, so the threat of an invasion on the rest of the world by Germany as a whole had been generally dismissed. Especially as West Germany had now become close in international relations with America and East Germany so closely associated with communism.
Under the power of Ardenaur, West Germany had virtually eliminated communism and was under strict instructions of America and their Marshall plan, to help Europe recover from the devastation of war. West Germany’s new status with the elite countries of the world saw their national army disarmed and becoming a member of the North Atlantic treaty Organization (NATO) in May 1955.
By doing this West Germany was showing the world, that their army was not there to attack surrounding countries and the rest of the West, they had now joined an international organisation and had to agree to and compromise the rules set out by NATO.
In response to West Germanys membership of NATO, the GDR of Germany decided to become part of the Warsaw Pact, which was signed by seven other European nations and had a parallel purpose to that of NATO.
However, the signatories of the Warsaw pact, made it extremely clear in article two that they intended to take ‘effective measures towards a general reduction of armaments and prohibition of atomic, hydrogen and other weapons of mass destruction.’ (Warsaw Treaty, Article 2) In relation to this intention, it was made clear to the rest of the world that the threat of mass destruction by use of ABC weapons in correspondence to GDR and the rest of the Warsaw Pact was not a viable option of arms. This takes away the connotation that Germans in uniform were Hitler’s foot soldiers whose sole purpose for war and mass destruction.
This was also the case for NATO. The Paris agreements of October 1954 saw members of NATO adhere to strict protocols and agreements. The membership of West Germany in 1955 meant they also had to agree to all protocols laid down by NATO. Under the power of Western European Union, West Germany made an agreement, not to manufacture any more atomic, biological and chemical weapons and any other type of mass destruction armaments.
All these factors that helped reshape the militaries of GDR and FRG contributed to reducing the threat that a pre World War II Germany had on the Western world.
The reshaping of the economy and military gave East and West Germans a whole new outlook on life and their future in Germany.
World War I had left Germanys economy unstable and out of control, the German people were desperate for a solution for their suffering and turmoil. They found their saviour in Adolf Hitler.
Hitler had promised the German people a future of economic stability, high employment and high living standards, in a time of discontent, poverty and instability. Throughout the 30’s, it seemed as though he was delivering the promises that he had made, prior to world war II, however, the level of dictatorship and power, had made Hitler into an animal that would stop at nothing to see Germany reign supreme. It seemed as though Hitler was in the perfect position to do this, as his ban of all political parties in Germany gave him the opportunity to take full advantage of the situation. With the support of media tycoon, Alfred Hugenberg. Hitler was developing a Germany filled with the ideology of his own mind.
By 1933, the NAZI party had won 288 seats in Reichstag, compared to the 12 seats they managed to gain in 1928.
After the loss of the war and Hitler’s death, the support for the national socialist party, decreased rapidly. Without there being a leader for the Germans, all Hitler’s henchmen were on the run.
Germans needed to look elsewhere, to help them recover from the effects of war.
Learning from their mistakes, no far right wing party was elected again in Germany. The label NAZI was now synonymous with depression, war and death, the people of Germany did not want to go through that again.
Bring forward, grundgestez, the basic law. This West German constitution which was designed to keep stability within the Germany government and prevent the rise another figure such as Hitler, by dencentralising the state and making it federal. The rules and protocols of the basic law made it as difficult as possible for a single-minded ruling of Germany.
After 1945, the development of the Bundestag, saw political parties such as the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social democratic party (SPD) fighting for seats in the Bundestag. Nazism no longer existed in the sense of a political party.
The overhaul of Germany, from economic status to military reformation, saw Germany in a new position throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
The FRG’s membership of NATO and the GDR’s membership of the Warsaw Treaty, saw the beginning of European and international integration, which never seemed possible, during the reign of Hitler.
1950 –1952 saw the making of the European Coal and Steel Community, where Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands and West Germany all signed the treaty of Paris to finally form a Western European group that all had the same interests in making Europe a better place to live and help maintain its economic status. They all agreed that the main purpose of the ECSC was to assist each member state with economic expansion, employment and improving the standard of living.
Germany in particular liked to maintain close relations with France, better known as Franco-German relations. These relations gave a clear indication that France felt completely secure with Germany compared to a decade ago.
De Gualle and Ardenaur were convinced that their relations were constructive and insisted that all European states join them in pushing European integration forward.
The Oder-Neisse line had always been ammunition for Polish and East German conflict, the Polish wanted the East Germans to recognise that the border belonged to the Polish.
In 1950 East Germany and Poland did in fact sign a peace treaty, but formal recognition of the Oder-Neisse line came in 1970, which saw Willy Brandt sign a treaty recognising the Oder-Neisse as the Polish border. German-Polish relations were finally easing out and becoming more peaceful.
In conclusion, the main factors that gave the world the impression that Germany was a threat to world security, had been abolished. This was done through painstaking work, undertaken by German and world wide civilians. Also the leaders of the nations which helped Germany through the ruins of the war.
A threat no longer existed, security was tight and Germany was a nation now prosperous and organized.
However, the divide between the FRG the GDR, was yet to be resolved. It would be many years after World War II that Germany would see a reunification, but with all factors considered they were on the way…
Jeanette Kwakye
NOV 2002
Bibliography
- Fulbrook, M,1992, An interpretation of The Two Germanies, 1945-1990, McMillan
- Hallet, G, 1973 The Social Economy of West Germany, MacMillan
- Harriman, W.A., ABEL, E, 1975, Special Envoy to Churchill and Stalin 1941-1946, Random House
- Nicholls, A.J., 1997,The Bonn Republic-West German democracy,1945-1990, Longman
- Truman, H.S., 1965, Year of decision, Memoirs of Harry S. Truman, New American library
- Turner, Henry Ashby, 1987, The Two Germanies Since 1945, London Yale university press
- Webb, A, 1998 Longman companion to Germany since 1945, Addison Wesley Longman
-
Wegs, R, Ladrich , 1996 Europe since 1945: a concise history 4th Edition, MacMillan,
Websites
- www.ncesa.org.html/centralbomb3.html