The term wirtschaftswunder also known as the miracle on the rhine, describes the rapid reconstruction and development of the economies of west germany and austria after world war ii adopting. The crisis of communism and the end of east germany. East germany had a command economy similar to the economic system in the soviet union. Ulbricht attained his goal by imposing an iron discipline. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading east germany. At the end of the war, there were some eight million foreign displaced persons in germany. Soviet occupation zone and world war ii reparations. The physical devastation from allied bombing campaigns and from ground battles was enormous. Germany was stripped of its war gains and lost territories in the east to poland and the soviet union. It was a decade of soaring growth rates, ample employment, and relatively low inflation. After world war ii, 12 million refugees and expellees came to germany a. In the ten years after world war ii, europe relied, to a great measure, on goods and services produced and sold in the underground economy.
The history and legacy of the soviet satellite state established after world war ii kindle. It was only after the berlin blockade, that america understood that a strong west germany was needed as a bulwark against soviet expansionism, that the country starting getting aid and investment. It was formed from part of the soviet occupation zone of germany, including part of the city of berlin. Direct and indirect reparations paid by east germany between 1946 and. The german democratic republic, or gdr, also simply known as east germany, was founded as a second german state on october 7, 1949 four years after the end of world war ii. Which of the following phrases best describes east germany after world war ii.
The best books on the aftermath of world war ii recommended by keith lowe. The war, along with hitlers scorchedearth policy, had destroyed 20 percent of all housing. The united states, soviet union, western european and east asian countries in particular experienced unusually high and sustained growth, together with full employment. East germanys communist economy, by contrast, stagnated. It is no longer a nation by itself since the two parts of germany, east germany and west germany. Now, almost a quarter century after the wall fell, a team of leading economic historians has produced a nuanced and indispensable assessment of its crisisstrewn history from world war ii to the present.
Origins of the german economic miracle foundation for. East germany simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Culture what germany s postwar refugees taught us about integration. The nazis and their allies were bad and they did evil things. The west german economy grew rapidly after world war ii, in this view, because it finally shed the shackles holding back structural change and productivity growth. The german state had ceased to exist, and sovereign authority passed to the victorious allied powers. The german economy became the driving force within the community. In central and eastern europe it lasted much longer than anywhere else.
Unlike the other sovietstyle states of eastern europe, east germany had been part of an advanced capitalist economy before the war, which gave it a considerable advantage in reconstruction. A fter world war ii the german economy lay in shambles. The countrys cities were severely damaged from heavy bombing in the closing chapters of the war. The speed of germany s advance to industrial maturity after 1890 was breathtaking.
Contrary to early predictions, this high growth also included. The black market in postwar berlin national archives. What happened afterwards, though, shows the difference between socialism and free enterprise. List of books and articles about german economic history online. Interview with professor jeffrey diefendorf jeffrey diefendorf has written several books about the reconstruction of both germany and japan after world war ii. List of books and articles about postwar germany online. In domestic affairs ulbrichts first concern was to rebuild the east german economy. Its written by a german housewife in berlin when the russians arrive in. The book outlines as to the inhumane treatment of citizens and many easter european countires of german decent during the latter part of wwii, and for 2 or more years afater the war, had been treated, abused physically, sexually, deprived of their posessions, and loaded on cattle cars trains after spending a few months or years in. From the prosperity of the empire during the wilhelmine era 18901914, germany plunged into world war i, a war it. Four million out of the sixteen million homes in germany were destroyed during allied bombings in world war ii, with another four million damaged.
Jaap sleifers book, planning ahead and falling behind, points out that the. Economy of east germany news newspapers books scholar. After world war ii the german economy lay in shambles. Four rounds of twoplusfour talks were held in mid1990 involving the two germanies and the four powers that occupied germany after world war. East germany s economy is a catastrophe, said paul zieber, who heads the institut fur ostmarkt forschung in hamburg, a research group that specializes in eastern europe. Comparing the economic growth of east germany to west germany. Germany political consolidation and economic growth. Shopping centers multiplied, rising from eight at the end of world war ii to 3,840 in 1960. Deutsche demokratische republik ddr, commonly called east germany german. For a young kid today, there is only germany, a powerful country in europe. While large sums had been poured into west germany, especially by the united states, the soviet union not only put nothing into the economy of its zone but actually took out large amounts in reparations and occupation costs.
Many industries soon followed, leaving cities for less crowded sites. The history and legacy of east germanys secret police agency. John gimbel comes to the conclusion in his book, science technology and reparations. Planet money to understand why germany is so freaked out by what europes central bank is doing, you need to go back nearly a century. Britain and france combined had a greater industrial output, but only the united states had a greater industrial base. The history and legacy of the soviet satellite state established after world war ii examines the controversial country and its place in the cold war.
The history and legacy of the soviet satellite state established after world war ii kindle edition by charles river editors. The german economic miracle refers to germanys rebirth as a global economic power after the devastation of world war ii. Did eastern germany experience an economic miracle. Germany s industrial infrastructure was not just severely damaged by. Along with pictures and a bibliography, you will learn about east germany like never before. Ostdeutschland, was founded on 7 october 1949, after world war ii. Women in postwar berlin, east germany, form a chain gang to pass pails of rubble to a rubble dump, to clear bombed areas in the russian sector of the city. East germany also had experienced an economic miracle of sorts. There were several reasons behind the backward economic situation in east germany.
The german economy selfdefines as a soziale marktwirtschaft, or social market economy, to emphasize that the system as it has developed after world war ii has both a material and a socialor humandimension. The pamela shulman professor in european and holocaust studies at the university of new hampshire, he has looked at the way planning shaped the rebuilding of postconflict societies. After the war, trade between east and west fell by a factor of 35. After reunification, with the help of the equivalent of 1. Cambridge core economic history the east german economy, 19452010 edited by hartmut berghoff. This type of action to help the german economy had been prohibited by the directive and its execution also led to the. Ziemke is author of the german northern theater of operations, 19401945, and of stalingrad to berlin.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. At the end of world war ii, germany was in a shambles. The history and legacy of the soviet satellite state. A lot has changed in berlin, and throughout eastern germany, since. The east german economy, 19452010 edited by hartmut berghoff. Germany had suffered heavy losses during the war, both in lives and industrial power. Economic conditions in west germany and east germany diverged dramatically. After the berlin wall fell, did eastern germany experience an. What is one way the united states provided europe with economic assistance after world war ii. Jaap sleifers book, planning ahead and falling behind, points out that the eastern part of germany was actually richer than the western part prior to world war ii. The post world war ii economic expansion, also known as the golden age of capitalism and the postwar economic boom or simply the long boom, was a broad period of worldwide economic expansion beginning after world war ii and ending with the 19731975 recession. Soviet industrial capcity is more difficult to assess, but was probably comprable to german production. The term market is of significance, as free enterprise is considered to be main driving force fora healthy economy.
This article is adapted from the book outline of the u. Germany germany political consolidation and economic growth, 194969. The second world war, especially in the light of what came after, seems to be the last morally unambiguous war. Legacy of the soviet satellite state established after world war ii paperback large print, november 29, 2017. The reconstruction of germany after world war ii was a long process. This year marks the 40th anniversary of ludwig erhards sweeping free market reforms which gave economic freedom to over 80 million germans and began west germany s 30year postwar economic miracle. The east german economy also showed strong growth, but not as much as in west. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five. The government that emerged from the federal republics first general election in august 1949 represented a coalition of the christian democrats with the free democrats. Food production per capita in 1947 was only 51 percent of its level in 1938, and the official food ration set by the occupying powers varied between 1,040 and 1,550 calories per day. The entire countrys economy was then destroyed by the war. Even though it had emerged from world war ii and the postwar soviet. Discover librarianselected research resources on german economic history.
The united states accepted its role as a world power after world war ii, helping to rebuild europe and japan and taking the leading role in establishing the united nations. In southern italy it was in 1943, whereas france was a year later in the autumn of 1944, and the closer you get to germany, the later the liberation comes. This week shows the allies first attempts to break the german enigma code. Rebuilding the world after the second world war world. Post wwii recovery and the cold war flashcards quizlet. East germany remained under the domination of the soviet union and did. He may have heard about east and west germany, but that only through history books as the two parts of germany existed separately for 45 years from 1945 till 1990, when the berlin wall, the physical border of the two germanys, was brought down, and the two united. Difference between east and west germany compare the. Comparing the economic growth of east germany to west. Germany was reduced to an near primitive agrarian economy.
The black market peaked during the first three years after ve day, before the marshall plan and currency reform sparked economic revival, especially in the new federal republic of germany. Harcourt, brace and company, 1959, to a concise history of world war ii new york. East germanys economy far sicker than expected the new. A view through the lens of the postwar experience 233 holger c. Beforethe third reich the east german economy hadper capita national income103 percent of west germany. The years from 1895 to 1907 witnessed a doubling of the number of workers engaged in machine building, from slightly more than onehalf million to well over a million. The general rule of thumb is that the further east you go, the worse the atrocities get and the worse the conditions were for the people who survived the war. After world war ii east germany was left with only onequarter of its prewar resources, but was required by the ussr to pay threequarters of overall german reparations to aid soviet war recovery. Following the german military leaders unconditional surrender in may 1945, the country lay prostrate. World war ii aftermath in germany economic collapse. Meanwhile, the german war economy shows some flaws and the soviets are massing artillery in an. Economy by conte and karr and has been adapted with permission from the u. Konrad adenauer of the christian democratic union, a veteran roman catholic politician from the rhineland, was elected the.
Understanding west german economic growth in the 1950s. An immediate consequence of expanding industrial employment was a sharp. After the defeat of nazi germany in world war ii, germany was divided between the two global blocs in the east and west, a period known as the division of germany. In december he made his first official visit to east germany, where he agreed to establish joint economic, cultural, and environmental commissions. So the chaos lasts for different periods in different countries. Deng xiaoping felt that the first step to modernizing chinas economy involved. Germany began world war ii as the most heavily industrilized country in eyrope. Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids. The 1960s epitomized a golden age in germany s economic development. The history that i was taught in high school and college, and the movies i grew up with, invariably glossed over the aftermath of world war ii, creating a triumphalist narrative the allies saved the day, and thereafter everything was fine.
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