Speaking of West Germany, many people hear about this country for the first time. Some people, even if they know the country, don't know exactly where the country is. If we know the economic development of Europe in the last century, we know that this country is the most economically powerful country in Europe after World War II. It is the bellwether of the European economy. Today we look at what kind of country West Germany really is.
After Germany's defeat, it was occupied by the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain and France. Later, the places occupied by the United States, Britain and France were merged, and the places occupied by the Soviet Union were ruled by another regime. With the joint support of the United States and the Soviet Union, Germany was divided into two countries. One was the Soviet occupation of eastern Germany, which established a state called the German Democratic Republic, referred to as East Germany for short. There is also the western part of Germany occupied by the United States, which established a state called the Federal Republic of Germany, also called West Germany. This is where East and West Germany came from.
West Germany was far more powerful in population and size than East Germany. West Germany covers an area of nearly 250,000 square kilometers and has a population of more than 60 million. East Germany, on the other hand, had an area of only 100,000 square kilometers and a population of 16 million. Therefore, compared with East Germany, West Germany has obvious advantages in terms of area and population.
West Germany's economic strength was very strong. We have studied the economic take-off of Europe after World War II, and the most prominent in Europe is Germany, and germany here is West Germany. In the 1960s, the German economy began to rise, becoming the most economically powerful country in Europe. In the 1970s, there was an "economic miracle" in Germany. It became the second largest capitalist world economy, after the United States. The third largest country in the global economy, after the United States and the Soviet Union. It can be said that in terms of economy, West Germany has done very well.
In addition to the territory of the mainland, part of West Germany was Berlin. After World War II, Berlin, like Germany, was occupied by the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, and France. Later, Germany was divided, and Berlin was located in East Germany. However, East Germany and West Germany each occupied part of Berlin, so part of Berlin was a West German enclave. Of course, West German-controlled Berlin was still developing very well. Far more economically powerful than East German-controlled Berlin.
Although West Germany was strong, it was not very strong militarily. After all, because Germany launched World War II, the post-war Allies imposed strict restrictions on Germany's military. West Germany was far less militarily powerful than East Germany. However, due to the beginning of the Cold War between East and West, West Germany became the front line and its military strength increased.
When Germany came under german rule in 1990, it was precisely West Germany that unified Germany. At that time, the East German government was automatically dissolved and ceased to exist. The East German states automatically decided whether to join West Germany, so all the states joined West Germany and Germany was unified. This unified way is still very good, which can save a lot of trouble. After all, if East Germany joined West Germany as a state, there would be many international disputes.
In general, West Germany was still a very important force in the world at that time. After all, West Germany's economic strength is very strong, which cannot be ignored. Although West Germany later ceased to exist, the impression remained. Of course, the current Germany is the West Germany at that time, and the name of the country has not changed. However, without the existence of East Germany, it was impossible to become West Germany