Tag der Einheit

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Tag der Einheit
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At the end of World War II, Germany was in ruins.
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At the Potsdam Conference in 1945, France, the
United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet
Union decided to divide Germany into four
occupation zones. Each country would control a
part of Germany until its sovereignty was
restored.
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Under Soviet control
Under British control
Under French Control
Under U.S. control
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The city of Berlin was also divided into four
sectors.
The city of Berlin was also divided into four
zones.
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In 1949, the three western sections formed the
Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik
Deutschland) with its capital in Bonn.
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The Soviet controlled eastern section became the
German Democratic Republic (Deutsche
Demokratische Republik). The capital was East
Berlin.
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The two countries developed in different ways and
at different rates. In the beginning it was
relatively easy to travel between the two
Germanies. As West Germany became more successful
and prosperous, many citizens of East Germany
choose to leave for the West. This caused some
serious problems for the DDR.
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On the night of August 13, 1961, East German
troops sealed the border between West and East
Berlin and started to build the Berlin Wall,
literally and physically enclosing West Berlin.
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The Wall became the symbol of the Cold War and
the division of Europe.
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During the summer of 1989, rapid changes took
place in East Germany. Growing numbers of East
Germans emigrated to West Germany via Hungary
after the Hungarians decided not to use force to
stop them. Thousands of East Germans also tried
to reach the West by staging sit-ins at West
German diplomatic facilities in other East
European capitals.
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On November 4,1989, a demonstration in East
Berlin drew as many as 1 million East Germans.
And then, on November 9 the wall was opened to
allow free travel between East and West Berlin.
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On October 3, 1990 the formal reunification of
Germany, joining the German Democratic Republic
and the Federal Republic of Germany was
finalized. Berlin was designated as the capital.