West Germany

Admiral Karl Donitz (leader of Germany since Hitler’s suicide), authorized General Alfred Jodl to conclude an armistice with the Western Allies on May 6 in order to continue the war with Russians. Eisenhower demanded full and unconditional surrender, which the Germans were forced to agree to. On May 7, 1945 at Rheims, France General Jodl signed the document on behalf of the German government. The armistice took effect the next day at 11:00 PM.

When the war ended in May, the only Allied soldiers in Berlin were the Soviet forces that had fought their way in at the end of April 1945. Under the terms of the Yalta Agreement, Berlin was to be divided into four occupation zones (US, British, French, and Soviet) under the control of the Allied Control Council. American forces officially arrived on July 4 at a ceremony on the grounds of the former Prussian Military Academy. The US Army would remain in Berlin until 1994.

Harry Truman, Winston Churchill (later Clement Atlee), and Josef Stalin met in the German city of Potsdam to discuss the future of Europe. It had earlier been determined at the Yalta Conference that a meeting between the “Big Three” would be held following the surrender of Germany. Several agreements emerged from Potsdam that would confirm the occupation of Germany, matters pertaining to War Criminals, and territorial issues in Eastern Europe.

Responding to the Western Allies currency reforms in the Western occupation zones, Stalin ordered the land access routes to Berlin to be blockaded. This act cut off over 2,500,000 people living in the Western zones with minimal food stocks. The West responded by launching what became known as the Berlin Airlift. US and British cargo planes flew round the clock sorties to supply the city. Eventually 213,000 sorties carrying 1.7 million tons of supplies would be flown to Berlin.

Soviets re-open access routes to Berlin, ending the Berlin blockade (though the airlift continued until September)

A new Federal Republic of Germany was formed by combining the French, British, and American occupation zones. Konrad Adenauer, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), was elected the first Chancellor of the new FRG. The Western Allied powers formally withdrew any power over their former occupation zones. However, Western troops remained in the new FRG.

The Allies officially end the occupation of West Germany, leading to the creation of a new Western-oriented state in Europe.

After years of diplomatic maneuvering and despite French fears, it was agreed to allow West Germany to reform an army and, in turn, to join the NATO alliance. The new army was limited to 600,000 men and tight alliance controls helped to dispel any fear that the West Germans might launch a new war of aggression against its neighbors.

Second Berlin Crisis Begins, as Khrushchev requests that the Western Allies leave Berlin.  

Walter Ulbricht officially ordered his police and security forces to begin construction of a barrier that would surround West Berlin, effectively cutting the city in two. Over the next 28 years the wall was steadily expanded and refined, with all access except for a few roads between the East and West sectors cut.

In a speech in West Berlin, President John F. Kennedy said, “All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin. And therefore, as a free man, I take pride in saying, ‘Ich bin ein Berliner" [I am a Berliner].

An agreement was signed by Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union that codified West Berlin’s ties with West Germany. This agreement helped to significantly reduce tensions between the East and West over the issue of Berlin.

The Basic Treaty governing relations between East and West Germany is signed by both parties. Both states agreed to recognize each other, and the four powers agreed to support their admission to the United Nations. This was undertaken with the caveat that it would not affect the status of Berlin in any way.

Due to Soviet deployment of the SS-20 missile in East Germany and Eastern Europe, NATO decided in December 1979 to accept the new US Pershing II missile system. Despite political pressure and mass protests in Western Europe, the first missile battery became operational in December 1983, with all 108 missiles deployed by December 1985. Eventually the missiles were removed under the terms of the INF Treaty signed in December 1987. All missiles were withdrawn between October 1988 and December 1989.

In a speech in West Berlin, President Ronald Reagan says, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” 

In an unprecedented move, Erich Honecker, leader of East Germany, visited the capital of West Germany. The new Chancellor of West Germany, Helmut Kohl, received Honecker with full state honors. This was significant because it was a further indicator that the FRG accepted the GDR on an equal setting in the realm of state politics.

After a misunderstanding, Günter Schabowski announced in a press conference the opening of all border crossings within Berlin and with the Federal Republic of Germany. Tens of thousands of people immediately went to the Wall, where the border guards opened access points and allowed them to cross.

Bush and Gorbachev opened their second summit in Washington, and Gorbachev said during the course of the summit: "Germans should decide whether or not they're in NATO."

The "Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany" more commonly known as the "Two Plus Four Treaty" was the final peace treaty negotiated between the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic, and the Four Powers that occupied Germany at the end of World War II in Europe - France, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union. The treaty paved the way for the German re-unification, which took place on October 3.

Following a treaty signed by the four occupying powers and the two German states in Moscow on September 12, the two Germanys were officially reunited as one into the Federal Republic of Germany. The first free elections of a unified Germany were held on December 2, 1990.