How did Germany change after World War 2?

Answer 1

Germany after WWIIThis is an enormous topic. Here are some points.

• At the end of WWII Germany suffered a devastating defeat. In addition to everything else it was politically and morally bankrupt.
• Germany lost its eastern provinces - East Prussia, Silesia and most of Pommerania.

Most of the population, which was German, was brutally expelled to the Western Zones of Germany. The German-speaking population of the Sudetenland (in Bohemia and Moravia) was also expelled. An estimated 11.7 milion Germans were forcibly expelled, of whom at least 1 million perished.

• Prussia was dissolved and there is no likelihood of its being restored.
• As a result of the Cold War the country was split into East and West. Re-unification had to wait till 1990.
• The West German economy enjoyed a period of spectacular growth from about 1950 onwards.
• Democracy became firmly established in West Germany.
• In West German (and later Germany as a whole) there have been notable attempts to "confront the past".

Answer 2

After World War II, Germany was divided into East and West Germany. East Germany became a communist state under Soviet influence, while West Germany emerged as a capitalist democracy aligned with the Western allies. The country was rebuilt economically and politically, eventually reunifying in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall.