☰ Contents · World history

Germany and Italy, 1946–1991

Lessons 22 · 1 lessons · Sh. Ergashev, B. Xodjayev, J. Abdullayev. World history (1918–1991), Grade 10, 1st edition. Turon-Iqbol Publishing House, Tashkent, 2017
22

Germany and Italy, 1946–1991

Textbook: pp. 99–104
GoalExplain the division and reunification of Germany, West Germany’s “economic miracle” and the development of the Italian Republic.
New words
occupation zones · okkupatsiya zonalari“economic miracle” · «iqtisodiy mo‘jiza»Berlin Wall · Berlin devoriTreaty of Rome · Rim shartnomasi
Explanation

In 1945 defeated Germany was divided into American, Soviet, British and French zones, and Berlin was divided into four sectors. Under Cold War conditions the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) was created in the western zones on 23 May 1949 and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the Soviet zone on 7 October. In the FRG, thanks to the policy of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (1949–1963) and economics minister Ludwig Erhard, Marshall aid and the social market economy, rapid recovery (the “economic miracle”) occurred in the 1950s–1960s; in 1955 the FRG joined NATO and in 1957 became one of the founders of the Treaty of Rome. The GDR had a one-party system and a planned economy; because many people were leaving for the West, the Berlin Wall was built on 13 August 1961. In 1969–1974 Willy Brandt’s “Ostpolitik” improved relations with Eastern European countries. In autumn 1989 mass protests grew in the GDR, the wall was opened on 9 November, and on 3 October 1990 Germany was reunified (Chancellor Helmut Kohl). In Italy the republic was chosen in the referendum of 2 June 1946 and a new constitution entered into force on 1 January 1948; Italy took part in NATO (1949) and the Treaty of Rome (1957), experienced economic growth (an “economic miracle”) in the 1950s–1960s, while in the 1970s–1980s governments changed frequently and terrorism and organised crime were serious problems.

Worked examples
The Berlin Wall: from 1961 to 1989 it separated East and West Berlin; there were victims among people trying to cross it. On the night of 9 November 1989 an announcement about opening the border led to mass crossings.
Comparing Italy and Germany: both adopted democratic constitutions after fascist/Nazi pasts and joined NATO and European integration; the difference is that Germany was divided in two while Italy remained one state.
Class activity

On a map mark the borders of the FRG and GDR, the four sectors of Berlin and the line of the Berlin Wall; then write the date of reunification, 1990.

Practice
1
When were the FRG and the GDR created?
2
When was the Berlin Wall built and when was it opened?
3
When was Germany reunified?
4
When and how did Italy become a republic?