West Germany
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West Germany was the informal name for the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1990, during which years the Federal Republic did not yet include East Germany. Since the German reunification of 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany is informally called simply Germany.
West Germany was proclaimed May 23, 1949, with Bonn as capital, and included the post-World War II UK, US, and French occupation zones. West Germany was declared "fully sovereign" May 5, 1955, although with the former occupying troops remaining on the ground, just as the Soviet Army remained in East Germany.
West Germany joined NATO on May 9, 1955, thus becoming a focus of the Cold War with its juxtaposition to East Germany, a member of the subsequently founded Warsaw Pact. The former German capital, Berlin, was also divided into East Berlin and West Berlin but West Berlin was completely surrounded by East Germany.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, the unification of the two Germanies was quickly arranged: formally, West Germany grew by annexing the territory of East Germany, and is now known simply as Germany. This took place on October 3, 1990, and the four occupying powers officially withdrew on March 15, 1991. US forces, however, maintained military bases, such as Ramstein Air Base, Baumholder, and Grafenwöhr.
Related articles
- Berlin
- Bonn
- East Berlin
- East Germany
- Flag of West Germany
- Germany
- History of Germany since 1945
- History of West Germany
- Politics of Germany
- West Berlin
Occupying powers
- British Army of the Rhine (BAOR)
- United States Seventh Army (USAREUR)
- US Army in Germany (http://www.usarmygermany.com/)
See Also
da:Vesttyskland de:Westdeutschland eo:Okcidenta Germanio et:Lne-Saksamaa gl:Alemaa do Oeste id:Jerman Barat it:Germania Ovest he:גרמניה המערבית sl:Zahodna Nemčija sv:Vsttyskland pt:Alemanha Ocidental sr:Западна Немачка zh:西德 nl:West-Duitsland