Curated category
Aftermath of World War II in Germany
- Restatement of Policy on GermanyIn 1946, American Occupation General Lucius D. Clay observed that Germans faced a stark choice between starvation and ideology.
- Allied plans for German industry after World War IIIn July 1945, Allied leaders gathered at the Potsdam Conference to decide Germany's future. The United States sought to implement the Morgenthau Plan, a…
- Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–1950)The flight and expulsion of Germans between 1944 and 1950 stands as the largest forced migration in modern European history.
- German Instrument of SurrenderThe German Instrument of Surrender was signed at 22:43 Central European Time on the 8th of May 1945, in a building that had served as the seat of the Soviet…
- History of Germany (1945–1990)On the 5th of June 1945, the four Allied powers signed the Berlin Declaration, formally abolishing the German Reich. What remained of Germany was a shattered…
- Morgenthau PlanThe Morgenthau Plan began as a handwritten memorandum in 1944 and very nearly erased one of the world's great industrial nations from the map.
- WirtschaftswunderThe Wirtschaftswunder, a German word meaning "economic miracle," describes one of the most dramatic reversals of fortune in modern history.
- Soviet occupation zone in GermanyOn the 2nd of August 1945, the Soviet Union established control over a specific middle portion of Germany through the Potsdam Agreement.
- Elbe DayElbe Day, the 25th of April 1945, began with a small boat crossing a river in Germany. First Lieutenant Albert Kotzebue paddled across the Elbe near Strehla…
- Victory Day (9 May)Victory Day on the 9th of May is one of the most emotionally charged public holidays in Russia and across the former Soviet world.
- World War II reparationsWorld War II reparations stand as one of the most contested and far-reaching financial settlements in modern history. When the guns finally fell silent in…