Post WWII in Germany
The Aftermath
After Germany was defeated by the allies there was no plan for the country postwar. Everything including all resources were poured into war efforts, leaving the population mourning over the loss of millions of people.
During the 1945 speech on May 8th Marshall Bernard Montgomery who stated “Displaced Persons' were roaming about the country, often looting as they went. Transportation and communication services had ceased to function. Agriculture and industry were largely at a standstill. Food was scarce and there was a serious risk of famine and disease during the coming months. And to crown it all there was no central government in being, and the machinery whereby a central government could function no longer existed." |
Division of Berlin After Germany’s was defeated, the capital of Germany Berlin was divided into four separate zones by each of the allied powers. However when the allied relationship with Russia fell apart, Russians set up the Berlin Blockade cut off access to the eastern side of Berlin. This was an early symbol of the Cold War, and the tension eventually lead to the Berlin Wall in 1961. This caused the separation of east and West Berlin for 30 years. Devastation and Destruction The cities were also devastated from the war with an estimated of 80 percent of historic buildings lost in Berlin with little to no reconstruction plans in place. Buildings were unliveable leaving many people made due with what they had, living with family members whose houses were still standing. Many businesses went back into working after the war with buildings missing roofs and walls. With bombings affecting the German countryside, many crops and livestock were destroyed, greatly devastating the country and its people. After the war rationing increased to only 1,000 calories per person per day. These ration sizes became even smaller during the “Hunger Winter” of 1947-1948 with calories intake below starvation levels at at 700 calories per day. Disease and Infection Many soldiers after the war returned to Germany injured and with much of the population malnourished. Berlin was hit with Dysentery, Typhoid fever, and Diphtheria epidemics many of these infections caused by the lack of water and poor sewage system. Hospital space and medical help were in high demand but due to the war medical equipment and hospital staff were of short supply. |