West Germany

West Germany was the Federal Republic of Germany from its founding in 1949 until reunification in 1990. It was a sovereign parliamentary democracy aligned with the Western bloc during the Cold War.

Allied occupation of Germany: The division of Germany into occupation zones administered by the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union after 1945. The western occupation zones became the territorial basis for the new republic.
Federalism in Germany: Germany's constitutional division of authority between the federal government and its constituent states, or Länder. The Länder shared lawmaking and administration with the federal government.
Konrad Adenauer: West Germany's first chancellor, serving from 1949 to 1963 and pursuing close ties with Western powers. His government secured sovereignty and embedded the new state in Western institutions.
Wirtschaftswunder: The rapid economic growth and rising prosperity experienced in West Germany during the 1950s and early 1960s. The boom transformed living standards and strengthened the republic's legitimacy.
East Germany: The common name for the German Democratic Republic, the socialist state that existed from 1949 to 1990. Its political system and Soviet alignment contrasted with West Germany's democracy and Western ties.
Bizone: The 1947 economic union of the American and British occupation zones in Germany. Its institutions and territory prepared the way for a western German state.
Bundestag: Germany's federal parliament, whose members are elected by the public and which chooses the chancellor. It made and scrutinized federal policy and elected the head of government.
Ludwig Erhard: West German economist and politician who served as chancellor from 1963 to 1966 after directing economic policy. He became closely associated with the economic model behind the postwar boom.
New Eastern Policy: The West German policy of improving relations with Eastern Europe and East Germany, pursued under Willy Brandt. It produced treaties that eased tensions without abandoning the goal of German unity.
Neutralism: A foreign-policy stance that avoids formal alignment with competing military blocs. West Germany chose NATO membership rather than neutrality amid Cold War division.

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