Two Germanys: FRG and GDR 1949–1989

For forty years, two German states embodied the ideological confrontation of the Cold War. The Federal Republic became a prosperous liberal democracy integrated into the Western alliance; the GDR was a Soviet-aligned socialist state relying on repression and the Berlin Wall to prevent its citizens from leaving. The central question is: what made the FRG succeed and the GDR fail?

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The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG)

The Adenauer Era (1949–1963)

Konrad Adenauer (CDU) served as Chancellor for 14 years and shaped the FRG's fundamental character:

Policy	Detail	Significance
Westintegration	NATO membership (1955); European Coal and Steel Community (1951); EEC (1957)	Anchored Germany firmly in the Western alliance; sovereignty restored
Hallstein Doctrine	FRG claimed to be the sole legitimate German state; broke relations with countries recognising the GDR	Maintained claim to represent all Germans; isolated the GDR diplomatically
Social Market Economy	Soziale Marktwirtschaft — capitalism with a welfare safety net	Combined free enterprise with social protection
Rearmament	Bundeswehr established 1955; joined NATO	Controversial but essential for Western defence and sovereignty