In the long history after World War II, the two regimes of the Federal Republic of Germany and the GDR became two political pearls cultivated by the United States and the Soviet Union in their respective spheres of influence. In 1949, with the birth of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the GDR (East Germany), Germany officially ushered in a forty-year period. Over the past 40 years, however, the gap between the two countries widened until German reunification in 1990. Why, then, was the Federal Republic of Germany so far ahead of the GDR?There are a number of historical reasons for this.
First of all, the Federal Republic of Germany is inherently equipped with some relatively superior conditions. The Federal Republic of Germany far surpassed the GDR in terms of population and territorial size. The existence of the Ruhr industrial region made the Federal Republic of Germany an important industrial and economic centre, while the GDR was mainly confined to agriculture and light industry. This difference laid the foundation for the Federal Republic of Germany from the very beginning.
Second, the two Germans chose different paths of development during the Cold War. The Federal Republic of Germany entrusted the United States with its entire defense and devoted itself to economic construction. The Marshall Plan provided Germany with a great deal of aid, which allowed the German economy to flourish. The GDR, on the other hand, turned to the Soviet Union, but it fell into economic difficulties. The Soviet Union exploited the East German economy to the point of depletion by purchasing German industrial goods at low prices. As a result, the Federal Republic of Germany, which chose wisely, was able to rise rapidly.
Finally, the issue of military security is also a key factor in the power gap between the two Germanys. The Federal Republic of Germany handed over its defense to the United States and concentrated on economic development;And the GDR, under the control of the Soviet Union, paid too much attention to the military industry, and huge military expenditures became a burden. Moreover, East Germany also had to bear the high cost of the Soviet garrison, which made the economy even more strained.
These historical choices and coincidences have made the power gap between the two Germany more and more obvious. Of course, history always leaves a series"If"However, in the long history of reunification, the success of the Federal Republic of Germany in surpassing the GDR was not only accidental, but also the result of the interaction of many factors.