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Germany

 Flag of Germany
Last reviewed: 15 April 2009

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HISTORY

Following the end of the Second World War, Germany was divided up into four zones, as was the capital, Berlin. Following the Potsdam conference in 1945, the introduction of the Deutschmark in the Western zones in 1948 and the Berlin blockade, the Federal Republic of Germany FRG (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic GDR (East Germany) were founded in 1949. The Berlin wall was built in 1961, as the East German authorities fought to prevent the exodus of citizens fleeing to the West. The FRG became a member of NATO and a founding member of the EU, whilst the GDR became firmly entrenched in the Soviet pact. Political pressure and the increasing détente between East and West led to a lifting of travel restrictions from the GDR and to the eventual fall of the Berlin Wall. Following free elections in the GDR, the two countries were re-united on 3 October 1990.

More than a decade after reunification, there are still differences in living standards between the eastern (or new) and western Länder and unemployment is still a key issue in the East. Germany has been at the forefront of EU economic union and since 1 January 2002, the Euro has been legal tender.

BBC Timeline of Germany

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