14 Harsh Realities Of Life In Germany After WWII

After Germany lost, Berlin split.Berlin split into four zones, one for each Allied power. As the Allies' ties with Russia weakened, Berliners faced the tension.Berlin split into four zones, one for each Allied power. As the Allies' ties with Russia weakened, Berliners faced the main stress.The Berlin Blockade cut off access to East Berlin, forcing other Allies to airlift supplies to residents.Russia established what became known as the [BLANK], cutting off the eastern Berlin access and forcing other Allies to airlift supplies to residents needing aid.This action planted the early seeds of the Cold War.Post-WWII tension over Germany planted these seeds; both sides avoided fighting, but Berlin and Germany became tools for larger world powers.

This situation led to the 1961 building of the [BLANK].The Berlin Wall stood as a physical barrier and a symbol of Berlin's split for nearly 30 years.This wall became a physical barrier and a symbol of Berlin's split for almost 30 years.

Constant shelling and air strikes hurt the German countryside. They destroyed crops and livestock. Berlin's infrastructure was ruined, stopping outside food delivery. Rationing began in WWII and grew. By 1946, the British zone lowered the average German food allowance to 1,000 calories per day.80 percent of historic buildings in the main cities faced ruin.As the denazified school system and the rest of the German government reassembled, Berlin children had little structure. Many were orphaned or lost a parent, leaving few adult supervisors. Children, especially teens and preteens, roamed the streets in packs.

When schools reopened, often in damaged buildings, they lacked funding and staff. Some schools showed student-to-faculty ratios of 89 to 1.

Constant shelling and air strikes hurt the German countryside, destroying crops and livestock. Berlin's infrastructure was ruined, blocking outside food supply. Rationing began during WWII and rose; by 1946, the British zone cut the average German citizen's food to a meager 1,000 calories per day.The average German citizen received 1,000 calories per day..

The winter of 1946-1947 was called the "Hunger Winter" and some estimates suggest the average caloric intake was as low as 700 calories daily—far below starvation levels. Hundreds of thousands of Germans died from famine and related conditions between 1945 and 1949.

As the [BLANK] was denazified,the school system—and the rest of the German government—was put back together. Berlin's children had little structure. Many were orphaned or lost a parent, leaving no adult supervisors. Children, especially teens and preteens, roamed the streets in packs..When schools reopened, often in damaged buildings, they lacked funding and staff. Some schools reported student-to-faculty ratios of 89 to 1..

The reputation of the [BLANK] has been trumped up.

The reputation of the [BLANK] has been trumped up.This came from the work of propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels.Joseph Goebbels worked on this.[BLANK],[BLANK]Operation WerwolfWerwolf was the supposed code name for the German underground resistance. During WWII, this group functioned as a uniformed paramilitary unit. After the war ended, some Third Reich loyalists used the name Werwolf to fight back.

The destruction of a military outpost happened inBremen.Some claimed this was a Werwolf operation, and so didthe death of General Nikolai Berzarina Soviet commandant in Berlin's Soviet sector. No proof shows the underground group carried out these events.

As refugees returned, they brought many sicknesses. The malnourished population struggled against dysentery, typhoid fever, and diphtheria epidemics.These epidemics swept through Berlin.The city's broken water and sewage systems caused these sicknesses. Conflict limited hospital space, medicine, and equipment. Production and distribution issues made replacing lost supplies nearly impossible.

Hospital staff became scarce. Doctors and nurses faced huge demand.

STDs quickly became a major worry for the military.The military faced a major concern.Estimates suggest as many as 400,000 children of Allied soldiers were born to German women after WWII.400,000 children of Allied soldiers were born to German women.Children of Allied servicemen and German women were born after WWII. Both sides ostracized these children and their mothers. German communities shunned them. Allied governments protected their soldiers from duties.Allied governments protected soldiers from child support payments..

Though those rules eased, German children of Allied servicemen still faced problems, especially mixed-race children. The US banned interracial marriages until 1948, and "Negermischlinge," or "Negro half-breeds," faced harsh treatment in Germany.Negermischlinge."Negro half-breeds" faced especially cruel treatment in Germany.

By the end of WWII, the German economy had one major problem: the Reichsmark was worthless.The ReichsmarkThe Reichsmark had lost value so much that trading with it became nearly impossible. Desperate overprinting inflation, plus new Allied-printed Marks, made the notes almost worthless, turning Berlin into a barter economy. When the Allied occupation introduced the new Deutsche Mark under the Marshall Plan, it had a stabilizing effect on the German economy.The Deutsche Mark.The Deutsche Mark, introduced as part of the Marshall Plan, had a stabilizing effect on the German economy.The Deutsche Mark had a profoundly stabilizing effect on the German economy.With a usable currency, businesses could pay workers again. People started returning to work. Commerce functioned again, and the German economy slowly started moving forward.

Businesses could pay employees with the established currency. People returned to work. Commerce functioned again, and the German economy started cranking back to life.

With strict rationing laws, a busy underground market existed.An underground market thrived.Soldiers sold food, medicine, cigarettes, alcohol, foreign goods, and contraband. Soldiers brought rations, items bought at the PX, care packages from home (and equipment swiped from the military), and sold these to desperate German customers for a good profit.

The escort business grew because the occupying male force created massive demand. Many destitute German women had no other way to feed themselves or their families. Many of these illegal deals happened privately; however, several large outdoor markets also existed.Large outdoor markets existed.One market was in Tiergarten, where soldiers mixed with Berlin natives and products from all sorts of goods.All sorts of goods were available for trade.All sorts of goods were available for trade.

When the US first took Berlin, strict non-fraternization rules existed. American soldiers could not correspond privately, accept gifts, or speak to German citizens. Many soldiers broke these rules. Hundreds of arrests occurred.The Army acknowledges this.This represented only a small fraction of the fraternization the Army knew was happening. Up to 80 percent of enlisted men broke the rules at some point.Eighty percent of enlisted men estimated this.Eighty percent of enlisted men broke the rules at some point.

Soldiers faced risks like court-martial, imprisonment, losing pay, or dishonorable discharge. Contact between soldiers and citizens, especially women, seemed unavoidable. Major William Hill said, "Soldiers are going to have their fling regardless of rules or orders. If they are caught they know what the punishment will be. However, that is not stopping them and nothing is going to stop them."

After WWII, nearly 7 million people remained.Seven million people were displaced.These people tried to return to their homes in Allied nations alone, or they found they had no home left. Returning concentration camp survivors, POWs, and other refugees walked across the country, often staying in DP camps.They sometimes stayed in DP camps.Other times, they just took shelter wherever they could find it. Displaced persons, or DPs, often faced horrific treatment.Displaced persons were often subjected to horrific treatment.They found themselves further rejected after reaching home.

A lot of crime was blamed on DPs. Many DPs were accused of petty theft to feed themselves; some faced more severe accusations. These incidents caused fear and distrust of DPs, who then faced suspicion and rejection in peacetime after surviving WWII's horrors.

British and US militaries relaxed contact with Berlin residents after months of trying to stop all contact.The non-fraternization policy ultimately reversed, partly because of children.General Dwight D. Eisenhower allowed contact with residents under 12 because soldiers feared the ban forced them to act rudely or cruelly toward children.

This opened other gray areas in fraternization laws, making them harder to enforce. Allied powers finally changed course, encouraging fraternization to boost cooperation in rebuilding.

Women in Berlin faced brutal trials. Millions of women became widowed from the conflict, many with children to raise. Many women lost their only money source; either their husband or family died, or their jobs vanished.

Occupying armies treated the native population cruelly.Forced intercourse occurred.Forced intercourse became a sad reality for German women.Millions of women suffered.Occupying soldiers victimized millions of women. This "Unknown Holocaust" is a shameful part of the victors' history.The victors' history often omits this.This history is often left out of reconstruction accounts.

The German defeat happened alone. Public knowledge of the regime's cruelty lessened support for the Third Reich.The Nuremberg Trials followed.The Nuremberg Trials began in 1945, adding shame and resentment toward the former ruling party. Citizens and soldiers started cleaning up Berlin's damage, especially after the passing of the Marshall Plan.Citizens and soldiers worked together to clean up Berlin's devastation after the Marshall Plan.An atmosphere of cooperation formed.

With weapons, ammunition, and able bodies sent to the front, there were few resources for resistance.