West Germany was the informal name of the Federal Republic of Germany between its creation in May 1949 and German reunification in October 1990. It was formed from the American, British and French occupation zones after the Basic Law, its constitution, came into force. Bonn served as the capital and Konrad Adenauer was the first chancellor. Supported by the Marshall Plan and a currency reform, West Germany experienced a rapid economic recovery known as the Wirtschaftswunder. It joined NATO in 1955 and was a founding member of the European Economic Community. Under Willy Brandt in the 1970s it pursued a policy of easing relations with the East. In 1990 the territory of East Germany joined the Federal Republic, and the name West Germany passed into history.
Before and after
- 5 May 1949Founding of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
- 16 May 1949Founding of Tokyo Stock Exchange
- 19 May 1949Birth of Ashraf Ghani
- 23 May 1949Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany
- from 23 May 1949 to 3 October 1990West Germany
- 18 June 1949Birth of Lech Kaczyński
- 18 August 1949Founding of French Civil Aviation University
- 23 September 1949Birth of Bruce Springsteen
- 25 September 1949Birth of Pedro Almodóvar
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- from 2 September 1945 to 2 July 1976North Vietnam
- 1950Discovery of the Ishango bone
- 1952Michael Ventris deciphers Linear B
- from 1958 to 1971United Arab Republic
- from 1958 to 1960French New Wave
- 21 September 1981Founding of Belize
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.