Germany, Federal Republic Of

(FRG)

   Established on 23 May 1949 and known as West Germany, the FRG consisted of the nine regions or states occupied by British, French, and U.S. forces after World War II. This was a consequence of economic unification to facilitate administration of the Marshall Plan. The move to statehood accelerated following the Berlin Airlift. In 1949, parliamentary elections were held and a new federal government under Konrad Adenauer established. In response to the creation of the FRG, Soviet forces of occupation in the east established the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in October 1949, and the divided Germany remained at the center of the Cold War. In 1954, the FRG joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Improved relations with the Soviet Union and more especially with the GDR in the 1960s led to mutual recognition of the two states in 1972 and their admission to the United Nations in 1973. The collapse of the GDR led to reunification in 1990.