The Federal Republic of Germany was foiunded on May 23, 1949. It included the West Allies' occupation zones. Read and see more about the history of the country in this photo gallery by ITAR-TASS.
Four decades of West Germany
The Federal Republic of Germany was created 65 years ago
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On 4–11 February 1945 US, UK and Soviet leaders held a conference in the USSR's Yalta, where they made arrengements about the post-war Europe. Photo: Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin in Yalta
© ITAR-TASS/Archive/Sarariy Gurariy They agreed to split Germany into four occupation zones: French, British, American and Soviet. Photo: a view of Berlin at the end of the war (May 1945)
© ITAR-TASS/Ivan Shagin Berlin was also devided into four sectors, eventually merging into West Berlin, controlled by the Western Allies, and East Berlin, held by the Soviets. Photo: center of Berlin after the war
© Fotokhronika TASS/Reproduction As the Cold War started, the occupation zones began to merge, leaving the Soviet and the Western Allied zone, surrounded by East German territory. Photo: West Berlin children watch US airplanes during the Berlin Airlift, that stopped the Soviet blockade
© AP Photo/File In the 1950's the USSR started controlling national movement. In 1956, all travel to the West was restricted and in 1961 the construction of a wall between two parts of Berlin started
© AP Photo, File The capital of the new state — Federal Republic of Germany — was de facto the city of Bonn. Photo: US president John Kennedy alongside German Chancellor Adenauer in Bonn
© AP Photo The majority of East Germans could not travel to West Germany, families were split, some people were cut off from their jobs
© AP Photo/Werner Kreusch, File In the late 1980's East Germans started mass emigration through Hungary. The wall lost its significance and was demolished. The date on which the Wall fell is considered to have been 9 November 1989
© ITAR-TASS/Archive Berliners sing and dance on top of The Berlin Wall to celebrate the opening of East-West German borders
© AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle East German citizens crowd a mobile bank office in West Berlin to pick up "welcome money" donated by the West Germany government for East Germans visiting the West
© AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau German reunification took place in 1990. The end of the unification process is officially referred to as German unity, celebrated on October 3. Photo: East German Parliament members vote for reunification
© AP-Photo/ebh/str/Arne Dedert On 20 June 1991, it was decided, that both government and parliament should move to Berlin from Bonn
© AP Photo/Markus Schreiber