Was the USSR primarily responsible for the division of Germany in 1949?

yes
1. Berlin blockade (1948-49) - intended to drive Western allies out of West Berlin - actually strengthened them and led to the formation of the FRG (1949) and NATO
2. The USSR took control of most of Eastern Europe - Stalin wanted to create a 'buffer zone' between the USSR and the West
3. The soviet occupation of the GDR was a massive economic drain on the USSR
4. Russian policies of denazification and social reform were more extreme than in the west - Eastern Bloc countries were forced to adopt Communist systems of government
no
1. Russia had suffered huge casualties in WWII - 25 million dead. This hardened attitudes towards Germany's future
2. President Truman distrusted the USSR and wanted to be harsh with them
3. Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan - aimed to resist communism
4. Bizonia created in 1947 - can be seen as an anti-Russian move
5. 1947 - Western allies rejected Stalin's proposal for a united Germany - they feared it would be dominated by the USSR
6. June 1949 - Deutschmark introduced - created 2 seperate political systems and weakened the East's economy
7. Adenauer strengthened the West's relations with the USA, UK and France - compulsory military service and joining NATO in 1955 showed this

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	Created by Eva Clifton almost 10 years ago