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

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

1. yes

   • 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
   • The USSR took control of most of Eastern Europe - Stalin wanted to create a 'buffer zone' between the USSR and the West
   • The soviet occupation of the GDR was a massive economic drain on the USSR
   • 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

2. no

   • Russia had suffered huge casualties in WWII - 25 million dead. This hardened attitudes towards Germany's future
   • President Truman distrusted the USSR and wanted to be harsh with them
   • Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan - aimed to resist communism
   • Bizonia created in 1947 - can be seen as an anti-Russian move
   • 1947 - Western allies rejected Stalin's proposal for a united Germany - they feared it would be dominated by the USSR
   • June 1949 - Deutschmark introduced - created 2 seperate political systems and weakened the East's economy
   • Adenauer strengthened the West's relations with the USA, UK and France - compulsory military service and joining NATO in 1955 showed this