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Faces and moments: Post-War period

Following the Second World War the USA assumed a decisive role in the reconstruction of Germany.

10.10.2018
Potsdam Conference from 17 July until 2 August 1945
Potsdam Conference From 17 July until 2 August 1945, the Allies met at Cecilienhof Palace for the Potsdam Conference in order to decide how they should go about administering Germany after its unconditional surrender. It was attended by the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States – represented by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, General Secretary of the Communist Party Joseph Stalin, and US President Harry S. Truman (from left to right). © dpa
Group 47 was the name given to the German-language writers
Group 47 (Gruppe 47) Group 47 was the name given to the German-language writers who attended meetings organized by Hans Werner Richter between 1947 and 1967. In the early days, Group 47 provided young writers with a platform for renewing German literature after the Second World War. Members of the group would influence the development of German-language literature up until the early 1970s. The best-known members of the group include Heinrich Böll, Martin Walser and Günter Grass. © dpa
Konrad Adenauer Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
Konrad Adenauer In 1949 Konrad Adenauer became the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany and shifted the focus from denazification to reconstruction. With close relations to France, the United Kingdom and the United States, he led West Germany to democracy, stability, international respect and economic prosperity. © Picture Alliance
Potsdam Conference from 17 July until 2 August 1945
Potsdam Conference From 17 July until 2 August 1945, the Allies met at Cecilienhof Palace for the Potsdam Conference in order to decide how they should go about administering Germany after its unconditional surrender. It was attended by the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States – represented by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, General Secretary of the Communist Party Joseph Stalin, and US President Harry S. Truman (from left to right). © dpa
Airman Gail Seymour “Hal” Halvorsen.
Gail Seymour Halvorsen During the Berlin Blockade from June 1948 until May 1949, Western Allied aeroplanes supplied the cut-off city. Gail Seymour Halvorsen is the most famous pilot of what were known in Berlin as “Raisin Bombers”: The airman later became commander of Berlin’s Tempelhof airport. © dpa
The Berlin Airlift.
Gail Seymour Halvorsen During the Berlin Blockade from June 1948 until May 1949, Western Allied aeroplanes supplied the cut-off city. Gail Seymour Halvorsen is the most famous pilot of what were known in Berlin as “Raisin Bombers”: The airman later became commander of Berlin’s Tempelhof airport. © dpa
ERP stands for “European Recovery Program”.
Marshall Plan To help war-ravaged Europe back on its feet, in 1948 the USA introduced the Marshall Plan. Officially called the “European Recovery Program” (ERP), it brought goods and loans with a present-day value of 131 billion dollars to Europe. It bears the name of then US Secretary of State George C. Marshall, who is said to have drawn it up. © dpa
The assistance was more than welcome.
Marshall Plan To help war-ravaged Europe back on its feet, in 1948 the USA introduced the Marshall Plan. Officially called the “European Recovery Program” (ERP), it brought goods and loans with a present-day value of 131 billion dollars to Europe. It bears the name of then US Secretary of State George C. Marshall, who is said to have drawn it up. © dpa
Ernst Reuter speaks in front of the ruins of the Reichstag.
Ernst Reuter During the Soviet blockade of Berlin, the city’s Mayor Ernst Reuter appealed to the “people of the world” on 9 September 1948 in front of 300,000 Berliners: Berlin was a bastion of liberty, he said, that must not be forsaken by the Western Allies. The moving speech made Reuter a symbol of the city’s perseverance and helped establish the airlift in the face of initial reservations. © dpa
George C. Marshall
George C. Marshall The United States Secretary of State George C. Marshall formulated the Marshall Plan, an unprecedented programme providing economic and military aid. The programme to rebuild Europe formed a cornerstone of Germany’s ‘economic miracle’. © dpa
Horst Lippmann
Horst Lippmann The musician from Frankfurt am Main played a key role in the development of jazz, blues and rock music. During World War II, he published an illegal jazz journal and later brought the first American jazz stars, such as James Moody and Coleman Hawkins, to Germany. © hr/Kurt Bethke
‘Economic miracle’
‘Economic miracle’ The ‘economic miracle’ was the name given to the rapid rebuilding of the German economy after World War II. Above all, the currency reform, the Marshall Plan and the introduction of the social market economy were the key elements to swift recovery. The first Minister for Economic Affairs in the Federal Republic of Germany, Ludwig Erhard, was regarded as the country’s architect of the ‘economic miracle’. © dpa
‘Economic miracle’
‘Economic miracle’ The ‘economic miracle’ was the name given to the rapid rebuilding of the German economy after World War II. Above all, the currency reform, the Marshall Plan and the introduction of the social market economy were the key elements to swift recovery. The first Minister for Economic Affairs in the Federal Republic of Germany, Ludwig Erhard, was regarded as the country’s architect of the ‘economic miracle’. © dpa

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