Visual Analysis Of Division Of Germany In 1945 - Geopolitics And History

Division of Germany

Fig.1: Division of Germany

(Source: Powell & Muhr, 2021)

A map is a pictorial representation of the objects, places, or different kinds of situations used for a better understanding of the data used for analysis. A map represents the particular regions with all the details regarding the borders and other neighbouring countries. Maps have been used from ancient times to represent various territories in the world and analyze the conditions of the areas related to them. The usage makes the maps of the longitudes and latitudes plotted on the map to divide the areas equally according to the distance. Geopolitics is a concept used to study international relations among the countries and the geographical conditions with the help of the data collected. Under geopolitics, various factors are analyzed of different countries such as foreign policy, climatic conditions, diplomatic history, natural resources and many more. In this particular discussion, the map of Germany is analyzed from the era of the 1940s when Germany was divided into two territories of the West and East Germany. The history of Germany is analyzed along with the events that influenced global politics as a whole, and the visual analysis of the historical map of Germany is conducted. The decision of the political leaders of that era that created Germany's division will also be analyzed. The discussion will represent the situations that influenced the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall that is used to divide Germany. This discussion is majorly focused on the visual analysis of the map of Germany that demonstrates the division of Germany in 1945.

The history of Germany included frequent divisions among the people of the region due to the decisions of the political leaders at that time. Germany has always been a matter of conflict among the Countries of the Western world and the eastern world (Hayton, 2022). As Germany is a part of Europe, it holds a strategic location in the region that connects Asian countries such as Russia and the Western and European countries.

The area of Germany was divided among the countries according to the power and ideologies they acquired. Western Germany was known as the Federal Republic of Germany and was captured by The United States of America, The United Kingdom and France. On the other hand, Eastern Germany was termed the German Democratic Republic that the Soviet Union controlled. In this map of the history of Germany, it is observed that the economy of Western Germany is considered a social market economy and the economy of Eastern Germany is influenced by political and defensive factors (Erman, 2022). In the early years of Germany, four major key zones were created of the area of the country that was controlled by The United States of America, Great Britain, the Soviet Union and France. The author has depicted West Germany with the help of green colour and has explained the control of The United States of America, the United Kingdom and France on it. On the other hand, the Eastern part of Germany is demonstrated in yellow colour and the countries involved in controlling that area such as the Soviet Union.

Geopolitical Analysis

In the Potsdam conference of 1945, it is decided to divide Germany into four zones according to the agreement between the countries. In 1949, the official creation of Western and Eastern Germany was confirmed as the Federal Republic of Germany (FDR) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The map mentioned was created to analyze the area and state of both regions' borders (Griffith 2021). The map is created to separate both the regions as East and West Germany. This method of pictorial representation through a map avoided the conflicts among the countries concerning the region. The map is created with the help of the mutual consideration of all the countries involved in Germany's division process. The creation of Germany's map enabled the evaluation of the region's territorial condition and made future decisions. This map is created using the study of geopolitical conditions of Europe after the end of World War II due to the tensions that were emerged among the countries to become the most powerful country in the world.

Fig.2: East & West Germany

(Source: (Hausler, 2022)

Fig.3: Division of Germany

(Source: Halbmeier & Schroder, 2021)

The map mentioned above shows the area of Europe in a beautiful manner using different colours and is especially focused on the historical region of Germany. The map shows the representation of Germany as a divided country in four zones controlled by different countries (Bosch & Su, 2021). The author has coloured all the four zones in different colours such as green, orange, pink and yellow to differentiate all of them. This method of colouring all four zones enables the reader to easily understand the difference among them for analyzing their activities.

In this particular map of Europe, the author focuses only on the area of Germany that was divided into 4 zones in 1945. The author has justified all the four zones By highlighting them in four different colours. In this map, the author is trying to explain the condition of Germany in 1945 when the division was conducted due to political reasons (Ahonen, 2022). The author also examines the creation of the Berlin Wall between East and West Germany to stop the people from crossing the borders of these two areas. This Berlin Wall was heavily guarded and covered with barbed wires. As the author has used the scale of zero to 200 miles in the map, it is observed that the Berlin Wall was about 150 kilometres long and approximately 4 metres high (Johnson, 2022). Through this map of Europe, the author explains the concept of political geography under which the major decisions that the political leaders of that era took are analyzed. Moreover, political geography helps to observe the impact made by dividing Germany into four zones. The author has focused on the period After World War Two through this map. The author has also successfully started the sub-national units involved in the division of Germany, such as nation-states, quasi-states and other geopolitical regions, to analyze the condition of the area. Through this map, the author tries to build a clear understanding of the geopolitical forces involved in Germany's division (Neuman, 2022). Moreover, the author hopes to provide a better understanding of the international strategies used by the political leaders 4 maintain balance and stability in the world. By plotting the geopolitical map of the division of Germany in the year 1945, the author states the ideologies of different political leaders that were controlling these areas of Germany. Also, various economic forces affected the decisions related to the division of Germany and other neighbouring countries. During Germany's division process, every country involved in controlling the zones divided was willing to become a global power with a dominant position in the world. According to the author of this map, the biggest and most powerful players in the division of Germany were 2 countries were the United States of America and the Soviet Union. Moreover, The United States of America and the Soviet Union were involved in a Cold War to become the most powerful nation in the world through development and growth (Su, 2022). The author has clearly explained the map's structure by creating the borders of the areas by a bold line To divide the areas according to the decisions made in the era of 1945. Moreover, the author has focused on every detail on the map, such as naming the sea that surrounds the area of Germany and other neighbouring countries in Europe and separately naming the zones and the countries that controlled these areas. The author has successfully created a geopolitical model by creating this map of Europe to explain Germany's international system of division in the year 1945. The authors also paid attention to the detailing of the four zones divided between Germany, which clearly explains the geopolitical model used to divide the country. The author of this map has observed the changes in Europe after World War Two and demonstrated all the changes most accurately (Hoffmann, 2022). For building this map of Europe, the author has emphasized the theory of the geopolitical world system under which the classic ideas of geopolitics that are involved in the division of Germany in the year 1945 a demonstrated. In this map of Europe, the authors also focused on the international policies and strategies adopted by the neighbouring countries of Germany. Oh, during the division of Germany in the year 1945, all the countries in Europe took part in framing their international relations and other Strategies for developing their economy. Through this map, the author has tried to explain some major concepts widely used in the geopolitics of countries worldwide. The major concepts or theories used in the map of Germany and other neighbouring countries in Europe are decentralization, demilitarisation and democratization (Hausler, 2022). These mentioned concepts help the reader understand Germany's situation during its division. The author also has clearly stated the direction in which all the countries are present in Europe to easily understand the division of Germany and the strategic place of other neighbouring countries. In this map of Europe that demonstrates the division of Germany in the year 1945, the author has highlighted this specific map of the division of Germany separately. In this specific map of the division of Germany, the author has focused on more detailing of the division that demonstrates all the four zones in which Germany was divided. Moreover, for providing a better understanding of the division of Germany, the author has mentioned the name of the reverse that passes through the zones in which Germany was divided (Ette & Erlinghagen, 2021). Moreover, the authors also stated the name of the major cities in Germany that were heavily impacted due to the division. All these minor details, such as naming the cities and rivers of Germany, help the reader create a clearer picture of this situation that the people of Germany phased during the division in 1945. It is observed from the map of Germany that the eastern part of the country was based on the ideology of a socialist economy that the Soviet Union heavily influenced. On the other hand, the western part of the country or western Germany was based on the ideology of democracy and was heavily influenced by the United States of America (Redler et al., 2021). The author also tries to demonstrate the sharing of natural resources such as water and land among the countries that divided Germany into four zones. Through this map of Europe, the author has explained the rivalry among the world's major powers such as The United States of America, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and France to control the zones of Germany. The countries involved in the division of Germany are conducting the permanent rivalry to expand the territory controlled in the four zones. The division of Germany gave rise to various social movements in the areas of political leaders and the citizens. The map can also show the condition of the neighbouring countries of Germany in Europe during and after the division due to the unrest in the area (Halbmeier & Schroder, 2021). The author has explained the geoeconomic relations among the countries in Europe related to developing their economies. The author reflects the role of European countries in becoming a global superpower by expanding the base of the controlled area through the division of Germany. In this map of Europe, the author is adopting the activity-geospatial approach in geopolitics. Under this approach, the author analyses the geographical conditions of the countries in Europe along with the political activities taking place in the area. It is observed from the map that politics played a significant role in the division of Germany in the year 1945 and shaping the economies of other countries of Europe (Powell & Muhr, 2021). The author has represented all the geopolitical entities involved in the division, including all the minor details to help the reader understand the actual situations of the events during that time. This map can successfully explain the global dimensions of Europe and the actions that influenced this major decision of the division of Germany.

History of Germany

Conclusion

From the above discussion about the map mentioned, it is concluded that Germany has faced a lot of situations in the past years due to uncertainty in the region. The division of Germany into four zones depicted the situations that influenced other major events in that particular period. It is observed that many other countries such as The United States of America, The United Kingdom, the USSR and France were also involved in shaping the economy of Germany. Moreover, these countries influenced the major decisions taken by the political leaders of that era regarding the people and territory of Germany. The map has used the scale of 0 to 200 miles to measure the area or territory of the regions demonstrated to explain Germany's history. The map has also mentioned all the neighbouring countries of Germany in Europe to understand the relations with other countries in the region. Using this map of Europe, the author has explained the geopolitical conditions of all the countries involved in Germany's division in the year 1945. In the visual analysis of the map, it is observed that the countries involved in the division of Germany resisted the activities of other countries in the region to stop them from growing further. The author has covered all the activities and major events that occurred after World War II in Europe and the importance in influencing other nations in the world. With the help of the other two maps of division of Germany, the author has focused on the detailed explanation about the internal condition of Germany during the division in 1945.

References

Ahonen, P. (2022). After the Berlin Wall: Memory and the Making of the New Germany, 1989 to the Present, by Hope M. Harrison. The English Historical Review. https://academic.oup.com/ehr/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ehr/ceac019/6530374

 Bösch, F., & Su, P. H. (2021). Competing contexts of reception in refugee and immigrant incorporation: Vietnamese in West and East Germany. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 47(21), 4853-4871. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1369183X.2020.1724418

Ette, A., & Erlinghagen, M. (2021). Structures of German emigration and remigration: Historical developments and demographic patterns. In The Global Lives of German Migrants (pp. 43-63). Springer, Cham. https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/48701/9783030674984.pdf?sequence=1#page=53

Erman, J. (2022). Cohort, Policy, and Process: The Implications for Migrant Fertility in West Germany. Demography, 59(1), 221-246. https://read.dukeupress.edu/demography/article-abstract/59/1/221/293138

Griffith, W. E. (2021). The German Democratic Republic. In Central and Eastern Europe: The Opening Curtain? (pp. 314-337). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429033162-13/german-democratic-republic-william-griffith

Halbmeier, C., & Schröder, C. (2021). The Long-Term Effects of Destruction During the Second World War on Private Wealth in Germany. Working Paper. https://www.ecineq.org/wp-content/uploads/papers_EcineqLSE/EcineqLSE-69.pdf

Häusler, H. (2022). German Military Geography and Geology at the Eastern Front 1941–1945. Military Geoscience: A multifaceted approach to the study of warfare, 195. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-030-79260-2.pdf#page=196

Hayton, J. (2022). Culture from the Slums: Punk Rock in East and West Germany. Oxford University Press. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ISReEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=east+and+west+germany+2022&ots=rjPqSQce_2&sig=BoGSkJh8pTJyJwHcPUtOq18cons

Hoffmann, D. L. (Ed.). (2022). The Memory of the Second World War in Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia. Routledge. https://api.taylorfrancis.com/content/books/mono/download?identifierName=doi&identifierValue=10.4324/9781003144915&type=googlepdf

Johnson, W. G. (2022). See also: Chapter 2: Berlin Wall. Chapter 3: Government and Politics in the German Democratic Republic. Chapter 4: Overview. Chapter 14: Regional Specialties. Modern Germany, 336. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=NQ9hEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA336&dq=the+berlin+wall+2022&ots=hsG2CmLaIQ&sig=DtfSiFggyBwGSOS4JgTuKRQflxU

Neuman, N. (2022). See also: Chapter 2: Berlin Wall. Chapter 3: Armed Forces; Germany and the United States. Chapter 4: German Automobile Industry; Manufacturing. Chapter 9: Foreign Influences on German. Chapter 13: Overview. Chapter 14: Overview. Chapter 16: Film; Rundfunkgebühren. Modern Germany, 371. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=NQ9hEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA371&dq=the+berlin+wall+2022&ots=hsG2CmLaIQ&sig=RZaCKdTlIPivLOFqaX0fjS-ODbI

Powell, S., & Mühr, H. (2021). Capturing the Complex Histories of German World War II Captured Maps. Journal of Map & Geography Libraries, 16(2), 166-193. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15420353.2021.1922569

Redler, P., Wuppermann, A., Winter, J., Schwandt, H., & Currie, J. (2021). Geographic Inequality in Income and Mortality in Germany. Fiscal Studies, 42(1), 147-170. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1475-5890.12259

Su, P. H. (2022). The Border Within: Vietnamese Migrants Transforming Ethnic Nationalism in Berlin. Stanford University Press. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=mqdYEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT5&dq=the+berlin+wall+2022&ots=Vd0N9NaQe7&sig=ab5BWfLwChxT5ugxmrNZDo4Vh8Q