1949 Federal Republic of Germany and GDR established
Jul 17, 1945, Potsdam Conference was held in Potsdam, Germany. The "Big Three" Allied leaders, Franklin Roosevelt (United States), Winston Churchill (Great Britain), and Joseph Stalin (USSR) agreed to determine postwar borders, negotiate treaties, and resolve issues of handling of Germany. According to the result of the Potsdam Conference, the United States, Great Britain, the USSR and France planned the demilitarization and democratization of Germany. The country was divided into four separate zones, each to be governed by one of the Allied Powers. (“Hickman, Kennedy. “World War II: Potsdam Conference” ThoughtCo., 30 March. 2019, Accessed 13 June 2020.”)
In 1949, the Western half of Germany, also known as the Federal Republic of Germany, had taken on the model of a Western democracy, while the Soviet Union controlled Eastern side of Germany known as the German Democratic Republic. This was the beginning of what Winston Churchill called "the Iron Curtain" and this event also marked as the beginning of the Cold War. Friedman, Ashley. (“How Was Germany Divided After World War II?” Classroom, 11 April. 2018, Accessed 13 June 2020.”)