Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: It was aligned with the United States of America and other Western powers
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
After the Second World War, Germany was divided into different political entities that reflected the broader division between Western and Eastern blocs in the Cold War. The Federal Republic of Germany, commonly called West Germany, developed under a democratic system and formed alliances with Western countries. Understanding the political orientation of West Germany helps students grasp the structure of post war Europe and the nature of Cold War alliances. This question asks which statement about the Federal Republic of Germany is accurate for that period.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The Federal Republic of Germany was formed in the western zones of occupied Germany and developed as a democratic state with a capitalist economy. It became a close ally of the United States of America and other Western European nations and joined organizations such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Economic Community. It did not unite the entire country, because the eastern portion became the German Democratic Republic, a separate state aligned with the Soviet Union. The communist system and centrally planned economy were features of East Germany, not of the Federal Republic of Germany. Therefore, the statement that West Germany was aligned with the United States of America and other Western powers is the correct description.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that after the war, Germany was divided into West Germany and East Germany.
Step 2: Identify West Germany, or the Federal Republic of Germany, as a democratic state in the Western bloc.
Step 3: Remember that West Germany joined alliances led by the United States of America and Western Europe.
Step 4: Recognize that East Germany was the communist state with a centrally planned economy.
Step 5: Choose the option that states West Germany was aligned with the United States of America and other Western powers.
Verification / Alternative check:
Verification can be done by recalling well known Cold War maps in history textbooks that show West Germany in the Western alliance and East Germany in the Soviet led Eastern bloc. These maps label West Germany as part of organizations such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Western European economic communities. East Germany, by contrast, appears within the Warsaw Pact and is described as a communist state. This clear contrast confirms that the alignment with Western powers is the correct statement about the Federal Republic of Germany.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
The claim that the Federal Republic of Germany united all of Germany is incorrect because national reunification did not occur until 1990, long after West Germany had existed separately for decades. The descriptions of a communist one party system and a purely socialist centrally planned economy apply to East Germany, not to the Federal Republic of Germany. West Germany had a multi party democratic system and a social market economy rather than a fully planned economy. These mismatches make options B, C, and D wrong for this question.
Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse West Germany and East Germany because both share the word Germany and existed at the same time. Another pitfall is to think that Germany was fully unified immediately after the war or to mix up the economic systems of the two states. Carefully distinguishing between the Federal Republic of Germany in the West and the German Democratic Republic in the East helps prevent such mistakes and leads to the correct answer.
Final Answer:
The true statement about the Federal Republic of Germany, or West Germany, is that it was aligned with the United States of America and other Western powers.
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