Germany, West | |
![]() Click here for higher resolution image | First Day Cover for gew-19710604-s-001 First day of issue: June 04, 1971 Width: 165 mm Height: 95 mm Cachet maker: Unknown Location: Ice Hockey Volume LIII From Linn's "Stamp Issuing Entities Of The World" page. The country was divided into four zones of occupation, administered by the United States, Great Britain, France and the Soviet Union. In 1949, the German Federal Republic was formed from the three western zones, and the German Democratic Republic was created out of the Soviet zone. The German Federal Republic became fully independent in 1955. During the 1950s and 1960s, West Germany underwent an economic boom and became one of the world's major industrial powers. During the 1970s, West Germany normalized relations with its communist neighbors and dramatically expanded its trade with Eastern Europe. Reunification of the two Germanys was always the highest priority of the West German government. With the fall of the East German communist regime in 1989, reunification proceeded rapidly, and by the end of 1990 the German Federal Republic and the German Democratic Republic had again become one nation. |