West German
Pre-unification citizen type
West German refers to someone or something from the Federal Republic of Germany, the democratic nation that existed from 1949 to 1990 in the western portion of divided Germany.
After World War II, Germany split into West Germany (allied with Western powers) and East Germany (Soviet-aligned).
My father was West German; he grew up in Munich.
The term became historical after German reunification in 1990.
Prolonged East-West standoff
- Berlin WallCold War partition
- Iron CurtainCold War's political divide
- reunificationRestoring divided unity
- divisionSplitting into parts
partition · Checkpoint Charlie · GDR · détente · Helsinki Accords · NATO · Warsaw Pact · denazification
Postwar German revival
- reconstructionRebuilding after destruction
- economic miracleRapid postwar prosperity surge
- Marshall PlanPostwar American economic assistance
- Berlin AirliftAllied supply mission, 1948
currency reform · denazification · democratization · Bundeswehr · rearmament · sovereignty
Former West German capital
- FrankfurtGerman financial capital
- MunichBavaria's largest city
- HamburgGerman city-state, major port
- CologneMajor German Rhine city
Stuttgart · Düsseldorf · Rhine · Bavaria · Hesse · Schleswig-Holstein · Rhineland · Black Forest
German automobile corporation
- Mercedes-BenzGerman luxury vehicle manufacturer
- BMWBavarian motor works
- SiemensGerman engineering conglomerate
- manufacturingIndustrial product creation
Krupp · automobiles · chemicals · engineering · steelworks · machinery · precision · export
Legal national member
- passportGovernment-issued travel credential
- GermannessGerman cultural identity
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
identity · naturalization · diaspora · expatriate · emigrant · integration · demographics · national consciousness
Cold War
Prolonged East-West standoff
- Berlin WallCold War partition
- Iron CurtainCold War's political divide
- reunificationRestoring divided unity
division · partition · Checkpoint Charlie · GDR · détente · Helsinki Accords · NATO · Warsaw Pact · denazification · Stasi
Wirtschaftswunder
Postwar German revival
- reconstructionRebuilding after destruction
- economic miracleRapid postwar prosperity surge
- Marshall PlanPostwar American economic assistance
Berlin Airlift · currency reform · denazification · democratization · Bundeswehr · rearmament · sovereignty
Bonn
Former West German capital
Cologne · Stuttgart · Düsseldorf · Rhine · Bavaria · Hesse · Schleswig-Holstein · Rhineland · Black Forest · Alps
Volkswagen
German automobile corporation
- Mercedes-BenzGerman luxury vehicle manufacturer
- BMWBavarian motor works
- SiemensGerman engineering conglomerate
Krupp · manufacturing · automobiles · chemicals · engineering · steelworks · machinery · precision · export · heavy industry
citizen
Legal national member
- passportGovernment-issued travel credential
- GermannessGerman cultural identity
- ancestryFamily line of descent
heritage · identity · naturalization · diaspora · expatriate · emigrant · integration · demographics · national consciousness · democratic values