Following the termination of hostilities in World War II, the Allied Powers were in control of the defeated Axis countries. They managed their control of the defeated countries through Allied Commissions, consisting of representatives of the major Allied Powers. The Control Commission for Italy was established on November 10, 1943 and was dismantled following the conclusion of the Italian Peace Treaty in 1947.

The Allied Control Commission (ACC) for Germany was established by agreement of June 5, 1945, supplemented by agreement of September 20 of that same year, with its seat in Berlin. Cooperation by the ACC broke down, as the Soviet representative withdrew on March 20. After that date, the ACC, even though in existence, no longer met, thus paving the way for the partition of Germany into two states. The ACC convened again in 1971, leading to agreement on transit arrangements in Berlin. During the talks for unification of Germany in late 1989, it was decided to convene the ACC again as a forum for solving the issue of Allied rights and privileges in Germany. The disbanding of the ACC was officially announced by the Two Plus Four Agreement of September 12, 1990, effective as of March 15, 1991.

The Allied Commission (AC) for Austria was established by agreement of July 4, 1945, supplemented by agreement of June 28, 1946, with its seat in Vienna. The AC was dismantled following the conclusion of the Austrian State Treaty on May 15, 1955.

The Allied Commission for Japan was titled Far Eastern Commission (FEC), and was established under the agreement of December 27, 1945, concluded at the Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers. The FEC proved ineffective, as the US was the only government exercising any real power. This dominant position by Washington made the other member governments on the commission reluctant to cooperate, this being evident in the delay by the FEC in approving the US statute of occupation (approved by Washington on September 6, 1945) only on June 19, 1947. The FEC was dismantled following the Japanese Peace Treaty of September 8, 1951.