The four occupation zones in post-war Germany

The 1952 Stalin Note, a.k.a. the March Note, was a Soviet diplomatic note dated March 10, 1952 and delivered to representatives of Britain, France, and the United States (the other Great Powers with occupation zones in Germany), which included an offer of Superpower disengagement from Germany if the West would agree that a new, unified Germany would also be neutral and disarmed. This led to "The Battle of the Notes" between the Western Powers and the Soviet Union at a time when the West was developing the new North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, initiated in 1949) and was negotiating the 1952 Bonn Agreement with the embryonic West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany, or FRG) as part of Western Cold War strategy. The West's rejection, including the U.S. rejection, of the 1952 Soviet offer to unify Germany created a controversial political and academic debate and established a post-WWII "stab-in-the-back" theory to parallel the post-WWI "stab-in-the-back" theory of German political history and international relations.^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links Besatzungszonen_ohne_text. ... Image File history File links Besatzungszonen_ohne_text. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Soviet redirects here. ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (70th in leap years). ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... In the context of international relations and diplomacy, power (sometimes clarified as international power, national power, or state power) is the ability of one state to influence or control other states. ... The C-Pennant Occupation zones in Germany (1945) Capital Berlin (de jure) Political structure Military occupation Governors (1945)  - UK zone F.M. Montgomery  - French zone Gen. ... Superpower Disengagement refers to the German reunification plan proposed by Stalin in 1952. ... A compass rose with west highlighted This article refers to the cardinal direction; for other uses see West (disambiguation). ... NATO 2002 Summit The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on April 4, 1949. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Bonn Agreement could refer to Bonn Agreement (environment) Bonn Agreement (Afghanistan) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... Magazine title from 1924, example of a propaganda illustration in support of the legend The Dolchstosslegende (German: Dolchstoßlegende, literally Dagger stab legend often translated into English as stab-in-the-back myth) refers to a social myth and persecution-propaganda theory popular in Germany in the period after World... History studies the past in human terms. ... International relations (IR), a branch of political science, is the study of foreign affairs of and relations among states within the international system, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and multinational corporations (MNCs). ...

Timeline

Pre-1952

May 8, 1945 - Victory in Europe Day May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

1946 - Mutual deliveries of supplies between Eastern and Western sectors stop

1948-1949 - Berlin Blockade Occupation zones after 1945. ...

April 4, 1949 - North Atlantic Treaty April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... The North Atlantic Treaty is the treaty that brought NATO into existence, signed in Washington, DC on April 4, 1949. ...

1949 - Western Trizone becomes FRG Occupation zones of Germany after 1945 The Bizone was the combination of the American and the British occupation zones during the occupation of Germany after World War II. With the addition of the French occupation zone, the entity became the Trizone. ...

October 7, 1949 - GDR forms October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... GDR redirects here. ...

June 25, 1950 - North Korea invades South Korea June 25 is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 189 days remaining. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

1950 - Pleven and Spofford plans for European armed forces The Pleven Plan was a plan proposed in 1950 by the French premier at the time, René Pleven, to create a supranational European Army as part of a European Defence Community. ...

1952

February 25, 1952 - Lisbon Agreement February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

March 10, 1952 - Stalin Note begins Battle of the Notes March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (70th in leap years). ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

April 1, 1952 - Stalin orders GDR "to create a people's army--quietly." It has been suggested that April Fools Day be merged into this article or section. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

May 26, 1952 - Bonn Agreement May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

June 1, 1952 - Soviets seal FRG-GDR border June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

September 23, 1952 - Battle of the Notes ends September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... 1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Post-1952

May 5, 1955 - FRG "full" sovereignty May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (126th in leap years). ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

May 15, 1955 - Austrian State Treaty May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (136th in leap years). ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Occupation zones in Austria, 1945-1955 The Austrian Independence Treaty (complete form: Treaty for the re-establishment of an independent and democratic Austria, signed in Vienna on the 15 May 1955), more commonly referred to as the Austrian State Treaty (German Staatsvertrag), was signed on May 15, 1955 in Vienna...

October 27, 1955 - Saarland plebiscite October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Saarland is one of the 16 states of Germany. ...

January 1, 1957 - Saarland incorporated into FRG January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

December 21, 1972 - FRG and GDR sign Basic Treaty December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... In common linguistic usage the Basic Treaty stands for the Treaty concerning basic relations between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR). There are other basic treaties as for example the European Basic Treaty or the bilateral Basic Treaty between Russia and Romania (4th July...

October 3, 1990 - German reunification October 3 is the 276th day of the year (277th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ...

Political Context

The Stalin Note advanced terms similar to those later adopted for Austria (see Austrian State Treaty). It called for the creation of a neutral Germany with an eastern border on the Oder-Neisse line and all allied troops removed within the year. The West German government under Chancellor Konrad Adenauer favoured closer integration with Western Europe and asked that the reunification be negotiated with the provision that there be internationally monitored elections throughout Germany. This condition was rejected by the Soviets. Stalin's proposal was subsequently rejected by Adenauer as a propaganda ploy, although some speculate that Adenauer feared what amounted to the Finlandization of Germany under the Soviet reunification plan. The proposal came while the European Defence Community was being discussed, which would have resulted in a rearmed West Germany tightly integrated in the Western bloc. Occupation zones in Austria, 1945-1955 The Austrian Independence Treaty (complete form: Treaty for the re-establishment of an independent and democratic Austria, signed in Vienna on the 15 May 1955), more commonly referred to as the Austrian State Treaty (German Staatsvertrag), was signed on May 15, 1955 in Vienna... The Oder-Neisse line (German: , Polish: ) marked the border between German Democratic Republic and Poland between 1950 and 1990. ... For other uses, see Konrad Adenauer (disambiguation). ... A common post-WWII understanding of Western Europe Western Europe in its most common understanding is a socio-political concept coined and used during the Cold War. ... The European Defence Community (EDC) was a plan proposed by René Pleven, the French prime minister at the time, in response to the American call for the rearmament of West Germany. ...

Soviet terms for proposed reunification

• Germany was to be reestablished as a united state within the boundaries established by the provisions of the Potsdam Conference.
• A single united German government was to play a role in the negotiations of the peace treaty.
• All occupation forces were to be withdrawn within one year following the date on which treaty came into effect.
• Political parties and organizations were to have free activity.
• Germany was to become officially neutral and not enter into any kind of coalition or military alliance.
• Germany was to have its own national armed forces and would be allowed to manufacture munitions for these forces.
• Germany would have access to world markets.
• Former members of the German armed forces and of the Nazi Party, except for convicted war criminals, could join in establishing a peaceful and democratic Germany.

Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin meeting at the Potsdam Conference on July 18, 1945. ... The Nazi Party (German: , or NSDAP, English: Workers Party), was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. ...

Continuing Political and Academic Controversy

The West's rejection, including the U.S. rejection, of the 1952 Soviet offer to unify Germany created a controversial political and academic debate and established a post-WWII "stab-in-the-back" theory to parallel the post-WWI "stab-in-the-back" theory of German political history and international relations.^{[citation needed]} Magazine title from 1924, example of a propaganda illustration in support of the legend The Dolchstosslegende (German: Dolchstoßlegende, literally Dagger stab legend often translated into English as stab-in-the-back myth) refers to a social myth and persecution-propaganda theory popular in Germany in the period after World... History studies the past in human terms. ... International relations (IR), a branch of political science, is the study of foreign affairs of and relations among states within the international system, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and multinational corporations (MNCs). ...

Whether Stalin's offer was genuine or simply a tactical manoeuvre to disrupt the ongoing military integration of the West was the subject of a heated debate at the time. No Soviet or East German document released to date offers substantial evidence that Stalin was prepared to abandon the GDR and reunify Germany, although earlier documents indicate Stalin did have an interest in German reunification. Although most historians deny that Stalin was serious about reunification, this question was never definitively answered.

References

• Steninger, Rolf (1990). The German Question: The Stalin Note of 1952 and the Problem of Reunification. New York: Columbia University. ISBN 0-231-07216-3. 
• Walko, John W. (2002). The Balance of Empires: United States’ Rejection of German Reunification and Stalin’s March Note of 1952. Parkland. ISBN 1-58112-592-5. 
• Smyser, W.R. (1999). From Yalta to Berlin: The Cold War Struggle Over Germany. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-23340-X.