May 8th, 1945

Official end of the war in Europe

 

July 17th, 1945

Potsdam Conference Begins

 

August 2nd, 1945

Potsdam Conference ends, Germany officially divided into four zones of occupation.

 

August 1945

Karl Löwenstien arrives in Germany to work as a legal analyst for the US Military Governement.

 

November 20th, 1945

Military trials of top Nazi officials begin in Nuremberg Trials

 

September 1946

Karl Löwenstein leaves OMGUS due to his dissatisfaction with the Legal Sector and the Military Government in general, returns to Amherst College.

 

October 1st 1946

Nuremburg Trials end

 

January 1st, 1947

American and British zones of occupation merge to form the Bizone

 

June 5, 1947

Marshall Plan established, providing aid to Europe.

 

24 June 1948

Berlin blockade begins after allies fail to resolve currency crisis.

 

April 1949

French zone merges with the bizone, forming the Trizone

 

May 12th, 1949

Berlin blockade ends following the successful Berlin airlift.

 

May 1949

Military governors of allied occupation zones replaced by civilian high commissioners.

 

May 23rd, 1949

Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) founded and replaces the Trizone.

 

October 7, 1949

German Democratic Republic (GDR) founded and replaces the Soviet zone.

 

June 25th, 1950

Korean War leads USA to call for the rearmament of West Germany

 

June 16th 1953

Strike of East Berlin construction workers leads to uprising in East Germany

 

1954

Karl Löwenstein returns to Germany as an Assistant Professor at the University of Marburg

 

May 5th, 1955

Allied occupation of West Germany officially ends

 

May 9th, 1955

FRG joins NATO.

 

September 20th, 1955

Russian occupation of East Germany officially ends