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West Germany

American  

noun

  1. a former republic in central Europe: created in 1949 by the coalescing of the British, French, and U.S. zones of occupied Germany established in 1945. 96,025 sq. mi. (248,706 sq. km). Bonn.


West Germany British  

noun

  1. Official name: Federal Republic of Germany.  a former republic in N central Europe, on the North Sea: established in 1949 from the zones of Germany occupied by the British, Americans, and French after the defeat of Nazi Germany; a member of the European Community; reunited with East Germany in 1990 See also Germany

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

West Germany Cultural  
  1. Popular name for the Federal Republic of Germany before the reunification of Germany in 1990. Bonn was the seat of its government.


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The Bonn Convention in 1952 essentially granted West Germany national sovereignty. In 1955, West Germany was recognized as an independent country.

It made a swift recovery, called the “economic miracle” from the devastation of World War II.

With the collapse of communism, West Germany absorbed East Germany. Berlin became the capital of the united Germany.

Established in 1949, after dissension between the United States and the Soviet Union led to the division of Germany into East Germany and West Germany, it was formed out of the states included in the American, French, and British occupation zones.

West Germany was a member of NATO.

Other Word Forms

  • West German adjective

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This excludes the participation of East and West Germany.

From BBC

Georg Schild, a history professor at Tübingen University, near Stuttgart, remembers watching annual exercises by the U.S. military every fall when he was growing up in West Germany in the 1960s.

From The Wall Street Journal

Born in Hanover, West Germany, in 1954, Buchholz first played in the rock band Dawn Road, later joining Scorpions on 1974’s “Fly to the Rainbow” and cementing its most classic lineup.

From Los Angeles Times

The game against reigning champions West Germany had ended 2-2 after extra time in Yugoslavia, with a penalty shootout to decide the winner.

From BBC

Czechoslovakia beat West Germany in the Euro 1976 final with probably the most famous penalty kick in history.

From BBC