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.

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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

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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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Discover More

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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Compare meaning

How does west-germany compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• East Germany vs. West Germany

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

West Germany

I spent many years working with churches in West Germany and later in Germany, and I saw a very different attitude toward government assistance.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026

In the 1980s, the U.S. and West Germany collaborated on a drone to take out radar systems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

He was jailed after an attempt to flee communist Germany but later made his way to West Germany where, following his medical studies, he invented the process to preserve biological specimens in 1977.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Klinsmann was 25 and less than three years into his international career when he helped West Germany win the World Cup in 1990.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

In 1974, Schindler died in humble circumstances in Hildesheim in what was then West Germany.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

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