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

• East Germany vs. West Germany

Example Sentences

West Germany, Japan and later South Korea all did the same, eventually running up surpluses that became longstanding irritants with the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

Especially poignant is her discussion of West Germany’s incomplete attempts at legal accountability.

From The Wall Street Journal

In 1952, after World War II ended and the family found itself living in the newly created German Democratic Republic, East Germany, they all fled to West Germany.

From Los Angeles Times

Spain and the Netherlands, who met in the 2010 final, both qualified for South Africa in perfect style, as did West Germany for the 1982 tournament.

From BBC

With U.S. support, West Germany became a free country with democratic elections.

From Literature