Bizone

American Occupation Zone   French occupation zone   British occupation zone

United bizone or economic territory is the name given to the part of Germany that was assumed after the Second World War, the U.S. and British occupation forces. The two originally separate occupation zones were merged on 1 January 1947 to bizone.

History

In a conference of representatives of the countries of the American and British zones from 5 to September 11, 1946 were made decisions on the establishment of boards of Economics ( Minden ), transport ( Frankfurt am Main ), Food and Agriculture (Stuttgart ), Post and Telecommunications (Frankfurt am Main ) and a common German Finance Council (Stuttgart). During the conference, the U.S. Secretary of State James F. Byrnes dismissed on 6 September in his so-called speech of hope to the need of the economic unity of Germany and the revival of its economic forces and the strengthening of German self- responsibility in politics and business.

At the Conference of Heads of Government of the countries of the British and American zones on 4 October 1946 in Bremen proposals were discussed to form a "German Council countries ". On December 2, 1946, the British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin and his U.S. colleague James F. Byrnes, signed in New York, the economic union of the American and British zones with effect from 1 January 1947.

The economic administration of the American and British zones was adopted by the Board of Economics, based in Minden. Later, the administrative approach followed, the way to a West German state was foreshadowed when many West German politicians also put resistance against it (see also: Koblenz decisions). With Bizonia one hand, the foundation stone was laid for a new government and economic development, which was cemented with the currency reform in June 1948, on the other hand also the course for the final division in Western and Central Germany (East Germany) were asked. The United States and the United Kingdom, although always stressed the purely administrative and economic character of the bizone, but Bizonia is the basis for the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany, especially since the federal government into the rights and obligations of the Administration of the Combined Economic Area entered (Art. 133 of the Basic Law ).

On May 29, 1947 agreement between the U.S. and British military government on the establishment of an Economic Council for the Combined Economic Area, based in Frankfurt am Main was signed.

On January 7, 1948, the first German - allied conference took place with participants of the Prime Minister and military governors of the American and British zones on the reorganization of the two-zone management. It made ​​decisions on the reorganization of the Economic Council, the creation of a second chamber of representatives of the German states, the establishment of a supreme court and a central bank for the Combined Economic Area.

Geography and population

For the actual bizone included the states of Schleswig- Holstein, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Bremen, North Rhine -Westphalia, Hesse, Bavaria and Württemberg- Baden - the northern part of the later Baden- Württemberg - but not Württemberg -Hohenzollern, Baden, Rhineland -Palatinate, the Saarland ( was for a settlement of the question raised, how to deal with France's handling of goods traffic between the Saar protectorate and Bizonia, the three Western military governments signed in February 1948, the economic agreement to Saar), the Bavarian district of Lindau and West Berlin. The population comprised Bizonia including refugees and displaced about 41 million people, while in 1936 only 34 million had lived in this area.