War ended in May 1945 and the western two thirds of what had been Germany was divided into four military occupation zones. Leipzig had been liberated from National Socialism in April 1945 by the US army, but a different division of Germany had already been agreed between the leaders of the victorious powers whereby Leipzig should be administered as part of the Soviet occupation zone. The American military commanders agreed that Friedrich Lütge, as a "non-party comrade" and a member of the anti-Nazi Confessing church should be appointed post-war rector of the "Handelshochschule Leipzig". There were additional curatorial responsibilities. When the American troops withdrew from Leipzig in July 1945 the Soviet commanders who moved in were content to confirm his appointment. In 1946 the academy was merged into the University Faculty for Economics and Social Sciences and Lütge, now on the Leipzig university payroll, was appointed dean.