Soviet occupation zone of Germany

The **Soviet Occupation Zone** (German: **Sowjetische Besatzungszone (SBZ)** or **Ostzone** , Sovetskaya zona Germanii, "Soviet Zone of Germany") was the area of eastern Germany occupied by the Soviet Union from 1945 on, at the end of World War II. It became East Germany.

American forces first occupied some of the area. The Americans withdrew in July 1945 to the agreed occupation zone boundaries.

The Soviet Military Administration in Germany (German initials: SMAD) allowed four political parties to form, but they all had to work in the "All-Party Committee" (the "Nationale Front").

The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Communist Party of Germany were merged into the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (which became the governing party of East Germany). Finally, the SED created other parties, to weaken the Christian Democratic Union and Liberal Democratic Party of Germany.

Originally, Stalin wanted to Sovietize all of Germany, but when the West resisted this idea, he tried to work for a united Germany which would be neutral, but when the West again said no he decided to build a new country out of the Soviet occupation zone. This became East Germany

The Soviet occupation zone included the central parts of Prussia. After Prussia was dissolved by the allied powers in 1947, the area was divided between the German states of Brandenburg, Mecklenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt und Thuringia.

On October 8, 1949, the part of the Soviet zone west of the Oder-Neisse line became the German Democratic Republic, usually known simply as East Germany. In 1952, the states were dissolved, and changed to 14 districts, plus East Berlin. East Berlin was treated as part of the new East Germany, but technically was part of the Allied-controlled city of Berlin.

## Related pages

- East Germany
- Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
- American occupation zone
- British occupation zone

## Infobox (former country)

- **native name**: Soviet Occupation Zones of Germany
- **conventional long name**: Allied-Administered Germany
- **common name**: Germany
- **continent**: Europe
- **region**: Germany
- **country**: Germany
- **status**: Military occupation
- **era**: Cold War
- **year start**: 1945
- **year end**: 1949
- **life span**: 1945 — 1949
- **event pre**: German Instrument of Surrender, 1945, Surrender
- **date pre**: May 8, 1945
- **event start**: Allied Control Council
- **date start**: July 5, 1945
- **event1**: West Germany
- **date event1**: 23 May, 1949
- **event end**: East Germany
- **date end**: 7 October, 1949
- **event post**: Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, Final Settlement¹
- **date post**: September 12, 1990
- **p1**: Third Reich
- **flag p1**: Flag of Germany 1933.svg
- **s1**: East Germany
- **flag s1**: Flag of East Germany.svg
- **s2**: East Berlin
- **flag s2**: Flag of East Berlin (1956-1990).svg
- **image flag**: Flag of the Soviet Union (1936–1955).svg
- **image map**: Map-Germany-1947.svg
- **image map caption**: Occupation zones in Germany (1945)
- **capital**: Berlin (_de jure_)
- **title leader**: #The Military Governors and Commissioners, Governors (1945)
- **leader1**: Marshal Georgy Zhukov, Zhukov
- **year leader1**: Soviet zone
- **title leader2**: Hign Commissioner
- **leader2**: Georgy Maksimovich Pushkin
- **year leader2**: 1953-55
- **footnotes**: ¹ Reunification of Germany, German reunification took place on October 3, 1990.<hr>

<small>The four sectors of Allied occupation in Berlin</small>