Minister of Intra-German Relations
The Federal Minister of Intra-German Relations was a federal cabinet minister of the Federal Republic of Germany. The office was created under the title of Federal Minister of All-German Affairs in 1949, being also in charge of the German lands east of the Oder–Neisse line which had been put under Polish or Soviet administration. In 1951, the first Minister of All-German Affairs Jakob Kaiser openly raised claim to even greater territories including Austria, parts of Switzerland, the Saar area and Alsace-Lorraine.
Minister of Intra-German Relations
Image: Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild P001516, Jakob Kaiser
Image: Bundesarchiv Bild 146 2007 0100, Ernst Lemmer
Image: Rainer Barzel
West Germany was the Federal Republic of Germany from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. During the Cold War, the western portion of Germany and the associated territory of West Berlin were parts of the Western Bloc. West Germany was formed as a political entity during the Allied occupation of Germany after World War II, established from 12 states formed in the three Allied zones of occupation held by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. The capital was the city of Bonn, hence the Cold War-era country is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic.
Dutch tanks, pictured in West Germany in 1956 as part of the large British and American-led foreign military presence in the country
Konrad Adenauer was a German statesman who served as the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Rudi Dutschke, student leader
The Volkswagen Beetle – for many years the most successful car in the world – on the assembly line in Wolfsburg factory, 1973