Year 1948

In 1948 George Orwell’s classic novel Nineteen Eighty-four was first published.

Nineteen Eighty-Four is the story of a totalitarian future, where the oppression of the population resembles that of the people under Stalin and Franco’s regimes but to a greater extent. This work has given the English language many additional words and phrases including Room 101, Thought Police, Big Brother, doublethink and thoughtcrime. It has been seen as a warning as to what can happen in a society without freedom of speech and with the oppression of people's ideas or points of view.

In 1948 the Deutsch Mark was introduced to West Germany.

After World War II tougher restrictions were put on Germany compared with the First World War. Part of the restrictions included the country being put under the control of the major powers of the ‘Allies’ (United Kingdom, United States, France and Russia) with each country controlling a section. Each of the four countries also controlled part of the German capital of Berlin which is situated deep within what was soviet controlled Germany. When the United States, the United Kingdom and France discussed merging their sections to form West Germany, the Soviet Union was outraged. This outrage grew when on the 20^th of June 1948 they introduced the Deutsche Mark to their regions. By the 24^th of June 1948, the Soviet Union set up a blockade preventing all supplies to the would-be West Berlin. For eleven months the United Kingdom and the United States flew in supplies (mainly fuel). On this day the Soviet blockade was lifted and on the 23^rd of May 1949 the Western areas were united as the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or BRD) shortly after, on the 7^th of October 1949, the Soviet-controlled side or Eastern side became the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik, or DDR) with control of the capital city of Berlin was also split accordingly.

In 1948 the Soviet blockade of West Berlin was imposed.

After World War II tougher restrictions were put on Germany than the First World War. Part of the restrictions included the country being put under the control of the major powers of the ‘Allies’ (United Kingdom, United States, France and Russia) with each country controlling a section. Each of the four countries also controlled part of the German capital of Berlin which is situated deep within what was soviet controlled Germany. When the United States, the United Kingdom and France discussed merging their sections to form West Germany, the Soviet Union was outraged. This outrage grew when on the 20^th of June 1948 they introduced the Deutsche Mark to their regions. By the 24^th of June 1948, the Soviet Union set up a blockade preventing all supplies to West Berlin. For eleven months the United Kingdom and the United States flew in supplies (mainly fuel). On the 12^th of May 1949, the Soviet blockade was lifted and on the 23^rd of May 1949, the Western areas were united as the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or BRD). Shortly after, on the 7^th of October 1949, the Soviet-controlled side or Eastern side became the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik, or DDR) with control of the capital city of Berlin also split accordingly.