Allied Occupation Zones of Germany May 1945

After consideration of numerous proposals for the division of Germany between the major Allied countries, the eventual terms of partition were agreed to at the Potsdam Conference in July and August 1945. The agreement followed plans that were originally outlined at the Yalta Conference in February 1945. The Allies established a French occupation zone in addition to the American, Soviet and British zones that had already been agreed to in previous discussions. The Saarland, which had historically been contested between France and Germany, was established as a French protectorate. A large swathe of Eastern German/ Prussian territory was ceded to Poland and the Soviet occupation zone was moved west to accommodate more German territory, whilst Berlin was split into four Allied occupation zones. This left the Soviet occupation zone holding much of Germany’s agricultural land, an issue which would lead to dispute as food supplies in post-war Germany became increasingly scarce.