3. Essen Hauptbahnhof Before and After WWII :(

Essen Hauptbahnhof Before and After WWII :(

West Germany wasn't rebuilding by itself, but with the full financial backing and support of the Western Bloc. The Allies saw prosperity and economic development as the best defence against communism, and identified Germany's extreme poverty after WW1 as one of the main reasons why the Nazis came to power. Instead of paying billions in reparations, they got billions of dollars instead thanks to the Marshall Plan. It's really not a surprise that West Germany bounced back so fast.

East Germany, on the other hand, was forced by the USSR to pay reparations and didn't receive anywhere close to the same level of support as their Western counterparts. Stalin straight up ordered the dismantling and shipping of thousands of tonnes of German industrial equipment to the Soviet Union. East Germany becoming the most economically successful state in the Soviet Bloc is the true miracle here, especially considering how Stalin essentially set them up to fail.

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