ABSTRACT
The British occupation of Germany was a costly and complex undertaking, which forced the occupying authorities to balance and prioritise a number of different demands, and ultimately reconcile the moral imperatives incumbent on a victor over its vanquished foe with the practical necessities of governing a large area of foreign, war-ravaged and potentially hostile territory. The division of Germany into four zones of occupation had been decided in principle at the Yalta Conference in February 1945 and was formally ratified at Potsdam Conference in July and August of that year. The British zone was in the north-west of the country and comprised three states, or Lander, demarcated by Britain after the war. The British were keen to foster a democratic spirit at the grassroots in Germany, including through positive reconstruction, which it was felt would make the German people more receptive to democratic ideas and less likely to be attracted to alternative political systems, such as National Socialism or communism.
