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Karl Dönitz (German: [ˈdøːnɪts] ⓘ; 16 September 1891 – 24 December 1980) was a German navy officer who following Adolf Hitler's suicide, succeeded him as head of state of Nazi Germany in May 1945, holding the position until the dissolution of the Flensburg Government following Germany's unconditional surrender to the Allies days later.
In April–May 1945, Karl Dönitz briefly became President upon the suicide of Hitler (in accordance with Hitler's last will and testament). The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany of May 1949 created the office of Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland).
VE-Day: Following news of the German surrender, spontaneous celebrations erupted all over the world on 7 May, including in Western Europe and the United States.As the Germans officially set the end of operations for 2301 Central European Time on 8 May, that day is celebrated across Europe as V-E Day.
In October 1941, Axmann became a member of the Reichstag from electoral constituency 1, East Prussia. After World War II began in Europe, Axmann was on active service on the Western Front until May 1940. [2] As a member of the Wehrmacht 23rd Infantry Division, he was severely wounded on the Eastern Front in 1941 and lost his right arm. [2]
Chancellor Adolf Hitler assumed the duties of head of state as Führer and Chancellor from 1934 until his suicide in April 1945. In 1949, Germany was divided into two states. The Federal President, head of state of West Germany, became head of state for all of Germany following German reunification in 1990.
The German Instrument of Surrender [a] was a legal document effecting the unconditional surrender of the remaining German armed forces to the Allies, ending World War II in Europe. It was signed at 22:43 CET on 8 May 1945 [ b ] and took effect at 23:01 CET on the same day.
The history of Germany from 1945 to 1990 comprises the period following World War II.The period began with the Berlin Declaration, marking the abolition of the German Reich and Allied-occupied period in Germany on 5 June 1945, and ended with the German reunification on 3 October 1990.
After the outbreak of the Korean War on 25 June 1950, the U.S. and Britain agreed that West Germany had to be rearmed to strengthen the defenses of Western Europe against a possible Soviet invasion. Further contributing to the crisis atmosphere of 1950 was the bellicose rhetoric of the East German leader Walter Ulbricht , who proclaimed the ...