The
Federal Republic of Germany or
FRG or West Germany (in German:
Bundesrepublik Deutschland or BRD) was proclaimed
May 23,
1949 and included the post-
World War II UK,
US, and French occupation zones. West Germany joined
NATO on
May 9,
1955 and thus became a focus of the
Cold War with its juxtaposition to
Warsaw Pact member
East Germany (the capital,
Berlin, was also divided but was completely within East Germany).
After the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, the unification of West Germany and East Germany took place October 3, 1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights March 15, 1991.