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After the end of the Second World War in 1945, Germany lay in ruins. The country was divided into four occupation zones, controlled by the USA, the Soviet Union, Great Britain and France. This division led to the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany in the West and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the East. In the Federal Republic, the Basic Law was passed in 1949, which laid the foundation for the country's democratic development. The Cold War characterised the development of both