While the availability of consumer goods is seen as a giant success story by most historians of the present, the perception at the time was a different one: prices were so high that average people could not afford to shop, especially since prices were free-ranging but wages still fixed by law. Therefore, in the summer of 1948 a giant wave of strikes and demonstrations swept over West Germany, leading to an incident in Stuttgart where strikers were met by US tanks (“Stuttgarter Vorfälle”). Only after the wage-freeze was abandoned, Deutschmark and free-ranging prices were accepted by the population.
The Western powers unilateral currency reform is what caused the partition of Germany beyond the existing 4 Allied Zones. This is often glossed over in any pro-NATO historical analysis. This is essentially the first act of the Cold War from the Western powers. The UK zone started it, and was quickly joined by the other 2 Western Zones (US, France).
At 9:30 on the morning of August 19 a district police chief arrived at the front gate to read out the court decision. Two thousand policemen surrounded the studio, reinforced by a platoon of soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division, three scout planes, and six armored cars and five tanks sent by the U.S. Eighth Army. The New York Times reported that the American soldiers had arrived in response to a “call for a show of force” by Japanese authorities. However, the incident was initiated by the Eighth Army, which claimed Americans living in the vicinity were in danger and pressed for intervention by the Tokyo Military Government Team, which in turn instructed Toho to request police action. After 10:40, the union leaders agreed to end their occupation on the condition the union was not disbanded, and led a procession out of the rear gate, waving red flags and banners, and singing The Internationale.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsche_Mark#Currency_reform_of_June_1948
The Western powers unilateral currency reform is what caused the partition of Germany beyond the existing 4 Allied Zones. This is often glossed over in any pro-NATO historical analysis. This is essentially the first act of the Cold War from the Western powers. The UK zone started it, and was quickly joined by the other 2 Western Zones (US, France).
Is this those tankies I’ve been hearing about?
Don’t forget about this similar incident in Japan the same year. A pattern presents itself.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toho_strikes