The formal abolition of Prussia is proclaimed by the Allied Control Council, the Prussian government having already been abolished by the Preußenschlag of 1932

The abolition of Prussia refers to the dismantling of the historic Kingdom and later State of Prussia, which played a significant role in European history for centuries. Prussia was a major German kingdom and later a constituent state of the German Empire, known for its militarism, bureaucracy, and influential cultural legacy.

The abolition of Prussia occurred in the aftermath of World War II and was part of the process of denazification and reconstruction in Germany. The Allied powers, particularly the Soviet Union, played a significant role in this process.

Potsdam Agreement (1945): The Potsdam Agreement, signed by the Allied powers (United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union) in 1945, outlined the principles for the post-war administration of Germany. It called for the dissolution of Prussia as a political entity.

Denazification and Decentralization: The Allied powers sought to dismantle institutions associated with Nazism and centralization of power. Prussia, with its long history and deep-rooted bureaucracy, was seen as a symbol of authoritarianism and militarism, and thus, its abolition was deemed necessary for the establishment of democratic governance in Germany.

Occupation and Division of Germany: Following World War II, Germany was divided into occupation zones administered by the Allies. The eastern part of Germany, including Prussia’s heartland, was occupied by the Soviet Union. The Soviet authorities took decisive steps to eliminate Prussian institutions.

1947 Prussian Landtag Election: In 1947, elections were held in the Soviet Zone of Occupation to establish regional parliaments (Landtags). The election in Prussia resulted in the dominance of the Socialist Unity Party (SED), which was under Soviet influence. This further facilitated the process of dismantling Prussia’s institutions.

Formal Dissolution: On February 25, 1947, the Allied Control Council issued a directive formally abolishing the State of Prussia. Its territories were divided among the newly formed German states such as Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg, and others.

Cultural and Historical Legacy: While the political entity of Prussia was abolished, its cultural and historical legacy continued to influence Germany. Many Prussian institutions, traditions, and landmarks still exist in modern Germany.

The first Pan American Games are officially opened in Buenos Aires by Argentine President Juan Perón.

The Pan American Games were a multi-sport event that was held every four years, featuring athletes from countries in North, South, and Central America, as well as the Caribbean. The games were first held in 1951 and continued until 2019.

The Pan American Games were created to promote friendly competition and cultural exchange among the countries of the Americas. The games included a variety of sports, including athletics, swimming, basketball, boxing, cycling, and many others. The number of sports and events included in the games varied over the years.

The Pan American Games were organized by the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO), which was founded in 1940. The games were modeled after the Olympic Games and were held in the year prior to the Summer Olympics, making them an important competition for athletes seeking to qualify for the Olympics.

The most recent Pan American Games were held in Lima, Peru in 2019, and featured over 6,500 athletes from 41 countries competing in 39 sports. The next edition of the games is scheduled to be held in Santiago, Chile in 2023. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the dates for the games have been postponed from the original scheduled dates.

People Power Revolution: President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos flees the nation after 20 years of rule; Corazon Aquino becomes the Philippines’ first woman president

As part of British air raid precautions, the first of 2?1?2 million Anderson shelters is constructed in a garden in Islington, north London

The Warsaw Pact is abolished.

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The Warsaw Pact is abolished.

The Warsaw Pact, formally known as the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defence treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland among the Soviet Union and seven Soviet satellite states of Central and Eastern Europe in May 1955, during the Cold War. The Warsaw Pact was the military complement to the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, the regional economic organization for the socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe. The Warsaw Pact was created in reaction to the integration of West Germany into NATO in 1955 per the London and Paris Conferences of 1954, but it is also considered to have been motivated by Soviet desires to maintain control over military forces in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Warsaw Pact was established as a balance of power or counterweight to NATO; there was no direct confrontation between them. Instead, the conflict was fought on an ideological basis and in proxy wars. Both NATO and the Warsaw Pact led to the expansion of military forces and their integration into the respective blocs. Its largest military engagement was the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968, which, in part, resulted in Albania withdrawing from the pact less than a month later. The Pact began to unravel in its entirety with the spread of the Counter-Revolutions of 1989 through the Eastern Bloc, beginning with the Solidarity movement in Poland and its electoral success in June 1989.

East Germany withdrew from the Pact following reunification with West Germany in 1990. On 25 February 1991, the Pact was declared at an end at a meeting of defence and foreign ministers from the six remaining member states in Hungary. The USSR itself was dissolved in December 1991, although most of the former Soviet republics formed the Collective Security Treaty Organization shortly thereafter. Throughout the following 20 years, the seven Warsaw Pact countries outside the USSR each joined NATO, as did the three Baltic states that had been part of the Soviet Union.

The Warsaw Pact is abolished.

The collapse of the Soviet Union was a long and complex process due to economic, social, and political reasons. Therefore, when the Warsaw Pact was dissolved on February 25, 1991, the Soviet Union did not go out with a loud bang, but the feeble pop of a balloon.

The Warsaw Pact was drawn up in May 1955. The signers of the Pact included the “USSR, the German Democratic Republic, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania.” The formation of the pact came after the Federal Republic of Germany joined NATO. In the introduction to the Pact, the document states that Western Germany’s acceptance into NATO was a threat “to the national security of peaceable states.” Therefore it was the duty of the signers of the pact to “take necessary measures to safeguard their security and in the interests of preserving peace in Europe.” The pact seems to show the fear many communist countries had that West Germany’s involvement with NATO would lead to another war. The Warsaw Pact appeared to be for the good of Europe. However, this pact was likely an attempt by the USSR to have military control in Eastern and Central Europe. For example, in Article 4 of the Pact, it states that if an armed event should occur against one of the Parties to the Pact, each of the countries who signed should “come to the assistance of the state or states attacked with all such means as it deems necessary, including armed force.” However, this pact became void before it was officially dissolved as many of the countries involved experienced upheaval in 1989-1991 as their Communist governments were toppled.

“Atop the Berlin Wall”

There were many reasons that the Warsaw Pact was dissolved and the Soviet Union fell. Mikhail Gorbachev played a key role in the fall. As Gorbachev climbed the ladder of the Communist Party and gained a great deal of power by the 1980’s, his policies and reforms for the Soviet Union inadvertently ended the Union. Two of Gorbachev’s policies were known as glasnost and perestroika. Glasnost called for openness in the government in the Soviet Union. Perestroika represented the restructuring of the Soviet Union, specifically the political and economic system. Perestroika “unleashed force and expectations even as it failed to satisfy minimal requirements”. Gorbachev’s policies were an attempt to restructure the Soviet Union to follow the West’s “model of democracy and free markets”. This development led to difficult times for the Soviet Union as the economy suffered. Glasnost allowed for the press to undermine Gorbachev’s authority and that of the regime . Perestroika gave way to more demand for freedom and autonomy within the Soviet Union. It also sparked nationalism and even calls for independence. As tension and nationalist movements increased in 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall “marked the end of the Soviet bloc”. The Warsaw Pact was already a moot point by this time.

Four thousand defenders of Pil?nai commit mass suicide rather than be taken prisoner by the Teutonic Knights.

The State of Prussia no longer exists.