West Germany

name

Etymology: From informal use describing the British-, French-, and American-occupied zones of Germany following World War II, under influence from existing German Westdeutschland and Westdeutscher used to describe those areas of German-speaking Europe since the 17th and 18th centuries.

1. A former country in Central Europe, distinguished from the German Democratic Republic, commonly known as East Germany. Official name: Federal Republic of Germany.

   “The ECSC, which was made up of six nations (France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) later evolved into the European Economic Community (EEC) – under which the member states established a common market, and worked to harmonize their policies on everything from agriculture and fisheries to monetary policy.”

2. A geographic region of Germany, consisting of the states formerly part of the Cold War-era West Germany, also known as Western Germany.
3. Collectively, the British-, French-, and American-occupied zones of Germany, distinguished from the Soviet-occupied zone.