153. What happened on 8 May 1945?

Answer options

1. Death of Adolf Hitler
2. Beginning of the construction of the Berlin Wall
3. Election of Konrad Adenauer as Federal Chancellor
4. End of the Second World War in Europe

Explanation

On 8 May 1945 the German Wehrmacht’s unconditional surrender took effect, ending combat operations in Europe; a second signing occurred that night in Berlin-Karlshorst. In terms of international law, this initiated Allied occupation and a comprehensive transfer of public authority, codified inter alia in the Berlin Declaration of 5 June 1945 and implemented through occupation law. In German constitutional history it became the precondition for democratic refoundation, culminating in the 1949 Basic Law; President Richard von Weizsäcker later termed it a “day of liberation” (1985). Commemorations sometimes refer to 9 May due to time zones and the timing of the Berlin signing.