167. Which countries were referred to in Germany as the 'Allied occupying powers' after the Second World War?

Answer options

1. Soviet Union, Great Britain, Poland, Sweden
2. France, Soviet Union, Italy, Japan
3. USA, Soviet Union, Spain, Portugal
4. USA, Soviet Union, Great Britain, France

Explanation

The Allied occupying powers were the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France, which, following Germany's unconditional surrender on 8/9 May 1945, assumed "supreme authority" in Germany under the Declaration of 5 June 1945. They divided Germany and Berlin into four occupation zones and governed through the Allied Control Council; the 1949 Basic Law was adopted under the Occupation Statute and subject to Allied reserved rights. Those reserved rights were largely lifted for the Federal Republic in 1955 by the Paris Treaties and terminated definitively by the 1990 Two Plus Four Treaty, which restored Germany's full sovereignty.