Certainly not, the high degree of decentralisation in Germany predates post-WWII by at least a century. [1] Before it was unified in 1870, Germany was made of

Certainly not, the high degree of decentralisation in Germany predates post-WWII by at least a century. [1] Before it was unified in 1870, Germany was made of a number of small independent kingdoms, loosely associated through the Holy Roman Empire until 1806, then through the German Confederation from 1815 until the unification under Prussia's dominance in 1870 [2]. This late unification (in comparison with France or England for example, which already had an embryo of a unified central state as early as the XIIIth century [3]) explains the non-centralised nature of the German state and economy. The Allies had very little to do with it. 1: http://countrystudies.us/germany/151.htm http://countrystudies.us/germany/151.htm 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire#Modern_period http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire#Modern_period 3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_France#Saint_Louis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_France#Saint_Louis