It's a mixed back. Germany was supposed to be demilitarized following the immediate end of WW2 but the successor to the Marshall Plan (which was actually fairly

It's a mixed back. Germany was supposed to be demilitarized following the immediate end of WW2 but the successor to the Marshall Plan (which was actually fairly short-lived relative to what many people seem to think) was a US program to rebuild the European military as a bullwark against communism. This led to a reversal on the decision that Germany should never have a military again although it was initially limited to purely defensive operations - a restriction that has been repeatedly weakened due to the insistence of its allies, including the US. A bigger difference between the two Germanies is that East German industry was mostly stripped for parts as part of reparations to the Soviet Union which continued for a long time whereas West Germany received active funding as part of the Marshall Plan. West Germany also had access to a lucrative market for exports whereas East Germany had to focus on reparations first, self-sustainability second and trade at a distant third with very bad returns.