In the aftermath of World War II, the Yalta and Potsdam conferences temporarily divided Germany into zones of occupation. The hopes for an East-West agreement over Germany collapsed during the Berlin Crisis, solidifying the division. In August 1949, the three western zones united to form West Germany, embracing capitalism. Meanwhile, in October of the same year, the Soviet zone became East Germany, under communist rule. This division endured for forty years until the eventual reunification of Germany.