German citizen here.. we kinda "got lucky" the whole cold war thing started right out of the ashes after 45, otherwise Germany would probably have remained a barren wasteland or become merely a major agricultural Allied asset. Instead with the cold war emerging, both sides pushed many resources into propping up their respective "showcase" of their respective system. The official narrative was also along the lines of "tough vengeance didn't help us the last time (WW1) with regards to Germany so let's try something different and more fundamental this time", doubtlessly a common and widespread belief at the time too.
Blue jeans and chewing gum only entered the picture after the war, after all, not during ;)
Blue jeans and chewing gum only entered the picture after the war, after all, not during ;)