Federal City of Bonn was chosen as the capital for the probable reasons listed below: Requirement for a provisional capital. Berlin has been the historical capital since the days of the Prussian Empire. However, after WWII, Berlin was split between Allied and Soviet zones. So, placing the government headquarters in West Berlin is equivalent to suicide. read more
Bonn was much more congruent with the ideals of the CDU's Abendland and associations with the West. Adenauer would state during the debates over the capital that Bonn was closer to the Western tradition and Western neighbors than Frankfurt, which was more connected to Prussia and German inwardness. read more
Bonn was NEVER meant to be the permanent capital of West Germany. Even when it was voted as provisional seat of government, the delegates assiduously avoided referring to it as "capital" as they still hoped that eventually the zones of occupation would be re-united into one country, with Berlin as its capital. read more