After the end Second World War in 1945, the allies divided the defeated German Empire in four occupation zones. The German Democratic Republic (GDR) was founded in 1949 on the grounds of the Soviet Occupation Zone. The GDR was also commonly referred to as East Germany and was part of the Eastern Bloc. In the same year, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) was founded on the ground of the French, US-American and British occupation zones. In 1961, the GDR constructed the Berlin Wall to protect the Inner German Border. East German citizens were not allowed to leave the GDR without state permission. The GDR was as a one-party state, governed by the Socialist Unity Party (SED). After the Peaceful Revolution, the GRD joined the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990.