I find the more interesting distinction is between the fates of Bavaria and Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony, formed by the British by amalgamating smaller states after the war). Both are large, agrarian states, with Niedersachsen somewhat wealthier in the 1950s. However Bavaria diversified its economy better and became a powerhouse, while Niedersachsen was, IIRC, the poorest of the West German Länder at the time of unification, and until that time received the most federal assistance.