Revision Diary

Berlin Blockade and Airlift

       

Berlin 1945-48; Berlin blockade and airlift.   NATO and Warsaw Pact.

 

 

Make sure that you know the situation of Germany after WWII

You will need to know the story of the Berlin Blockade and Airlift and its results.

    

  

  

Germany after WWII

  1. At Potsdam (July 1945) Germany had been divided into four zones.   Berlin (in the Russian zone) was also divided into four zones.

  2. BOTH sides had huge military forces stationed in Germany.

  3. America and Russia had different Aims for Germany:

  4. Stalin wanted to ruin Germany:

    •    The USSR took reparations from west Germany and stripped the Russian zone of its wealth and machinery

  5. Britain and the USA wanted to rebuild Germany’s industry to become a trading partner:

    •    they joined their two zones together into Bizonia (Jan 1947)

    •    Germany was eligible for Marshall Aid (31 March 1948), but Stalin forbade the Russian zone to take part.

    •    June 1948, they announced that they wanted to create the new country of West Germany

  6.      

      

      

Berlin Blockade and Airlift

*** COCK-UP ALERT ***

I have never marked a set of exams when some FOOL did not

muddle up the Berlin Blockade with the Berlin Wall.

If you do this - ZERO MARKS!!! - get it sorted.

  

Background

•   Britain and the USA wanted to rebuild Germany’s industry to become a wealthy trading partner.   They joined their two zones together into Bizonia (Jan 1947).

•   the US gave west Germany Marshall Aid (31 March 1948), but Stalin forbade the Russian zone to take part, and the Russians started stopping and searching all road and rail traffic into Berlin.

•   June 1948, America and Britain announced that they wanted to create the new country of West Germany; this was a direct affront to the USSR, which had not been consulted.

•   23 June 1948 America and Britain introduced a new currency into ‘Bizonia’ and western Berlin.   This caused an economic crisis in the Russian zone, as people in eastern Europe rushed to change all their money into the new western currency, which was worth more.  

Meat

•   24 June 1948 Stalin stopped all road and rail traffic into Berlin.

•   Gen. Clay, the American commander in Germany, wanted to fight its way into Berlin – that would have caused a war.  

•   Instead, Truman decided to supply Berlin by air ('Operation Vittles').

•   Stalin offered to supply food to west Berlin but this was refused.

•   The blockade lasted 318 days (11 months).

•   The situation was bad at first, but got better as time went on.

•   In the winter of 1948–49 Berliners lived on dried potatoes, powdered eggs and cans of meat.   They had 4 hours of electricity a day.

•   275,000 flights carried in 1½ million tons of supplies.   A plane landed every 3 mins.

•   Pilot Gail Halvorsen dropped chocolate and sweets.

•   The USA stationed B-29 bombers (which could carry an atomic bomb) in Britain - Stalin didn't dare shoot down the supply planes.

End

•   The Blockade was portrayed in the west as an attempt to conquer Berlin by starvation

•   It became clear that the Blockade was failing, and on 12 May 1949, Stalin re-opened the border..

     

  

Results of Berlin Blockade

  1. Cold War got worse - the US stationed B-29 bomber (which could carry an atomic bomb) in Britain

  2. Germany split (until 1990) into East and West Germany.   In May 1949, America, Britain and France united their zones into the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany).   In October 1949, Stalin set up the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).

  3. Armed stand-off: in 1949, the western Allies set up NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) as a defensive alliance against Russia. NATO countries surrounded Russia; in 1955, the Soviet Union set up the Warsaw Pact – a military alliance of Communist states.  

  4. Arms Race - after Berlin, the USA and the USSR realised that they were in a competition for world domination and began to build up their armies and weapons.  

 

Revision Focus

This is a Paper 1 topic, so concentrate on learning:

1.   WHAT happened

2.   EFFECTS/ Importance

  

Links

e-book on Berlin Blockade,

  

  

Online revision sheet  

  

  

Spidergram:

•    Berlin Blockade

  

  

Essay on the events of the Berlin Blockade and Airlift