what were the consequences of the Berlin blockade?

When was the Berlin blockade?

1948-1949

What were the causes of the Berlin blockade relating to differing treatment?

1. Differing treatment of Germany - USSR

   • USSR wanted to punish Germany and keep it as a buffer zone

   • Industry stripped- no investment in economy

   • East Germany forbidden to trade with the other zones

   • Used German resources to rebuild USSR

2. Differing treatment of Germany - USA

   • Western powers wanted Germany to recover

   • Encouraged the West German economy with Marshall Aid, creating a gulf in living standards in each zone

What were the causes of the Berlin Blockade?

• Marshall Aid

  • Stalin believed the US were using Marshall Aid to increase their control of Germany

• Loan Refusal

  • 1945- USA refused to give USSR a loan to cover the cost of occupying the Eastern zone in Germany

• Creation of a West German bloc

  • January 1947- GB, France and USA combined their zones creating ‘trizonia’

  • June 1948- New currency ‘Deutschmark was introduced which could spread to the East

What were the events of the Berlin Blockade??

• Stalin cut all road, rail and canal links to West Berlin

• Turned off all gas and electricity supplies

• Attempt to force the Allies to pull out

• A vast airlift, ‘Operation Vittles’ was organised to ferry food and fuel into Berlin

• It lasted 11 months, with almost 300,000 flights landing around 9000 tonnes of food and fuel per day

• Planes landed in West Berlin at a rate of one every two minutes

• USSR attempted to disrupt the operation with obstruction tactics, like jamming radios, but didn’t shoot planes down

• Blockade lifted in May 1949- failing at uniting the city under Soviet control

Why did the Berlin Blockade fail?

• A warm winter reduce the need for fuel

• The allies were determined not to give up, B29 bombers stationed in case of an escalation signalled their intentions

• The Airlift was well organised

What were the results of the Berlin Blockade?

• NATO was set up in 1949

• Warsaw pact was set up in 1954 in retaliation by Stalin

• GB, French and US forces remained in West Berlin to prevent attack as it was not in West Germany

• Encouraged political activity in their zones

  • Elect a mayor for Berlin 1947

  • Won by former Communist Ernest Reuter who was now a strong critic of the USSR

• Germany would remain a divided nation

  o Allies created FDR – Federal Republic of Germany

  o Stalin created GDR – German Democratic Republic

What was NATO?

• Created 1949

• Western military alliance against the Soviet Union formed after the Berlin Blockade

• USA and 11 other states joined

• 1955- West Germany joined NATO

What was the Warsaw pact?

• Made 1955 and established in Poland

• Military alliance- 8 Communist countries agreed to unify their armed forces dominated by Soviet central command

• Direct response to the rearmament of West Germany and its incorporation into NATO

• Allowed USSR to strengthen forces across Eastern Europe and to keep countries in line

what was the European Coal and Steel Committee?

• 1951- France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

• Aimed to bind European economies together to prevent future wars

• Placed coal and steel industries under a shared authority to stop any single country from secretly rearming.

• Created a common market for coal and steel