1.3 - The Berlin Blockade

Which nations was Germany divided amongst?

France, Britain, USA, and the USSR

What was the Allied Control Council (ACC)?

A system overseen by the Allied Kommandantura to govern Germany cooperatively

Who were the Allies Kommandantura?

4 military generals from the 4 allied states

What was the disagreement between the USA and the USSR regarding Germany?

1) USA wanted Germany to recover and prosper after WWII

2) USSR wanted Germany to be weakened indefinitely so they couldn't rise militarily

What were the USA and USSR guilty of regarding Germany?

Both took resources from Germany to help prosper other nations on their own sides

How did Stalin try to take over Germany?

1) Establishment of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD)

2) Plan failed since it wasn't popular in West Germany and West Berlin

What was discussed in the secret London Conference of 1948?

Plans to place a separate government in West Germany with its own currency

Why did Vasily Sokolovsky, Soviet representative in the ACC, leave the council?

The West refused to discuss the London Conference

What was the new currency the West introduced into West Germany?

The Deutsche Mark

What did Sokolovsky propose after the introduction of the Deutsche Mark?

1) Moving tanks near Berlin to intimidate the West

2) Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vyacheslav Molotov, advised otherwise to prevent American retaliation

Why was the USSR threatened by the Deutsche Mark?

It was a threat to Germanys’s unification under communism

What was a territorial disadvantage of Berlin for the West?

The entire city, both East and West, was within East Germany

How did Stalin respond to the Deutsche Mark?

He closed off all accesses by land into West Berlin and also cut off electricity

What was Stalin's goal with this plan?

To make the West abandon West Berlin out of frustration, allowing him to take over the city entirely

What was the desired response from the USA to this crisis?

1) American representative in the ACC, Lucius Clay, wanted to force roadways open militarily

2) Truman opted not to out of fear of all out war

How did the West respond to this crisis?

The Berlin Airlift (aka Operation Vittles)

What did the Berlin Airlift entail?

1) Over 200K flights with supplies from 1948–1949

2) Supplying coal, food, and even candy amongst other supplies to West Berliners

Who addressed over 300K people in front of the Reichstag Building to remind them that West Berlin was not alone?

Ernst Reuter (would later become Mayor of West Berlin)

In addition to the Berlin Airlift, how else did the West respond to the USSR’s blockade?

A counter blockade, which deteriorated the economy in East Germany

When was the blockade from the USSR lifted?

May, 1949

What were the 3 main consequences from the Berlin Crisis?

1) Division of Germany

2) Continuation of 4-power occupation in Berlin

3) The formation of NATO

What were the official names of West and East Germany?

West - Federal Republic of German

East - German Democratic Republic

What was does NATO stand for?

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

What is NATO?

A collective organization of North American and European nations who agree to protect each other from Russian aggression