Cold War 2: Crisis 2 - Berlin Blockade

First crisis of the cold war

Cause: Fears

* Both sides were concerned that a powerful Germany could once again be a threat if it joined with either side.
* Neither side wanted their opposing zones to recover before their own

\
USSR:

* The USSR did not want a resurgent and threatening Germany.
* It also wanted US$20 billion in reparations
* feared a pro-American and economically prosperous Germany

\
USA:

* saw the rapid economic recovery of Germany as the best way to contain communism
* feared the influence of a Communist Germany

Cause: Political

* As early as 1945, Stalin made moves to incorporate Germany into Moscow’s sphere of influence


* forced the merger of the KPD and SPD into the Socialist Unity Party
* (Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and the Social Democratic Party of Germany)
* All other political activity was repressed and potential opponents like the upper class junker class removed

\
* The US responded in July at the ACC with proposals for the economic integration of all four zones
* Stuttgart Speech
* With Cold War tensions rising in Europe, the October 1946 Berlin elections showed the hostility of the people to Soviet occupation
* only 19.8% voted for the SED

Cause: Economic Disagreements

* At Potsdam: was agreed that USSR could take 25% of all industrial equipment from Western Zones
* But only if they supplied food and raw materials back to those countries
* However, the USSR failed to deliver enough
* So USA and UK stopped supplying the 25% of industrial equipment
* The Soviets also wanted coal from Western Zones, however the Americans exported 25 million tons of coal to Western Europe instead
* Chronic food shortages affected all sectors + destruction of World War 2 on Berlin’s homes and infrastructure
* would be rising concerns coming up to winter

Cause + escalation: Economic: Allied + Soviet actions

* Sensing the support of the people, the USA and UK agreed to unite their zones into ‘Bizonia’ in December 1946
* 1947 - Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan announcements stoked tensions further, but this was against the backdrop of Soviet expansionism in Europe

\
* London Six-Power Conference (February-June 1948)
* UK, USA, France and Benelux countries - without the USSR
* agreed to unite the Western zones and extend Marshall Aid to them
* replan German debt
* giving permission to draw up a constitution for a new federal state.
* Stalin knew everything that occurred thanks to spies
* the last ACC meeting, 20th March - Marshall Vasily Sokolovsky demanded to know the results of the London Conference - when refused, he stormed out
* Over the next few weeks, tensions rose as Soviet military forces began harassing Allied convoys
* On 5th April, a Soviet fighter over Berlin ‘buzzed’ a British passenger plane, causing it to crash

Cause + Escalation: Economic Imperialism

June 1948 - the Western allies merge economies of zones

* introduced new currency: Deutschmark
* This would be outside of Soviet economic control
* Stalin feared this would cause economic problems for the Soviet zone, which used the Reichsmark, due to its lowering value when compared to the new American-backed Deutschmark
* Stalin viewed this as the first step in the establishment of a new Germany

Berlin Blockade

23rd June 1948, Stalin launched the blockade of West Berlin, hoping to force the West to end their currency and unification policies.

* the USSR launched the Ostmark currency in their zones; 
* All passenger and freight traffic was banned from entering the Soviet zone;
* Food and electricity supplies were cut;
* Soviets left the Berlin centralised command.

\
This left the West with a stark choice; they didn’t want to risk war with the USSR, but they didn’t want to let West Berlin fall to the Communists.

* To avoid war, the West decided to bypass the blockade entirely by airlifting supplies to West Berlin. Over 320 days, the West flew 200,000 flights to Berlin, supplying over 1 ½ million tons of food and coal to 2.2 million West Berliners at a cost of $100 million
* Despite over 700 buzzing operations by Soviet aircraft

\
* The USSR responded by sustained propaganda operations on West Berliners,
* including an offer of free food if they registered their ration cards in East Berlin.
* In September, the SED tried to organise a take-over of Berlin city hall.
* 500,000 Berliners gathered to oppose their actions

End of the Blockade

By January 1949, Stalin realized that the West could continue the airlift indefinitely as they had survived the winter, and negotiations began

* 12th May 1949 the blockade was called off
* Conference of Foreign Ministers organised in Paris = failed to agree on a way forward
* resulted in 101 fatalities for 278,228 flights

Political Impact on Germany

The Blockade and Airlift didn’t end cooperation in the ACC as the USSR had walked out in March, but the escalation ended any hope of future cooperation.

* 23rd May 1949 = the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) was official created
* pro-Western government = a multi-party liberal democracy
* First elections in August, Stalin hoped to see a strong performance of the SED
* only got 5.7% of the vote

\
* creation of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was created on 12 October under Walter Ulbricht - a socialist one-party state in East Germany

Political Impact on USSR

Creation of NATO 4th April 1949

* USSR’s use of military forces to blockade West Berlin persuaded the French and other signatories of the __Treaty of Brussels__
* Creates closer defence cooperation with the USA - which had previously been resisted
* Aided with $1.4 billion USD from the US to the militaries of:
* US, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Britain, France, and Benelux
* In May 1954, West Germany was also admitted to NATO
* angered the USSR who feared a re-armed pro-Western Germany

Political Impact USA

* In response, the Warsaw Pact was created in 1955 to unite all the countries of Eastern Europe under the military command of the USSR.
* (Albania
* Bulgaria
* Czechoslovakia
* East Germany
* Hungary
* Poland
* Romania
* Soviet Union)
* The creation of both military alliances led to a buildup of conventional forces across Europe.
* The USSR increased control over the satellite states in Eastern Europe because it dominated the Pact.
* Europe was now divided politically, economically and militarily into two hostile camps.
* It intensified the arms race with the West.