FP3: What were the consequences of the Berlin Blockade?

Causes of the Berlin Blockade:

Reason

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Soviet exclusion

Bizonia in Jan 1947- broke Potsdam agreements

London Conference in December 1947

Trizonia in March 1948

Economic humiliation

Marshall Plan for West Germany in April 1947- $1.5M

Deutschmark

  • introduced in West Germany in June 1948

  • split Germany into 2 economies

  • Capitalist Trizonia had a better economy

  • making USSR look weak

  • final straw: blockade in June 1948

Forcing out the West

Stalin believed West had no right to Berlin

  • the city was in East Germany

  • West was threatening Soviet power

West vs East tension

  • ideological differences

  • growing tensions

  • Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine

What was the Berlin Blockade?

Stalin wanted all of Berlin:

  • control the capital

  • capture of Berlin would be a propaganda victory over Capitalistic West

Stalin decided to force the West out of Berlin: shutting down the land routes

  • West Berliners’ food grew in East Germany

    • Trizonia would be unable to feed West Berlin

  • Allies had to travel through Soviet Germany to reach East Berlin

    • USSR could block off access

  • Backing of Red Army

    • prepared to fight against any forced entry

June 1948: all links to West Berlin shut

  • they only had food for 36 days

  • lacks resources- fuel, resources

Option 1:

West could withdraw from Berlin:

  • war with USSR prevented

  • lose the capital city

  • Containment will have failed

Option 2:

Supply Berlin by land:

  • would be able to provide supplies + resources for West Berliners

  • would make West aggressors

  • almost certainly lead to war

Option 3:

Supply Berlin by air:

  • could provide West Berliners with supplies

  • would not be entering by land

  • USSR aggressors if they shoot planes down

  • if USSR did shoot planes down, could end in war

Berlin Airlift

  • June 1948 - May 1949

    • Berlin Airlift flew in supplies to West Berlin- around 1000 tonnes every day

    • Berlin-Tegel: a new airport built by French military

  • Soviet response:

    • offered West Berliners the chance to get food by moving to East Berlin

      • most refused

    • offered to lift Blockade if the Deutschmark was removed from West Berlin

      • Allies refused

  • 12th May 1949- USSR lifted the Berlin Blockade

Impact

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Humiliated USSR

  • Stalin could not stop the airlift without a war

  • by doing nothing, USSR looked weak

Western propaganda victory

  • the USSR had lost miserably

    • none of Stalin’s aims had been fulfilled

    • Stalin had been blatantly defeated

Formation of military alliances

US- formed North Atlantic Treaty Organisation- April 1949

USSR- formed Warsaw Pact- April 1955

Official division of Germany

US:

  • created Federal Republic of Germany (WG)

  • May 1949

USSR:

  • created the German Democratic Republic (EG)

  • October 1949