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TheBerlinCrisis

Aim:ToevaluatehowtheBerlinCrisismadrelationsbetweenUSA&USSRworseanditsconsequences.

EuropewasnowclearlytwoPOLITICALandECONOMICcamps

AsagreedatPotsdam,Berlin,aswellasGermany,wouldbedividedinto4zones

• Divisionwasmeanttobetemporarybutendeduplastingforyears

• SplitbetweenBritain,France,USAandBerlin• ThereweresoldiersonthestreetsinBerlin• Militarycheckpointsbetweeneachzone• Soviettroopsbeganholdingupandsearching

roadandrailintoWestBerlin

Whathashappenedbetween1945and1948

• WantedtohelprebuildGermanyandimproveitseconomy whichhadbeendevastatedbyWW2

• WantedastrongGermanytoresistcommunistexpansionWest

• WantedtoremainBerlintotryandobservewhatwasgoingonbehindthe’IronCurtain’

• Wanted totakeasmuchmaterialaspossiblebacktohelprebuildSovietUnionafterWW2

• WantedGermanytoremainweaktoavoidfurtherGermanaggression

• WasworriedthatEastBerlinwouldseetheaffluentlifestylesofCapitalismontheWest

WhatdidtheleaderswanttodowithGermany?

InDecember1947,talksbetweentheforeignministersofeachpowerbrokedown…

Sovietministerstormedoutofthemeeting!

TheWestunites:• WiththeUSSRnolongercooperating,theWesternallieshadtodecidehowtoruntheir

partofGermany

• TheBritishandUSAhadalreadycombinedtheirzonesin1947into’Bizonia’

• March1948,Frenchaddedtheirzoneleadingto‘Trizonia’

• WesternZonesreceivedlargequantaties ofMarshallaid

TheWestunites: ThesamehappenedinBerlintoo!

• June1948– Trizonia createditsowncurrency,theDeutschmark

• Stalinwasfuriousbecause:…

• ThisnewcurrencycreatedaseparateeconomicunitfromtheEast,they’dagreedatPotsdamthattheeconomywouldberunasawhole

• IthadsetuptwoGermanys– WestandEast

Ithasneverbeenmoreclear,theWestareganginguponmeandtheSovietUnion.Youdisgustme,weagreedatPotsdamwhat

wouldhappen!

Iknowwhatyou’rethinking,thethreeofyoutogethercandevelop“West”Germany

andforcethe“East”intopoverty

Markmywords,Iwon’tjustrollover,youwantafight,yougotafight!Iwillmakeall

ofGermanycommunist,youwillsee!

TheWesternZonesofBerlinareentirelysurroundedbymySoviet

ZoneofGermany,thiswillbeusefultome!

Therejust2agreedlandroutesand2airroutesacrosstheSovietzoneofGermanytoWestern-occupiedBerlin

WhatisStalinthinking?WhatadvicewouldyougiveStalinatthispointtohelphimfightback?

BerlinBlockade!

ColdWarCrisis1:TheBerlinBlockade

• June1948StalinshutoffthelandroutesacrossSovietcontrolledGermanyintoBerlin

WhymightStalinthinkthiswasagoodidea?

IllshowthemadividedGermanywon’twork,Trizonia won’tbeabletocommunicatewithBerlin(thecapital)andtheBerlinerswillsoon

runoutoffood.

ThiswillresultinamassivepropagandawinagainsttheWestandtheywillhavetogiveupalloftheirzonesinBerlinandIwillcontrolitall!

YouarecrazyStalin,youknowIhavejustdeliveredmyspeechondefendingtheworldfromCommunismandImeantit!Thisisa

directchallengeandwe’renotbackingdown!

Thisreallyisabitofadilemma,Icantalkabigtalk,butIalsoknowifweforcesuppliestoBerlinalongtheclosedland andrailroutesitcouldbeseenasanactofwarwhichcouldleadto

directmilitaryconfrontation,nowhe’sshowingsignsofdevelopingthebomb,maybeneedtothinkmorecarefully?

WhatdoyouthinkUSAshoulddo?

Greatidea,wecanflysuppliesintoourzonesinBerlin,theonlywaytheycouldstopusisiftheyshotourplanesoutthe

sky!

ThatwouldmakehimtheaggressorwhichwouldbegoodforourpropagandaagainstCommunism,theevilanimalswe’dcall

them!IdoubtStalinwouldgothatfar,but,well,youneverknow!

SummariseinyourbookswhattheproblemwasandwhatTruman’ssolutionwas

YouareanadvisortotheWesternPowers,considerwhatweknowandcreateaminireport/memoontheoptionsavailable.

Options WithdrawfromBerlin

SupplyBerlinbyair Drivethroughtheblockade

Advantages

Disadvantages

TheBerlinAirlift:

• TrumansentB-29bomberstoBritain(theycouldcarrynuclearbombs).USSRwasnowwithinUSfiringrange

• Theairliftlasted10months;Coal,foodandothernecessitieswereflownintoWestBerlin.

• TherewasarealriskasnooneknewifStalinwouldshoottheplanesdown.USSRputweatherballoonsinawkwardpositionsaswellasflyingplanesacrosstheaircorridors.

• TheWestBerlinersandWesterntroopsbuiltanewrunwayattheoldairport,BerlinTempelhof.

• Citizenshelpedunloadtheplanesandhandoutessentialsupplies• 1000tonnesofsuppliesflownineveryday.Britishachieveda

similarrate.January1949saw170,000tonnesofsuppliessent• StalinofferedWestBerlinersthechancetomovetoEastBerlin,

only3%tookuptheoffer.

12May1949,nearlyayearlater,theSovietsgaveinandliftedtheblockade.Berlinersdancedthenightawayinthestreets

TheairlifthadworkedwithnoAlliedcasualties(militaryorcivilian)

WestBerlinhadsurvived

Stalin’sattempttowinapropagandavictoryovertheAllieshadbackfired

TheWesthadrespondedinapeacefulwaytowhatnowlookedlikeanunwiseandaggressiveactbyStalin

AftertheBerlinblockade,itwasclearthatthedivisionofGermanywouldnowcontinue,theWesternAlliesmovedquicklytocreateaseparateWestGermany

Writeamininarrativeusingtheaboveinformation

Rememberthelinkingwordsandtheprocesswords

West1– 0East

Consequences…

WestGermany:FRG(FederalRepublicofGermany)• 23may1949– Just3daysaftertheblockade,

Trizonia becomesWestGermany• 14August1949– WestGermanswereallowed

toelecttheirownparliamentcalledtheBundestag

• 15September1949– FirstchancelloroftheFRGelected(KonradAdenauer)

• FRG’snewcapitalwasBonn

• ThreewesternzonesofBerlinbecameknownasWestBerlin

EastGermany:GDR(GermanDemocraticRepublic)

• October1949– GDRcreated• Onlycommunistbloccountriesrecognised

itasanation• FRG(WestGermany)refusedtorecognise

itasaseparatecountryuntil1970s

EachGermanregardedtheirownstateastheonlyrealone!

WhatweretheconsequencesoftheBerlinBlockade?

NATONorthAtlanticTreaty

OrganisationApril1949

• Stalin’sthreattoBerlinandthecommunisttakeoverinCzechoslovakiapersuadedtheWesttheyneededaformalmilitaryalliancetoprotectthemfromtheSovietUnion

• TheyalsowantedtosendStalinaclearmessagetheyweredeterminedtostandfirmagainstcommunism

• Britain,Franceand9otherWesterncountriesjoinedNATO

Agreements:

• Ifany memberwasattacked,ALL memberswouldcometoitsassistance• BritishforeignsecretaryErnestBevinencouragedUSinvolvementsayingEurope

wouldwelcomeAmericaninfluenceandinvolvement.• USAmaygetinvolvedindirectdefenceofWesternEuropeandTrumanDoctrine

clearlyofferedassistance,thismilitaryalliancewaswellbeyondthat• AmericanmilitarypresencecommittedinEuropewellintothefuture

WarsawPact1955

• WhenFRG(WestGermany)joinedNATOin1955,Stalin’sfearsincreased.TherewasnowanarmedandpowerfulGermanyonthebordersofSovietcontrolledEasternEurope.

• Anequivalentcommunistmilitaryalliancewasformed– WarsawPact• Memberswerethe“EasternBloc”- SovietUnion,Poland,Czechoslovakia,Hungary,

Romania,Bulgaria,AlbaniaandtheGDR(EastGermany).• LeadershipwasentirelyUSSR

TherewasnowNOdoubtthatEuropewasTWOEUROPES.OneprotectedbyUSAandoneledbyUSSR. ColdWarhasofficiallystarted

BerlinBlockadevideos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZidBq8QS-g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akMRIgFOhDE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH-GVf9floo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jy3TKF4wSg GoodDocumentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nHdB1vJNsg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWw20-LbOmE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs-ovbMt_Xo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEVTh32CNWM