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How did the Berlin Blockade contribute to Cold War tension?

by | Mar 7, 2024 | Cold War Tour Berlin

This paper opines that the Berlin Blockade was a critical juncture that aggravated the Cold War rivalry between the Soviet regime and the Western powers. This conflict took place between June 24, 1948 and May 12, 1949: it also had massive consequences for the severed city of Berlin and the general European map. In this blog post I am going to talk about the reasons behind the blockade, effects of the blockade, and how it increased tension between the US and Soviet Union during the Cold War.

 

1. Prior to the Berlin Blockade 

The political relations between the Western powers on one side and East Germany and the Soviet Union on the other had been tense since…the formation of East Germany In March, Soviet leaders instructed East Germans to treat those trying to flee into West Germany as deserters…

The causes of the Berlin Blockade could be dated back to the state after the Second World War when Germany was divided into four zones of occupation – American, British, French and Soviet. The same went for Berlin, the capital of Germany which was split among the Allied powers in four sections.

 

As the result of the increased ideology split, as well all the desire of the Soviet Union to expand their power the relationship with the western powers worsened. The blockade was a direct result or payback for the introduction of a new currency in the West Germany specifically the Deuther Mark. The soviets felt threatened when they saw such development in East Germany as they tried to counter it.

 

2. Understanding Soviet’s Strategy during the Berlin Blockade

The Soviets had formally sealed off all road, railway, and canals to and through the West Berlin on 24 June 1948 itself. Their intention that by doing this they would weaken and starve the Western powers into giving up West Berlin. According to the Soviet Union, since supply was being withheld from the city, the western powers would eventually yield control.

 

This was actions of Soviets to gain hegemony on eastern countries and to check reactions from the western powers. It brought focus on the occupied state of Germany after the war It also applied great pressure on the key stakeholders in the game.

 

3. Thus, response from the western powers was as follows:

The western democracies the United States, Great Britain and France refused to pull out of West Berlin for the same reason of asserting the triumph of freedom against tyranny. They thought that acceding to Soviet demands would compromises one’s credibility and further incite the Soviets.

 

Finally, to break blockade the representatives of western powers initiated probably the largest operation of air transportation called the Berlin Airlift. They supported the existence of the community of West Berlin by airlifting all the basic necessities, from food to fuel. This operation proved their determination and firmness or ability to stand a Soviet pressure.

 

4. Aftermath of the Berlin Blockade

The Berlin Blockade had several significant consequences:

 

The division of Germany was further Morris on solidified. The blockade consolidated the division of Germany, prolonging the division that the later led to the building of the wall between east and West Berlin.

The Soviet-Egyptian partnership was established. It brought into focus the basic antithesis between communism and democracy and the war-like relations between the USA and the Soviet Union.

The NATO alliance was formed. The strategy that the German wanted to use in the cold war created a basis for the formation of the collective security alliance in the west in the face of east blocking Berlin. This led to the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in order to protect against danger from Soviets.

More doubt and fragmentation in Europe. The Berlin Blockade itself added tension followed and gradually stood as the formal division of Europe into Eastern and Western halves.

5. Success in the Berlin Blockade

The Berlin Blockade ended on the formal level on May the 12TH, 1949 when the Soviets ceased the restrictions and made the access roads to West Berlin open again. This was primarily so because the blockade aimed at driving the Western powers out of the city was not realized.

 

The Berlin Airlift helped the Western Allies organize their defense successfully, thus encouraging the Soviet to end the blockade. The events of the blockage strengthened the determination of the western powers not to allow the spread of the Soviet Union and kept their interests at heart.

 

Conclusion

This paper will discuss the Berlin Blockade as a significant event during early years of Cold War. It played a big role in raising the tensions between the Soviet Union and Western countries and was illustrative of the felt division in the period. The ability to successfully counter the blockade becomes the brightest proof of the intention of the Western powers to remain in West Berlin and to oppose the Soviet Union. Effects occurred from the blockade included the extreme division of Germany and formation of NATO had impacts on the European geographical political map.

 

How did the Berlin Blockade contribute to Cold War tension?