Introduction
The Berlin blockade and Airlift are Significant incidents in the cold war, which occurred in Germany after the Second World War. These event had very important consequences for the setting and demonstrated the substantial antagonism of the Soviet Union in confrontation with the Western Allies. In this article the reader will learn what Berlin blockade and airlift were, the causes for such actions and the results.
The Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade can be described as the act by which the Soviet Union sought to compulsively isolate West Berlin from the international community. It started on June 24, 1948, when the Soviet Union cut all road, rail and barge routes to West Berlin severing its connection with the Western sectors administered by the Americans, the British and the French. The Soviet plan was to compel the western allies to abandon their authority over the western part of this city [West Berlin].
Causes of the Berlin Blockade
This paper focuses on the key factors in the events leading to the Berlin Blockade which mainly emanated from the rivalry between the Soviet Union and the western Allies. At the end of the Second World War, Germany’s economy was occupied by four powers namely, the United States of America, United Kingdom, France and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. Even more, the Soviet zone within Germany encompassing the city of Berlin was divided into four zones. Principal or primary the superpowers’ contradictions concerning the reconstruction and the administration of Germany marked the formation or exacerbation of rifts.
This paper seeks to analyze the effect of the Berlin Blockade.
The Consequences Analyzed The Berlin Blockade was a critical event that led to a critical situation in West Berlin. The city’s food, fuel, and other necessary supplies were affected, which may be dangerous for people. The Soviet Union wanted to force the Western Allies out of West Berlin and bring communism in power in the region. But the allies met this with considerable tenacity.
The Berlin Airlift
To counteract the Berlin Blockade the Western Allies moved to launch the Berlin Airlift. This gigantic exercise entailed the delivery of all sorts of necessities and necessities to West Berlin by air. Its objective was the airlift that started on June 26, 1948, and ended almost in a year.
The logistic that governed the Berlin Airlift
In order to keep alive the population of West Berlin the Western Allies established a strict delivery system. Cargo planes from some different countries, especially the USA and UK made over 200000 flights transporting foods, coal, medicines and other important needs. Many flights were taking place round the clock and it used to take hardly 5 minutes of the time to get one flight land at the airports of Berlin.
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Berlin Airlift was a great success story of will power and teamwork. The fact of the Allies’ capacity to support the people of West Berlin in spite of the Soviets’ blockade showed the Western democracies’ determination to be consistent with the values of liberty. The Soviet Union had to cease the blockade on 12 May, 1949 as it failed to continue withstanding the international pressure along with the brilliant performances in airlifts.
Effects of The Berlin Blockade and Airlift
The Berlin Blockade and Airlift had significant consequences for all parties involved:
- Strengthening of the Western Alliance: Thus the successful Berlin Airlift helped to cement the USA, UK and their allies in their determination to face Soviet expansionism. And it occurred during the first phase of the Cold War for it signified a turning point.
- Formation of NATO: The prominent crisis in Berlin exposed the West European region to danger from the Soviet Union thus the formation of NATO in 1949. NATO was supposed to prevent any aggression by the Soviets against member nations of NATO.
- Deepening of the East-West Divide: The Berlin Blockade paved the way for the complete partition of Germany and Germany embarked on the creation of the Soviet-controlled East Germany and the Western-controlled West Germany.
- Symbolic Importance: The story of the Berlin Airlift and of the western powers managing to successfully deliver supplies to West Berlin became an icon of western resolve against soviet bullying and of the allies’ determined stand against communism and for freedom.
Conclusion
It remained an important tour for several years until the fall of communism in Berlin in 1989, the end of the Cold War in Europe in the same year and the beginning of political and economic changes in other areas from 1999. These events proved the ferocity of the western allies and at the same time also strengthened and widened the gulf between East and West. Thus, success in the Berlin Airlift helped strengthen the Westing Alliance that eventually formed NATO. Lastly, the Berlin Blockade and Airlift show the importance of the freedom stand and guarantee of nations freedom from dictators.