Download Chapter 15 - Cold War Begins

postwar economy grow in the United States.
Finally, the Marshall Plan helped the United
States build strong political support in Western Europe. This support would be vital in the
Cold War years to come.
Identifying Cause and
Effect How did the United States respond to the
growing tension with the Soviets in the late 1940s?
The Crisis in Berlin
After World War II, the Allies had divided Germany into four zones of occupation-British,
French, and American in the western area and
Soviet in the east. The capital of Berlin, which
lay within the Soviet zone, was also divided
into four zones.
With the start of the Cold War, the lines
dividing Germany became sharper. It became
clear that the Soviets planned to keep their
zone under Communist control. The British
and Americans, meanwhile, began to take steps
to set up a free, democratic government within
their zones. The French would later join this
effort. The western zone eventually became
known as the Federal Republic of Germany, or
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West Germany. The British and the Americans
also took steps to set up a democratic government in West Berlin.
The Soviets block traffic The Soviets
were not pleased by the idea of a Westernstyle government and economy in the middle
of the Soviet zone of occupation. In June 1948
they decided to take drastic action. The Soviets announced that they would block any road,
rail, or river traffic into West Berlin. Suddenly,
West Berlin's 2.1 million residents had been
cut off from sources of food, coal, and other
basic necessities.
In fact, West Berlin was not completely cut
off because there were airstrips in the city. The
Western powers could try to supply West Berlin by air. It was a risky plan. Some officials did
not believe it was even possible to supply all
the needs of a major city by aircraft. Another
danger was that the Soviets might try to stop
the planes or shoot them down. This could lead
to war.
In the end, the Western leaders decided
that they had to take the risk. Their only hope
for keeping West Berlin free was a massive airlift. The plan went forward.
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In 1949 Germany was divided into four zones of occupation:
American, British, French, and Soviet.
Location Why was it necessary to airlift supplies to West Berlin?
See Skills Handbook, p. H20
THE COLD WAR BEGI