Download Revise_Berlin_Blockade

At the end of World War 1
• 9 million lives are lost.
• 1918:Germany is defeated, and forced to pay
reparations (money).
• Their economy is so decimated/stripped that they
needed a strong leader to pull them out. Hitler was
just such a man. He was a hero.
• Unlimited spending on science and technology
during that time. 1920s and 1930s.
• Germany develops rocket/ jet technology.
Roots of a Second World War
• When Hitler tries to expand Germany and
take over the world, World War II is begun.
• Taking lessons from the first world war,
why do you think the Allies (France, US,
and Britain) don’t want to force Germany to
pay reparations again?
AIM: How did WWII lead to the
Cold War?
Do Now: How do you think GB,
the USA, and the Soviet Union
should treat the German
government after WWII?
Joseph Stalin - Soviet Union’s
communist dictator until 1954
Winston Churchill - Prime Minister of
Great Britain until 1955
Harry S. Truman - President of the
United States from 1945-1952
At the End of WWII
• The Soviet Union lost 20 million
people
• GB lost around 370,000 and the USA
lost 297,000 people.
• The Soviet Union had marched its
army across Eastern Europe, keeping
soldiers in several countries.
Berlin, Germany
• During WWII, the U.S. and Soviet
Union’s armies were racing to get to
Berlin (the capital) because whoever
controlled it would have control over
Germany after the war
• The Soviet Union got there first, but
Berlin was still divided into 4
sections
Germany was divided into 4 sections
1st hot spot
of Cold War
Improve your knowledge
• The Russians took very high casualties to
capture Berlin in May 1945. They spent the
early occupation trying to take over all
zones of the city but were stopped by
German democrats such as Willy Brandt
and Konrad Adenauer. Reluctantly the
Russians had to admit the Americans,
French and British to their respective
zones.
What caused tension in Berlin?
Soviet Goals: Stalin wanted to destroy Germany. Why do you
think Stalin wanted to do this?
He wanted to rebuild his country after the war.
His communist ideology: Eastern Europe suffered under
Capitalism.
He wanted to prevent another Nazi invasion.
Western Goals: Britain and the USA wanted to rebuild
Germany. Once the Nazi leaders were tried and punished for
their crimes, the USA and Britain wanted to rebuild Germany.
Why?
They feared a Soviet takeover of Europe. A strong
Germany and Europe would provide a buffer against the
Soviets.
Their capitalist ideology: free market is the best way to
create a strong economy.
Economic Beliefs
• USA was capitalist and the Soviet Union
was communist
• Capitalism is a free-market economy
where people are free to make economic
decisions as long as they are legal
• Communism is a command economy
where the government makes most
economic decisions
• Where would you rather live and why?
What caused tension in Berlin?
BIZONIA: The Russians were taking German
industry back to Russia. Britain and the USA joined
their two zones together to get the German industry
back on its feet.
They called the
two zones
“Bizonia”
Why might this worry Stalin?
What caused tension in Berlin?
New Currency: America and France
announced that they wanted to create the new country
of “West Germany”.
They introduced
the Deutsche Mark
They did not tell Stalin they were going to do this!
What caused tension in Berlin?
American Aid: The Russians did not want
Marshall Aid coming into Berlin
Why did Stalin dislike Marshall Aid?
He thought it was a bribe to get the Europeans on the American side.
What was the Berlin Blockade?
•
•
•
The Russians stopped all road, rail and canal
traffic into Berlin.
Stalin said he was defending the east German
economy against the new currency, which
was ruining it.
The western powers said he was trying to
force them out of Berlin.
•
THE BERLIN AIRLIFT
• The Western powers (GB, FR, USA) thought
Stalin was trying to force them to give up
Western Berlin
• Because he closed all roads etc – people were
starving (up to 2 million of them)
• Only have enough food & fuel for six weeks
• Truman had 2 options:
1.Surrender West Berlin (give in)
2.Or go to War (devastating)
• USA believed best thing was to fly in supplies
(the Soviets had granted 3 air corridors into
berlin in 1945)
• 26th June – airlift began – slowly – with only
600 tonnes – needed 6000!
• By September aircrafts were landing every 3
minutes
• By spring 1949 = 8000 tonnes were being
flown in a day.
• The Soviets responded by cutting off
electricity supplies for the West Berliners.
• Stalin also offered them more rations if they
moved to the East.
Problem!
• Stalin realised his blockade wasn’t working
• The only way he could stop the airlift was by
shooting planes down
• This would be an act of war – at this point the
USA had the atomic bomb. The USSR did not
• The Berlin blockade was called off May 1949
In this British cartoon from 1948,
Stalin watches as the storks fly
coal and food into Berlin, but he
dares not shoot them down.
How long did the airlift last?
318 days!
Airlift facts
• In the winter Berliners lived on dried
potatoes, powdered eggs and cans of
meat. They had 4 hours of electricity a
day.
• A plane landed every 3 mins.
• On April 16 1949, 1400 flights brought in
13,000 tons of supplies in one day – Berlin
only needed 6,000 tons a day to survive.
• The airmen were regarded as heroes.
What were the consequences?
• May 1949, Stalin reopened supply routes
• USA joined NATO (North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation)
• Committed to keeping the peace
• USSR announced that it had tested its
first nuclear bomb
• East Germany become Communist.
• West Germany became Democratic (like
the U.S.)