Berlin Blockade and Airlift

Question 1

What caused the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 1

• Berlin was divided into zones much like the rest of Germany
• running Berlin together became increasingly difficult as time went on
• the western allies wanted Germany to be rebuilt and reunified, but Stalin opposed this as he saw Germany as a threat
• in March 1948, the allies unified their sectors of Germany (trizonia) and introduced a new currency (the Deutschmark). Stalin did the same in the east
• the USSR wanted to remove all western officials from Berlin

Question 2

When was the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 2

24 June 1948 - 12 May 1949

Question 3

What happened in the blockade?

Answer 3

Transport links into West Berlin were blocked - no food, fuels or medical supplies could reach people in West Berlin. Electricity supplied from the soviet sector was cut. This was very serious for the 2.5 million inhabitants of West Berlin.

Question 4

How did the West respond to the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 4

On June 26 1948, British and American planes began delivering supplies to West Berlin. At it’s peak, a plane was arriving every three minutes and around 4000 tonnes of supplies were delivered every day. Tensions remained high throughout the blockade and airlift - war seemed like a possibility. On 12 May 1949, Stalin gave in and ended the blockade.

Question 5

What were the consequences of the Berlin Blockade and Airlift?

Answer 5

• they had pushed the two sides to the brink of war so relations were worse than ever
• on 23 May 1949, West Germany became the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG)
• in October 1949, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was created as a Soviet-style communist state
• in April 1949, the USA, Britain and 10 other non-communist countries formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). A Soviet rival, The Warsaw Pact, was created 6 years later