Conflict over Germany -> The Berlin Blockade and the formation of East and West Germany

Question 1

what were the final straws for Stalin in June 1948?

Answer 1

• the French merged their zone with that of the British and the Americans, creating Trizonia
• The Americans launched a new currency, the Deutschmark, with the aim of fostering economic recovery within Germany

Question 2

what did Stalin inform the German communist leaders in June 1945?

Answer 2

Stalin informed German communist leaders that he expected to undermine the British zone, and that the USA would withdraw within 1-2 years, leaving a united Germany under communist control in the Soviet sphere

Question 3

what did Stalin tell Bulgarian and Yugoslavian delegations in 1946?

Answer 3

In 1946, Stalin told Bulgarian and Yugoslavian delegations that Germany must be both Soviet and communist

Question 4

what happened to elections in Berlin in 1946?

Answer 4

local elections resulted in a massive anti-communist protest vote, especially in the Soviet sector of Berlin

Question 5

what was Stalin’s justification for the launch of the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 5

Stalin argued that since the Western powers were against German reunification and were instead going to create a West German nation, they had no reason to stay in Berlin which was in the east of Germany

Question 6

When did the Berlin Blockade start?

Answer 6

• The Berlin Blockade started on 24th June 1948
• The Soviets blocked all rail and road links to West Berlin
• The Soviets cut the electricity supply from the Berlin’s power stations, which were located in the Soviet sector

Question 7

Why did the Soviets initiate the blockade?

Answer 7

• The Soviets argued these restrictive measures were put in place to prevent the Soviet zone to be overwhelmed with the devalued Reichsmark
• The Reichsmark was the German currency before 1948, but it had lost most of its value after Germany’s defeat in WWII
• On 20 June, the Western allies introduced the Deutschmark for Western Germany without consulting the USSR
• In response, the Soviets introduced the Ostmark on 24 June and initiated a blockade

Question 8

what was Kennan’s reason for why Stalin blockaded Berlin?

Answer 8

• Stalin was engaged in what Kennan called a ‘kind of squeeze play’
• wanted to force the Western powers to either give up their moves towards a separate West German state, or to relinquish West Berlin’

Question 9

In a meeting with Yugoslav and Bulgarian communist leaders, what did Stalin stress about how Germany would remain be divided?

Answer 9

‘The West will make West Germany their own, and we shall turn Eastern Germany into our own state’

Question 10

what was Russia’s perspective on why Stalin blockaded Berlin?

Answer 10

• The Blockade was a legitimate response to the West’s unilateral decision to unify the three western occupation zones
• however, Truman was determined to stay in Berlin

Question 11

what was the Soviet Foreign Ministry’s stance on Stalin’s blockade of Berlin?

Answer 11

• the establishment of a West German state was rightly perceived in Moscow as a complete break with the Yalta-Potsdam agreements
• Soviet Foreign Ministry concluded that: ‘the western powers are transforming Germany into their stronghold…directed against the Soviet Union’
• The Kremlin decided to counterattack using the most tangible advantage it still held in Germany: control over the geographic space between the western zones and Berlin

Question 12

how long did the Berlin Blockade last until?

Answer 12

29th May 1949

Question 13

what were the instructions to the American military administration on Germany on May 11th 1945?

Answer 13

‘Germany is not to be occupied for the purpose of liberation but as a defeated enemy nation’

Question 14

what did Molotov note about Germany and Berlin in regard to Europe?

Answer 14

Molotov noted: “What happens to Berlin, happens to Germany; what happens to Germany, happens to Europe”

Question 15

Why was it so important for the western allies to do something in response?

Answer 15

• West Berliners would starve if resources did not continue to be supplied
• Berlin was essential for the reconstruction of Germany’s economy, so the Western powers had to supply food and raw materials to allow economic growth
• Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin, saw the blockade as the USSR’s first steps to spreading communism across the whole of Germany - important to protect the future of democracy
• Berlin was the last western island in the Soviet zone - needed to control it to stop the creation of a buffer zone between the USSR and western Europe
• The Western powers saw the Great Depression and poverty as a reason for Hitler rising to power, so they had to prevent poverty in Berlin to stop Nazis from gaining power again

Question 16

What options did Truman consider?

Answer 16

• American forces could withdraw from West Berlin - shows weakness
• They could stay in Berlin until the starving population forces them out and accepts the Soviet rule out of desperation
• They could send an armed convoy to open the roads - could lead to war

Question 17

What did Ernest Bevin want to do?

Answer 17

• Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin, insisted that the western powers should remain in Berlin
• Did not want to use military force but must keep Berlin supplied with essentials

Question 18

What did Bevin say in a note addressed to Attlee?

Answer 18

• Note from July 1948
• Bevin states the Western powers’ presence has prevented the establishment of a ‘Soviet-controlled German government’ in Berlin
• They must not leave Berlin because this would:
  ‘Increase Soviet prestige’
  ‘Win over doubtful masses’
  ‘Depress our friends in each of the free countries of Europe’

Question 19

How did the US react to Bevin’s ideas?

Answer 19

• US military governor, General Clay, agreed with Bevin
• Clay initially suggested an armed convoy to force their way to West Berlin, but Bevin dismissed this idea as it could start a war

Question 20

How did the western powers respond to the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 20

• From 26th June, the western powers began the first flights of the Berlin Airlift
• Aircrafts delivered food and coal to West Berlin

Question 21

what was the British code name for the airlift?

Answer 21

Operation Plainfaire

Question 22

How long did the Berlin Airlift last?

Answer 22

• Airlift started on 26th June 1948
• Ended on 12 May 1949

Question 23

What were the purpose of the Moscow Talks?

Answer 23

• The Western allies were unsure that the airlifts could be maintained and were interested in making agreements with Stalin over Berlin
• On 2 August 1948, the four powers met in Moscow

Question 24

What happened during the Moscow Talks?

Answer 24

• The Soviets wanted the Deutschmark to be withdrawn from West Berlin and replaced by the Ostmark
• The Soviets wanted the creation of a West German state to be delayed until all representatives of the four powers had met to negotiate basic questions concerning Germany
• The Western powers would not reverse their decision to create a West German state, but were ready to agree to the introduction of the Ostmark to the whole of Berlin
• However as discussions progressed, it became clear that the Soviets wanted total control of the currency
• On 7 September, these talks deteriorated
  Stalin thought that the airlifts would not last through the winter and decided to stall

Question 25

Did the Berlin Airlift fail during the winter?

Answer 25

By the end of January 1949, the airlifts continued to be successful

Question 26

How much supplies did the Western powers provide to West Berlin on New Year’s Eve 1948?

Answer 26

Allied forces delivered over 6000 tons of supplies, which was a new record

Question 27

Give some statistics overviewing the Berlin Airlift:

Answer 27

• in total, the USAF and the RAF delivered 2,326,406 tons
• nearly 2/3 of which were coal
• at the height of the airlift, one plane reached West Berlin every 30 seconds

Question 28

what quote by Lucius Clay expresses the American commitment to Berlin?

Answer 28

• ‘We are convinced that our remaining in Berlin is essential to our prestige in Germany and in Europe’
• ‘it has become a symbol of American intent’

Question 29

what were the effects of the Berlin Blockade?

Answer 29

The Berlin Blockade succeeded only in deepening the East-West split in Europe, destroying whatever hope still existed for a settlement on Germany to which all four occupying powers could agree

Question 30

what did the Western powers create in September 1949, five months after the end of the Blockade?

Answer 30

Five months after the end of the blockade in September 1949, the Western powers created the ‘Federal Republic of Germany’ (FDR), the West German state

Question 31

when did the Parliamentary Council made up of West German representatives meet?

Answer 31

A Parliamentary Council composed of representatives of all West German parties met from September 1948 to May 1949, and drew up a Basic Law for the new republic.

Question 32

when was the first parliament elected in West Germany and when did the first federal gov take office?

Answer 32

The first parliament, the Bundestag, was elected in August 1949, and the first Federal government took office in September.

Question 33

what did the Soviets create in response to the FDR?

Answer 33

• One month after the FDR, the Soviets established the ‘German Democratic Republic’ (DDR), the East German state in their occupation zone
• Europe’s Cold War lines were now clearly drawn, the division of Germany between west and east mirroring the wider division of Europe into American-led and Soviet-led spheres

Question 34

who was elected as Chancellor of the FDR in September 1949?

Answer 34

Konrad Adenaur was elected as Chancellor of the FDR in September 1949

Question 35

why was the creation of the FDR and the GDR significant?

Answer 35

• it signified the end to any hope of an agreement between West and East Germany
• the temporary division of the country, laid down at Yalta and Potsdam, now became a more prominent feature
• as capitalism flourished in West Germany, communism was imposed upon East Germany
• it was a division that was too last 40 years (long-term impact)

Question 36

what was the reality behind the apparent independence of West Germany created by western powers?

Answer 36

Despite its apparent independence, the new West German state was subjected to an Occupation Statute which set up a High Commission that gave Britain, France and the USA the authority to determine any final decision on West German foreign policy and security

Question 37

who did the Soviet elect as General Secretary of the SED in 1950 in response to the US?

Answer 37

the Soviets elected Walter Ulbricht as General Secretary of the SED in 1950

Question 38

what was the reality of conditions in East Germany?

Answer 38

• Turned East Germany into a gigantic work camp
• has to run East Germany and provide Stalin with $10bn reparations
• the conditions were appalling, hard and oppressive
• despite their democratic facade, the constitution for the East German state was based on a one-party state system with the SED as the party for voter choice -> in October, the new East German state was officially formed

Question 39

who did the Soviets rely on to patrol communism in East Germany?

Answer 39

• the ‘Stasi’ were secret police for communism
• Ulbricht had effectively built a ‘surveillance socialism’ to monitor and interfere with people despite trying to position East Germany as the Germany of peace

Question 40

how was the Soviet’s blockade a failure?

Answer 40

It was a particularly inept piece of diplomacy, for it amounted to nothing less than blackmail; instead of halting integration plans it speeded up the formation of a West German state.

Question 41

what choice did western and southern Europe have after the blockade?

Answer 41

• There appeared to be a stark choice for western and southern Europe: come together and survive, or remain independent entities and sink.
• Their choice of a firm stand paid handsome dividends, for on 11 May 1949 the Soviets called off their blockade.

Question 42

what did the Soviets gain from the Western powers?

Answer 42

All they had gained from the western powers was agreement that the Council of Foreign Ministers should again convene.