Consequences of Berlin Blockade Flashcards
What happened to Germany following the Berlin Blockade?
It became permanently divided into West Germany and East Germany
When was West Germany formed?
In May 1949 - the month the blockade ended
When was East Germany formed?
In October 1949
What was West Germany also known as?
The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG - similar to President FDR)
What was East Germany known as?
The German Democratic Republic (ironic, as it was not very democratic)
Why was Berlin symbolic?
It was symbolic of the cold war. Americans saw West Berlin as a democratic oasis in the middle of Communist repression.
The USSR saw it as an invasive cancer growing in the workers’ paradise of East Germany
How is the Berlin Blockade/Airlift also sometimes known?
As the first Berlin crisis
What did the Blockade reveal about the Cold War?
- Neither side was willing to go directly to war with the other
- Both sides were not highly suspicious of each other, and would try and win support through propaganda
What did the West form during the Berlin crisis?
NATO
What does NATO stand for?
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
When was NATO formed?
April 1949 (a month before the blockade was lifted)
What was NATO?
A military alliance
Why was NATO significant?
All the countries in NATO promised to defend each other if one of them was attacked. It thus increased the chance of all out war.
How did the USSR initially react to the formation of NATO?
It criticised its formation, saying it made peace harder to achieve
When did West Germany join NATO?
In 1955
When West Germany joined NATO in 1955, what did the USSR do?
It created its own military alliance, called the Warsaw Pact
What was the name of the Soviet military alliance?
The Warsaw Pact
Why was the formation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact significant?
- It meant the world was now divided into two military alliances
- A small conflict could potentially escalate into a far larger one
What did the USSR acquire in 1949?
The atomic bomb - to the shock of the world
Why was America’s involvement in NATO significant?
It was the first time it had committed itself to defending western Europe during peacetime. This shows how severe the Americans believed the threat of Communism to be.
What key positive consequence could you argue the Berlin Blockade had?
It ended peacefully - another war was averted
