Currency Reforms and Berlin Blockade Flashcards
What was the trigger for the Berlin Blockade, & the physical division and permanent political division of Germany?
Currency reform
Why was a new currency introduced?
it was the quickest + most efficient solution which the Germans & their trading partners could trust again
What problems were there leading up to the currency reform?
shortages
danger of inflation like that seen in 1923
with rationing, there was a growing black market
As the black market was so prevalent, why was it vital that currency reform was brought in?
so that normal economic activity could be resumed with a stable currency and not a barter system
(to eliminate the black market for a more stable economy)
Why did the Soviets refuse to introduce the reform in their zone?
believed that currency reform was designed to undermine the Soviet zone & contrary to the need for ACC unanimity
What was the new currency?
the Deutsche Mark introduced on 20th June 1948 to Western zones
The Americans knew that the Russians would oppose currency reform, so what did they do?
printed all of the money secretly in the US & introduced the currency without consulting Stalin
What was the Soviets’ reaction to the new currency?
taken by surprise
within days they brought in their own currency & sought to cut off West Berlin from the rest of Germany
Led to international crisis
What currency did the Soviets’ introduce?
the East German mark
What was the impact of currency reform?
great economic success
improved morale of the people
political effects eg Soviets taken by surprise + major international crisis over Berlin
What examples show that an impact of currency reform was great economic success?
the index of industrial production rose so fast that by end of 1948 there was inflationary pressure
black market collapsed almost immediately
goods returned to legal market
stimulated business, complemented the Marshall plan & resurrected trade
When was the Berlin Blockade?
June 1948 to May 1949
Why was the Berlin Blockade so important/significant?
it was the single most important event in confirming the division of Germany into two countries
What was the Berlin Blockade a result of?
growing divisions between the Western Allies & the Soviets - particularly over currency
Culmination of events
What was the aim of the Berlin Blockade?
to starve West Berlin + forcing its merger into the Soviet zone
What was the Berlin Blockade?
the Soviets blocked access to West Berlin, they blocked all transport links by rail, road, air or waterway
What did the Allies do during the Berlin Blockade?
supplied West Berlin through Berlin’s Tempelhof airport, bringing in food, medical supplies + fuel
also built a new airport in the Tegel area of French Berlin
What did the blockade lead to?
The Berlin airlift programme
What was the Berlin airlift programme?
US + British pilots supplied Berlin with essentials via air transport
accomplished to such an extent that a plane landed in Berlin every 3 minutes
How many flights were carried out in the Berlin airlift programme?
some 279,000 flights
When was the height of the operation + what happened in terms of flights?
16th April 1949, an allied aircraft landed in Berlin every minute
In total, how much was carried into Berlin?
394,509 tons of foodstuffs, coal + supplies
On average, how many calories did Berliners receive a day?
an average of 2300 calories a day
higher than the UK food rationing system at the time
Why was Berlin so significant?
its geographical position inside the Soviet zone
it was the first direct clash between the East + West so was a test of nerves
it was useful for west to have an outpost in communist sea
west feared that if Soviet Union took control of whole of Berlin it would be start of Soviet takeover of whole of Germany
What was the only way the airlift could be stopped?
if the Soviets were willing to shoot down the British & US planes
Soviets not willing to risk war
When was the blockade called off?
by May 1949
What did the blockade being called off seal?
the division of Berlin & led directly to the formation of NATO
What did the ending of the blockade represent?
a climb down by the Soviet authorities
What were the Soviets made to realise, as a result of the blockade?
the West would take action to defend democracy, but only in their zones of Germany + sectors of Berlin
What did Stalin realise as a result of the blockade?
the resolve of the West was much greater than he had expected
What did the support for the West Berliners do?
(impact of blockade)
raise their morale
helped to increase integration between the Germans in the Western zones + the Western powers
What did the Berlin airlift programme show?
showed the Soviets that they would not relinquish control of the western zone
What did West Berlin become a symbol of?
(impact of blockade)
West Berlin became a symbol of resistance to the spread of communism & confirmed the division of Germany
What were the consequences of the Blockade?
former allies came close to fighting each other
Germany split
NATO
Warsaw Pact
Arms Race
What did the USSR try to do during the Berlin blockade + airlift?
persuade people of West Berlin to live in the East; offered fresh vegetables, butter
less than 3% took up the offer
Stalin’s plan failed
What did the Western Allies do in May 1949?
(consequence of blockade = Germany splitting)
Western Allies brought their zones together to form the Federal Republic of Germany, while in Oct, eastern sector became separate state calling itself the Germany Democratic republic
How did Berlin become more clearly divided?
(consequence of blockade = Germany splitting)
British, Americans + French built up west Berlin to show East Germans what capitalism could achieve
What happened in April 1949?
(consequence of blockade)
12 western nations signed a treaty setting up the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
What was NATO?
the agreement that if one member was attacked, others would come to its aid
What did President Truman say NATO was?
“a shield against aggression”
What did the USSR say about NATO?
Said NATO was not defensive but an offensive alliance against the USSR, claimed West were preparing for war
What did the USSR set up as a consequence of the blockade and when?
The Warsaw Pact in 1955
Who joined the Warsaw Pact?
All the countries of Eastern Europe except Yugoslavia joined
What was the Warsaw Pact?
An agreement to help each other if they were attacked
What did each country in the Warsaw Pact let Stalin do?
let Stalin station Russian troops there & put its armies under Russian generals controlled from Moscow
After 1949, what did both sides fear?
both sides feared the other because they felt they were in danger
both sides built up their armies + weapons
What did America do during the 1950s?
(arms race)
doubled its air force & increased its army to 3.5 million men
By the 1960s, how many soldiers did the Warsaw Pact have?
(arms race)
4 million soldiers by the 1960s
Why was the arms race dangerous?
both sides had nuclear weapons
eg by 1950s, both sides developed the hydrogen bomb
Why was the hydrogen bomb dangerous?
it could wipe out a single city with a single bomb
By the end of the 1950s, if the Russians attacked America, how many would die?
20 million Americans
What had Americans developed by mid 1950s?
American B52 based in Europe could destroy Moscow
