The Berlin Crises (Berlin Blockade) (5) Flashcards
What caused the first crisis of the Cold War?
Differences over the Cold War.
Nowhere were the ___ tensions of the Cold War so close to the surface as in Berlin, the former ___ of Germany, which lay deep within the ____ zone.
Underlying
Capital
Soviet
What did many in the West view Berlin as?
A symbol of freedom behind the Iron Curtain
What was weird about the fact that many Allied leaders had agreed that Germany would remain united?
They introduced different political and economic systems in their zones.
What was established in the Soviet Zone?
A communist dictatorship was established. It introduced a communist economic system by nationalizing industry and setting up collective farms. Economic recovery was slow, as the government rejected American Aid, and the USSR forced East Germans to pay reparations.
What was established in the Western Zones? (3)
- Different Political Parties were formed and local democratic elections were held
- Free enterprise economic practices were encouraged
- Rapid growth of the economy due to the Marshall Plan.
By 1948, the Western zones had ___ to form a single economic unit and introduced a new _____.
United
Currency
Which years was the Berlin Blockade and Airlift?
1948-1949
How far were the Western sectors of Berlin from the Western Zones of Western Germany?
They were over 160 kilometers away.
What was the currency situation in Berlin?
The Western currency became the dominant currency in Berlin and the Soviet Zone currency lost its value.
What triggered Stalin to believe that the Western powers were waging economic warfare and had no intention of leaving Berlin?
The dominance of the Western currency in Berlin.
What did the USSR do in June 1948?
They blocked off all surface routes- roads, rail and canal- linking Berlin to the West. This Berlin Blockade cut off two and half million citizens in West Berlin from supplies and contact with the Western zones.
What did the USSR send to West Berlin and why?
They sent generous rations into West Berlin in an effort to persuade its inhabitants to agree to Soviet control.
What decision did the West face?
They did not want risk war by forcing the USSR to lift the blockade. On the other hand, they believed that to do nothing would be seen by Stalin as a sign of weakness, and would portably result in a communist takeover of the whole of Berlin.
Cause of the Berlin Blockade:
Stalin was very aware that the western part of Germany was always going to be more prosperous and secure than the eastern zone.
He was worried that the West would take advantage of their stronger position and unite all their zones, and eventually take over the eastern part.
What was their solution to the blockade?
The Berlin Airlift. Stalin had not closed the three air lanes through to Berlin, and so for nearly a year, the West supplied the Western sectors of Berlin by air with all requirements.
What requirements did the Western Zones provide West Berlin? (4)
- Food
- Fuel
- Building Materials
- Medical supplies
When did Stalin call off the blockade?
When it was clear to Stalin that the West would not give up Berlin.
Berlin became a symbol of Cold War ___, and also a potential ___ for future crises.
Tensions
Flashpoint
Define flashpoint.
A place where conflict is likely or violence is likely to break out.
What happened after this crisis?
Germany was morally divided into two operate states.
In May ___, the three Western Zone became the ___ ____ ____ or (West Germany), with ____ as its capital. West Berlin was included as part of West Germany.
1949
German Federal Republic
Bonn
Who was West Germany’s first leader?
Konrad Adenauer
In ___ 1949, the Soviet zone became the ____ _____ ___ (or East Germany), with East Berlin as its capital.
October
German Democratic Republic
Who was East Germany’s first leader?
Walter Ulbricht
The Allied aim of keeping Germany ___ had failed. Germany was to remain divided for the next ____ years.
United
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