The Berlin Crisis Flashcards
When did tensions over the division of Berlin begin?
The Potsdam conference
When did the USSR and the West finally clash over Berlin?
1948
When did USA and Britain create Bizonia? When did French join?
- The French joined a year later.
When did the new western zone create a new currency and why?
June 1948 - they introduced the ‘Deutschmark’ to help economic recovery.
How did the Deutschmark affect Stalins USSR?
It alarmed them. Stalin did not want a unified western zone on his doorstep. West Berlins strong capitalist economy embarrassed the USSR, and made communism look weak.
How did Stalin attempt to force the West out of West Berlin?
By blockading Berlin
What did Stalin do in June 1948?
He ordered that all rails, roads and canal links between West Berlin and the outside world should be cut off.
How did the West respond to Stalins blockade?
By flying in supplies which became known as the ‘Berlin Airlift’.
How long did the Berlin Airlift last?
318 days
What was built in West Berlin to accommodate the large number of flights?
Tegel Airport
By 1949, how much supplied were being flown in daily?
8000 tons
What were the two separate states called in 1949 Germany?
West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany)
Communist East Germany (German Democratic Republic)
What did Stalins blockade during the Berlin Crisis show the west?
How unprepared they would be if there was a conflict with the USSR.
What military alliance was formed in 1949?
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)
When did the USSR establish the Warsaw Pact to rival NATO?
1955
