The Berlin Airlift and The Berlin Wall

Post-War Occupation
After WWII Allied and Soviet troops occupied Germany and the capitol city of Berlin.
The Allied Powers and USSR agreed on occupying Germany temporarily as part of the Potsdam
Conference. The Allies had also agreed on allowing all countries affected by WWII to create
democratic governments. Stalin, the leader of the USSR, thought it was necessary to have some
protection between the USSR and Germany, since Germany had twice attacked his country and
had caused millions of deaths. Stalin set up communist satellite countries as buffers in the
Soviet-occupied countries between the USSR and Germany. This included the countries
Czechoslovakia, Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Poland, and Yugoslavia. When US
President Harry Truman insisted Stalin allow these countries exercise their rights to elect their
leaders, Stalin refused. Stalin said communism and capitalism could not exist in the same
world.
The European countries that were communist became known as the Eastern bloc and fell
on one side of the "iron curtain", or a political barrier that separated them from democratic,
capitalist countries. Right in the middle of this barrier was Germany and its capitol Berlin.
The Berlin Airlift
In 1948, Stalin cut off all highways, roads, and border crossings in Berlin, hoping to force
the Allied powers to abandon their section of Berlin. By doing this, Stalin closed Berlin and
refused to allow any food or supplies into the city. Berlin, and the millions of the people who
lived there, faced starvation if action was not taken.
In response, Americans and British officials began an operation called the Berlin Airlift,
flying in food and supplies for the city 24 hours a day, every day for nearly a year. At the peak
of the airlift, planes dropped 8,000 tons of food and supplies each day over West Berlin. This
was double the amount of supplies the American and British planners thought Berliners needed.
To accomplish this, planes flew over the city every 90 seconds. They were beating the
blockade. Eleven months later, Stalin lifted the blockade.
The airlift was an expensive and sometimes dangerous mission. Many times pilots were
shot down and killed in the course of delivering the supplies. The allies believed, however, that
they could not allow any more of Europe to become Communist, even one half of a city.
While the Soviets were unable to force the democratic countries out of West Germany,
the blockade made Stalins control of East Germany much stronger. The division between the
two halves of Germany was now very clear and permanent.

The Forming of NATO & the Warsaw Pact

Ten European Democratic countries, as well as The USA and Canada formed an
organization called NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, in 1949. NATO was a
defensive military organization whose purpose was to come to the defense of the other members
if they were attacked. These countries all shared similar democratic and capitalist governments
and economies, and strongly felt the spread of Communism must stop. Later, West Germany
joined NATO, after it had formed its own democratic government.
The USSR saw NATO as a threat and formed its own alliance in 1955. The communist
organization was called the Warsaw Pact and included the USSR, East Germany, and all of the
other Soviet satellite countries.
The Berlin Wall
When it became clear East and West German were not going to be reunited, many East
Germanys tried to escape into democratic countries. Europeans from the other satellite
countries tried to escape as well since most of them did not support the communist governments
put in place by Stalin. Berlin became the most convenient place to switch from the Eastern bloc
to Western Europe. It was a small gap in the iron curtain that divided the rest of Europe.
In response, the Soviet Union constructed a wall around the ENTIRE city of West Berlin
in 1961, which became known as the Berlin Wall. The wall was 96 miles long, made of
concrete topped with barbed wire, and completely cut-off East Berlin by land. Guards
monitored the wall day and night with orders to shoot anyone trying to illegally cross. Hundreds
of people were killed while trying to sneak across the wall out of Eastern Berlin.
The Berlin wall became a symbol of the Cold War and the divide between Eastern Europe
and Western Europe.

Name

April 28th, 2015 Period

The Cold War RESEARCH LOG

Unit 10

Essential Question #3: Why was Berlin a battleground in the Cold

War?
Sub-Questions: (1)

What were satellite countries? Who created them and why? (2)What
is the iron curtain? (3) What was Stalins attitude toward cooperating with Western Democracies?
What conflict did this help cause? (4) Why did Stalin close the city of Berlin? (5) What was the
Berlin Airlift? (6) Why did Americans and British conduct the Berlin Airlift? (7) What was a
result of the Berlin Airlift? (8) What do you think life was like for the citizens of Berlin during
the Berlin Airlift? How would these citizens view Western Democracies? How would they view
Soviet Communism? (9) What is NATO and when was it formed? What is its purpose? (10)
What is the Warsaw Pact and when was it formed? (11) Explain why NATO and the Warsaw
Pact are like mirror images of each other. (12) Why was the Berlin wall built? Was the Berlin
Wall successful? (13) How did the world see the Berlin Wall? (14) What do you think life was
like for people living in East Berlin after 1961?

Define Terms
Iron Curtain
Non-alignment
Containment

Answer the Essential Question: Why was Berlin a battleground in the Cold War?

Essential Question #3 Extra Notes

Document 1 - THE COLD WAR Policies of Containment

In order to stop Communism from spreading to other countries, the United States started a
policy of containment. Containment is a political policy that prevents communism from
spreading to other countries. In 1947, the Truman Doctrine gave aid to Greece and Turkey so
they would not be Communist. The Marshall Plan also gave billions of dollars of aid to European
countries so they could rebuild after World War II. The Marshall Plan was a great success and
money was also offered to Eastern European countries, but they refused the money.
In 1948, the Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin. A blockade is an effort to cutoff food
and supplies to an ally. Stalin wanted West Berlin to surrender. If this happened, Stalin would
have shown that Communism couldn't be contained. President Truman used airplanes from all
over the world to supply West Berlin and save it from Communism. The Berlin Airlift was a
victory for the Western Bloc and for the policy of containment.
Document 2
When Berlin falls, Western Germany will be next. If we withdraw our position in Berlin, Europe is
threatened Communism will run rampant. General Clay, US
Document Questions
1. When was containment practiced? Give three examples and explain each answer.
2. How did President Truman overcome the blockade on West Berlin?
3. Why does the author of Document 1 say Berlin must be defended?
4. Do you think containment is a good policy for western democracies? Can you think of a
better solution?
5. Is containment a temporary or permanent solution to the Cold War?
6. What does the author of Document 2 say will happen if the democratic countries allow the
USSR to take West Germany?