Berlin blockade/airlift (24 jun 1948 año – 12 mayo 1949 año)
Descripción:
——> the Soviets attempted to force the Allies out of the city on 24 June 1948 —> closed all roads, rails and canal access to the western zones of Berlin —> wanted to starve the allies out of the city ——> 1st direct confrontation between the 2 sides
Delivery of tons food which was normally provided by rails was cut off
Elecrtricity was cut off in factories…
The Allies set up their own counter-blockade
People could still come in and out until now—> two sides were divided
Stalin wanted to dégager the allies from eastern germany from puhing them out of berlin
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Backround:
- Currency reforms, Deutschmark (June 20 1948 : Western allies planned the introduction of a new currency in western germany= Deutschmark (DM)= to replace the old Reichsmark, which had become basically worthless + the exchange rate would be linked to dollar/pounds, germany would be dependent on the west+ would create a stable currency, allowing the Marshall aid to end the black market (Stalin refused this to be implanted in the soviet zone and did the same with a currency of their own => the Ostmark ))
- Marshall plan
- Sovietisation
- Trizone and Bizone (1947 : Britain and America combine their zones = bizonia ; March 1948 : France is added, create the trizonia )
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Stalin’s concern:
- Worried about the western influence — dollar imperialism
- Wanted to eject the Allies from eastern Germany —> aka force them out of Berlin
- Rearmement and the renazification of Germany (by, he thought, the Allies)
- Wanted Germany to remain weak as a strong Germany would pose threat to the Soviet Union.
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Stalin's reaction:
- Asks for the abolition of the deutschmark
- Creates the Ostmark
- Imposes a blockade on the Western zone
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Allied reaction :
- Implemented a counterblockade on the USSR
- Operation Vittles : sent suppies via the air —> airlift
- airlift organised after an agreement with the Soviets which gave them the right to use a flight corridor to berlin)
- Two thousands tons of supply
- Us sent nuclear planes to britain to supply food —> was higly publicised
- Clay (military commander) wanted to send an armed convoy to Berlin, this was refused, Allies didn’t want a direct confrontation.
- The Allies counterblockade was starting to have results —> stalin didn’t necessarily have time by his side —> agrreed to come to the table of negociations with the west
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Consequences for US:
- airlift was a success
- Victory for containment
- Ludwig Erhard (?)
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Consequences for USSR
- A counterblockade was implemented on them by the allies
- Public protests against the soviets —> defeat
- End by lifting the blockade on the west —> big defeat + humiliation, the west comes out of it with good press
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Añadido al timeline:
fecha:
24 jun 1948 año
12 mayo 1949 año
~ 10 months