Berlin blockade/airlift (jun 24, 1948 – may 12, 1949)

Description:

——> 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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