The Berlin Blockade (jun 24, 1948 – may 12, 1949)

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When the Western Allies united their 3 zones in Germany, including Berlin, without the consulation of Stalin and had been promised reparations from them that hadn't been received yet. In June 1948, he cut off all road and rail lines between Berlin and the rest of West Germany, with the plan for the allies to pull out of Berlin and let it fall under Soviet control.
The allies knew they couldn't leave 2 million Berlinners to starve, equally backing out of the territory would send a message of weakness to the USSR and potentially embolden it. It was decided therefore to supply West Berlin by air, this became known as the Berlin Airlift. It cost a total of US$30. They were confident the USSR wouldn't retaliate as it could begin a war- against the nuclear weapon owning US. The blockade was lifted on the 12th may 1949.
The crisis consequentially damaged diplomacy between East and West and cemented the tension growing between them since ww2. It marked the first flashpoint of the Cold War and proof of the extent the Western Allies were willing to go to display their power.

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