Development & Impact of the Cold War:
The Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade
On 23 June 1948, the Soviet authorities in Berlin issued the following announcement:
'The Soviet administration is compelled to halt all traffic to and from Berlin tomorrow at 0600 hours because of technical difficulties.'
With that declaration, the Berlin Blockade was about to begin.
'The Soviet administration is compelled to halt all traffic to and from Berlin tomorrow at 0600 hours because of technical difficulties.'
With that declaration, the Berlin Blockade was about to begin.
Background
The Czech Crisis, 1948
In 1948, the communists in Czechoslovakia mounted a political coup d'etat. Non-communist personnel and governmental workers were removed and the local police force were taken over by the communists. Fear, coercion and even murder were used to remove remaining opponents of the newly Communist Czech government. The death of a prominent Czech foreign minister, Jan Masaryk, is one such extreme case in which the new Communist government would go through in order to cement and enforce their power in Czechoslovakia. This led to the forced resignation of current president Edvard Benes and was immediately replaced by the Communist leader Klement Gottwald. |
The following events that took place in Czechoslovakia in 1948 was symptomatic of Soviet aggression and Communist expansion in Eastern Europe. The last remaining democratic nation in Eastern Europe had fallen to fallen to Communism and this evoked a painful reminder from the West of pre-WWII "appeasement" and Nazi expansionism.
"When Berlin falls, Western Germany will be next. If we withdraw our position in Berlin, Europe is threatened... Communism will run rampant."
-General Lucius D. Clay
On 23 June 1948 all road, rail and canal links between West Berlin and West Germany were closed. The Russians’ aim was to force the West to withdraw from the city by reducing it to starvation point. Berlin had only food and fuel enough for six weeks.
Why did the Soviets blockaded Berlin? How did the United States react? What were the effects of the Berlin Blockade?
Why did the Soviets blockaded Berlin? How did the United States react? What were the effects of the Berlin Blockade?
Task: The Berlin Blockade
Instructions:
8. Feel free to use as much diagrams and pictures (so long as they are relevant to the point you are discussing in your work).
9. Title your work in the following manner: The Berlin Blockade - (the first names of your group members).
Instructions:
- Read the following sources: pages 29 to 35 of the text "History - 20th Century World: The Cold War (purple text)", "The Berlin Blockade.pdf", the "American Response.pdf" and "Effects of the Berlin Blockade.pdf".
- Create a report about the Berlin Blockade.
- The report should be divided into 3 parts: "The Cause", "The American Actions" and "The Effects of the Berlin Blockade".
- Section 1: "The Cause" (Criteria C)
- Distinguish and explain in detail the causes for the Berlin Blockade.
- Describe the American dilemma by providing a summary of what their options were in regards to what they should do against the Soviet actions.
- Describe in great detail and with the use of any diagrams or pictures how the Americans responded to the blockade (what did the Americans do?).
- Describe in great detail what the Soviets did in their attempts to stop the American efforts (what did the Russians do?).
- Distinguish and explain in detail the effects of the Berlin Blockade (what were the short and long term effects of the Berlin Blockade?).
8. Feel free to use as much diagrams and pictures (so long as they are relevant to the point you are discussing in your work).
9. Title your work in the following manner: The Berlin Blockade - (the first names of your group members).
Other Resources
BBC Bitesize - The Berlin Blockade and Airlift
History.com - The Berlin Blockade Cold War Museum - The Berlin Blockade OCR - The Berlin Blockade Wikipedia - Berlin Blockade |
The Cold War Documentary - The Berlin Blockade
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The Effects of the Berlin Blockade
The blockade failed to stop the American, British and French from strengthening the western zones. In 1949 they joined their zones together to form a new country, West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany). The Soviet Union responded by turning its own zone into a new country, East Germany (German Democratic Republic).
Another effects of the Berlin Blockade that would have tremendous effect globally was the creation of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In fact, it was a month before the creation of the two Germany that NATO was formed. The basis for its formation was simple: 1) protection against Soviet aggression in Europe and 2) security - if one of its members were attacked, others would come to its aid. NATO's members originally included 12 Western nations (USA, Britain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal) and by 1952, Greece, Turkey and West Germany eventually joined the Western alliance. |
The creation of NATO, not surprisingly, was met with strong disdain from Stalin. Calling it an "aggressive" alliance, Stalin finally acted when Greece, Turkey and eventually, West Germany joined NATO, forming his own "defensive" alliance system in 1955 called the Warsaw Pact. The new Communist alliance system included all Communist states in Europe (USSR, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania), with only Yugoslavia as the only Communist state that did not join the pact. The basis and aim for Stalin's alliance was simple: 1) protection against the Capitalist movement and 2) security - if one of its members were attacked, others would come to its aid. Both alliances would continue to grow till well into the end of the Cold War. Their proliferation made three things clear: 1) Europe was divided between two superpowers, 2) a state of permanent hostility existed between the two superpowers, not only in Europe, but globally as well and 3) the arms race has begun.
Class Activity: The Arms Race
Instructions
b) Political reasons
c) Military reasons
d) Mistakes
b) How can the policy be defended against criticism?
c) Explain in your own words why McNamara believed that MAD acted as a deterrent to nuclear war?
b) How was the "balance of terror" upset by the development of (i) ABM Missiles, (ii) MIRV missiles?
Instructions
- Read the following sources: pages 104 to 111 of the text "History - 20th Century World: The Cold War (purple text)", "The Nuclear Arms Race - scanned pages.pdf", pages 343 to 346 of the text "Modern World History (blue text)".
- Answer the following questions:
- There are several reasons why so many missiles were built in the "arms race". Provide an example of each of these kinds in the following manner:
b) Political reasons
c) Military reasons
d) Mistakes
- Many people at the time felt that the policy of MAD really was mad.
b) How can the policy be defended against criticism?
c) Explain in your own words why McNamara believed that MAD acted as a deterrent to nuclear war?
- Why did the Americans feel confident until 1949 that they could win a war using nuclear weapons?
- What events in 1949, 1953 and 1957 reduced American confidence that they could win in a nuclear war?
- The policy of MAD created a "balance of terror" between the USA and the Soviet Union in the 1960s.
b) How was the "balance of terror" upset by the development of (i) ABM Missiles, (ii) MIRV missiles?
- Read the Factfile on page 344 of the text "Modern World History (blue text). Explain why the USSR was so angry about the US spy flights?
- How would the US justify this violation of Soviet territory?
- Compile a list of arguments of arguments FOR and AGAINST the use of nuclear weapons.