The Berlin Crisis - stchistory.com · West Berlin had survived Stalin’s attempt to win a...
Transcript of The Berlin Crisis - stchistory.com · West Berlin had survived Stalin’s attempt to win a...
TheBerlinCrisis
Aim:ToevaluatehowtheBerlinCrisismadrelationsbetweenUSA&USSRworseanditsconsequences.
EuropewasnowclearlytwoPOLITICALandECONOMICcamps
AsagreedatPotsdam,Berlin,aswellasGermany,wouldbedividedinto4zones
• Divisionwasmeanttobetemporarybutendeduplastingforyears
• SplitbetweenBritain,France,USAandBerlin• ThereweresoldiersonthestreetsinBerlin• Militarycheckpointsbetweeneachzone• Soviettroopsbeganholdingupandsearching
roadandrailintoWestBerlin
Whathashappenedbetween1945and1948
• WantedtohelprebuildGermanyandimproveitseconomy whichhadbeendevastatedbyWW2
• WantedastrongGermanytoresistcommunistexpansionWest
• WantedtoremainBerlintotryandobservewhatwasgoingonbehindthe’IronCurtain’
• Wanted totakeasmuchmaterialaspossiblebacktohelprebuildSovietUnionafterWW2
• WantedGermanytoremainweaktoavoidfurtherGermanaggression
• WasworriedthatEastBerlinwouldseetheaffluentlifestylesofCapitalismontheWest
WhatdidtheleaderswanttodowithGermany?
InDecember1947,talksbetweentheforeignministersofeachpowerbrokedown…
Sovietministerstormedoutofthemeeting!
TheWestunites:• WiththeUSSRnolongercooperating,theWesternallieshadtodecidehowtoruntheir
partofGermany
• TheBritishandUSAhadalreadycombinedtheirzonesin1947into’Bizonia’
• March1948,Frenchaddedtheirzoneleadingto‘Trizonia’
• WesternZonesreceivedlargequantaties ofMarshallaid
TheWestunites: ThesamehappenedinBerlintoo!
• June1948– Trizonia createditsowncurrency,theDeutschmark
• Stalinwasfuriousbecause:…
• ThisnewcurrencycreatedaseparateeconomicunitfromtheEast,they’dagreedatPotsdamthattheeconomywouldberunasawhole
• IthadsetuptwoGermanys– WestandEast
Ithasneverbeenmoreclear,theWestareganginguponmeandtheSovietUnion.Youdisgustme,weagreedatPotsdamwhat
wouldhappen!
Iknowwhatyou’rethinking,thethreeofyoutogethercandevelop“West”Germany
andforcethe“East”intopoverty
Markmywords,Iwon’tjustrollover,youwantafight,yougotafight!Iwillmakeall
ofGermanycommunist,youwillsee!
TheWesternZonesofBerlinareentirelysurroundedbymySoviet
ZoneofGermany,thiswillbeusefultome!
Therejust2agreedlandroutesand2airroutesacrosstheSovietzoneofGermanytoWestern-occupiedBerlin
WhatisStalinthinking?WhatadvicewouldyougiveStalinatthispointtohelphimfightback?
BerlinBlockade!
ColdWarCrisis1:TheBerlinBlockade
• June1948StalinshutoffthelandroutesacrossSovietcontrolledGermanyintoBerlin
WhymightStalinthinkthiswasagoodidea?
IllshowthemadividedGermanywon’twork,Trizonia won’tbeabletocommunicatewithBerlin(thecapital)andtheBerlinerswillsoon
runoutoffood.
ThiswillresultinamassivepropagandawinagainsttheWestandtheywillhavetogiveupalloftheirzonesinBerlinandIwillcontrolitall!
YouarecrazyStalin,youknowIhavejustdeliveredmyspeechondefendingtheworldfromCommunismandImeantit!Thisisa
directchallengeandwe’renotbackingdown!
Thisreallyisabitofadilemma,Icantalkabigtalk,butIalsoknowifweforcesuppliestoBerlinalongtheclosedland andrailroutesitcouldbeseenasanactofwarwhichcouldleadto
directmilitaryconfrontation,nowhe’sshowingsignsofdevelopingthebomb,maybeneedtothinkmorecarefully?
WhatdoyouthinkUSAshoulddo?
Greatidea,wecanflysuppliesintoourzonesinBerlin,theonlywaytheycouldstopusisiftheyshotourplanesoutthe
sky!
ThatwouldmakehimtheaggressorwhichwouldbegoodforourpropagandaagainstCommunism,theevilanimalswe’dcall
them!IdoubtStalinwouldgothatfar,but,well,youneverknow!
SummariseinyourbookswhattheproblemwasandwhatTruman’ssolutionwas
YouareanadvisortotheWesternPowers,considerwhatweknowandcreateaminireport/memoontheoptionsavailable.
Options WithdrawfromBerlin
SupplyBerlinbyair Drivethroughtheblockade
Advantages
Disadvantages
TheBerlinAirlift:
• TrumansentB-29bomberstoBritain(theycouldcarrynuclearbombs).USSRwasnowwithinUSfiringrange
• Theairliftlasted10months;Coal,foodandothernecessitieswereflownintoWestBerlin.
• TherewasarealriskasnooneknewifStalinwouldshoottheplanesdown.USSRputweatherballoonsinawkwardpositionsaswellasflyingplanesacrosstheaircorridors.
• TheWestBerlinersandWesterntroopsbuiltanewrunwayattheoldairport,BerlinTempelhof.
• Citizenshelpedunloadtheplanesandhandoutessentialsupplies• 1000tonnesofsuppliesflownineveryday.Britishachieveda
similarrate.January1949saw170,000tonnesofsuppliessent• StalinofferedWestBerlinersthechancetomovetoEastBerlin,
only3%tookuptheoffer.
12May1949,nearlyayearlater,theSovietsgaveinandliftedtheblockade.Berlinersdancedthenightawayinthestreets
TheairlifthadworkedwithnoAlliedcasualties(militaryorcivilian)
WestBerlinhadsurvived
Stalin’sattempttowinapropagandavictoryovertheAllieshadbackfired
TheWesthadrespondedinapeacefulwaytowhatnowlookedlikeanunwiseandaggressiveactbyStalin
AftertheBerlinblockade,itwasclearthatthedivisionofGermanywouldnowcontinue,theWesternAlliesmovedquicklytocreateaseparateWestGermany
Writeamininarrativeusingtheaboveinformation
Rememberthelinkingwordsandtheprocesswords
West1– 0East
Consequences…
WestGermany:FRG(FederalRepublicofGermany)• 23may1949– Just3daysaftertheblockade,
Trizonia becomesWestGermany• 14August1949– WestGermanswereallowed
toelecttheirownparliamentcalledtheBundestag
• 15September1949– FirstchancelloroftheFRGelected(KonradAdenauer)
• FRG’snewcapitalwasBonn
• ThreewesternzonesofBerlinbecameknownasWestBerlin
EastGermany:GDR(GermanDemocraticRepublic)
• October1949– GDRcreated• Onlycommunistbloccountriesrecognised
itasanation• FRG(WestGermany)refusedtorecognise
itasaseparatecountryuntil1970s
EachGermanregardedtheirownstateastheonlyrealone!
WhatweretheconsequencesoftheBerlinBlockade?
NATONorthAtlanticTreaty
OrganisationApril1949
• Stalin’sthreattoBerlinandthecommunisttakeoverinCzechoslovakiapersuadedtheWesttheyneededaformalmilitaryalliancetoprotectthemfromtheSovietUnion
• TheyalsowantedtosendStalinaclearmessagetheyweredeterminedtostandfirmagainstcommunism
• Britain,Franceand9otherWesterncountriesjoinedNATO
Agreements:
• Ifany memberwasattacked,ALL memberswouldcometoitsassistance• BritishforeignsecretaryErnestBevinencouragedUSinvolvementsayingEurope
wouldwelcomeAmericaninfluenceandinvolvement.• USAmaygetinvolvedindirectdefenceofWesternEuropeandTrumanDoctrine
clearlyofferedassistance,thismilitaryalliancewaswellbeyondthat• AmericanmilitarypresencecommittedinEuropewellintothefuture
WarsawPact1955
• WhenFRG(WestGermany)joinedNATOin1955,Stalin’sfearsincreased.TherewasnowanarmedandpowerfulGermanyonthebordersofSovietcontrolledEasternEurope.
• Anequivalentcommunistmilitaryalliancewasformed– WarsawPact• Memberswerethe“EasternBloc”- SovietUnion,Poland,Czechoslovakia,Hungary,
Romania,Bulgaria,AlbaniaandtheGDR(EastGermany).• LeadershipwasentirelyUSSR
TherewasnowNOdoubtthatEuropewasTWOEUROPES.OneprotectedbyUSAandoneledbyUSSR. ColdWarhasofficiallystarted
BerlinBlockadevideos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZidBq8QS-g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akMRIgFOhDE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH-GVf9floo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jy3TKF4wSg GoodDocumentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nHdB1vJNsg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWw20-LbOmE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs-ovbMt_Xo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEVTh32CNWM