The Berlin blockade and airlift

• New Western-backed Deutsche Mark introduced into Western Germany


  June 18, 1948
• Introduction of new Deutsche Mark


  One of the main causes of the Berlin Blockade
• There had been many hostilities between the East and West brewing over the years since the division of Germany and Berlin
• Discussions over Germany broke down with accusations of the West violating the Potsdam Conference


  Late 1947
• Soviets withdrew from the Allied Control Council which administered Berlin

  March 1948
• Soviets blocked all road and rail links into Western Berlin from Western Germany


  June 24, 1948
• Reason for Berlin Blockade

  Soviets believed the new Deutsche Mark went against the Potsdam Conference, so they banned it from East Germany and replaced it with the East German Mark
• West Berlin only had 36 days of food and 45 days of coal
• American response options


  • Surrender West Berlin sectors to Communists and let the city starve
  • Act proactively, risking aggravating the Soviets
• British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin's view


  Soviets' main aim was to spread communism across the whole of Germany, and Berlin was the first step. The West had to keep West Berlin supplied with essentials instead of using force.
• US General Clay's view


  Any withdrawal from Berlin also threatened democracy in the whole of Germany, so Berlin was extremely important for the whole of Germany.
• Airlift operation


  1. Deliver 2,000 tons of supplies per day

  2. Each plane carried 2.5 tons, making it extremely hazardous
• The airlift was a great success, as it provided all Berliners with a lifeline and the Soviets didn't intervene.
• Eventually, Stalin had to admit failure and ended the blockade in May 1949.
• The Berlin Blockade failed to prevent the creation of West Germany, and containment had been a success.
• However, it was also clear that Europe had now been divided.