LEARNING INTENTIONS

• Describe Berlin’s role in the Cold War

• Explain what the Berlin Blockade, Berlin Airlift and Berlin Wall were

Of all the famous events and places involved in the Cold War, German capital city Berlin is

arguably the most important city in the conflict.

After the Second World War, Germany was divided into four quarters amongst the

allies:

• The USA• The UK• France

• Soviet Union

However it was not just the country that was split; each of the four countries took

part of Germany’s capital, Berlin.

Berlin was in East Germany.

The three Western countries started to work together and this angered the Soviet Union.

They worried this would mean the West (USA) would soon control all of

Germany.

As Berlin was located in the Soviet Union’s area, they used this to hurt the other

countries.

In 1948, the Soviets stopped the USA, UK

and France from entering Berlin by

rail or road. This is called the Berlin

Blockade.

The Berlin Blockade meant that those on the West side would

soon run out of food, water and power.

The allies response to this became known

as the Berlin Airlift.

The Berlin Airlift involved US, UK and French airplanes

flying into Berlin to drop off food, water and other supplies.

Doing this helped the West side to survive

all through the Blockade.

The Soviets could not stop the planes for fear of starting a war. The airlift embarrassed the

Soviets.

The Blockade continued until May 1949 after which the Soviets cancelled it.

The Soviet Union’s defeat in the Blockade angered them. They were even angrier when the

Western sides announced one joint currency for

their areas.

Stalin responded by stopping any contact between East and West

Berlin.

Now the three Western countries (USA, UK, France)

joined their areas to form West Germany.

The part controlled by the Soviet Union was known as East

Germany.

Although the two sides of Berlin were

supposed to be separate, people still crossed between them.

This was especially true for people from the East, as their

side was much poorer.

Thousands of East Germans (and others

from the Soviet Union) travelled through

Berlin to the west.

The Soviet Union had a brain drain (losing some of its best

people; scientists, doctors, etc)

By 1961, the Soviets decided to

stop these crossings by

building a wall to divide Berlin.

They were encouraged by

President Kennedy’s refusal to stop such a

move.

The Berlin Wall caused families to be divided and trapped poor East Germans on their own

side.

There were official crossing points but a permit was needed.

Some East Germans were killed trying to

cross.

The best known crossing point in the

Wall was called Checkpoint Charlie.

Many people say this was the most dangerous place in the Cold War, because US and Soviet troops were located a

few hundred yards apart.

The Wall stayed up until the collapse of Communism in 1989.

Many argued that the Wall was an

embarrassment for the Soviet Union as it

showed people had to be forced to live

there.