Berlin Blockade/Airlift

In June of 1948, Stalin cut off all rail road access in West Berlin. He did this in an attempt to "choke" out berlin without fighting so that all of Berlin was communist Russia. This blockade lasted until May of 1949, so almost a year. One may ask, how did Berlin overcome this blockade? The answer is, America and other countries that helped with the Airlift. Since Truman did not want to fire a bullet and start a war with Russia, he thought that America and West Berlin could out last Stalin. So, without firing a bullet we overcame the blockade. The blockade was only on the ground, so we sent in around the clock air support containing food, clothes, and other necessary items to survive. Eventually, Stalin took back the blockade, and all of this was resolved without major conflict or the beginning of a war ( though tensions were increased).

• Leaders realize that the current situation w/ Berlin is unsustainable 
• Soviets had built roads for US troops to get to Berlin (Routes through E Germany), meant that US could drive supplies in or fly 
• Stalin didn’t like that there were US tanks sitting in the middle (Berlin) of Soviet territory 
• Closed down roads and train access to Berlin in June 1948 
• Truman has options what to do: conventional war (but no one wants to fight), give up Berlin (but it’s too important), nuke them (but it’s immoral) 
• Chooses to keep Berlin alive via Airlift, lasts for 11 months till may of 1949 when Stalin lifts blockade 
• Blockade almost caused another war 
•   In 1950’s Germans decided they didn’t want to live in Berlin anymore 
• USSR lost all of their workers, upset Stalin 
•  Led to August 1961 – Building of Berlin Wall by DDR 
• Built around W half of Berlin 
• From ’45-’89, US and Soviet tanks are facing each other in Berlin (that’s how tense this was… almost WWIII)