Transcript The Berlin Airlift & Iron Curtain

By
Blake Wilson
During World War II and after, the “Iron Curtain” was being
started. The USSR was starting to establish lines of influence and
control by taking the countries that were once invaded and
controlled by the Germans.
The Iron Curtain was given the name from Winston Churchill’s
speech representing the manner in which the Soviets controlled
their new borders.
This was expansionism.
After World War II came to an end in 1945 and Germany was
defeated, the victors (USA, Russia, and Great Britain) decided at
the Yalta and Potsdam conferences in 1945 that both Berlin (the
capitol) and Germany would be divided into four sections of
occupation, they would each get a section of occupation and
they decide France would get one too.
Berlin ended up being entirely located in the Soviet section of
Germany.
Germany
Berlin
In 1946 U.S.A. and Britain combined their two sectors into one
“Bizonia” and the French were going to join too. The Russians
had no interest in reuniting Germany since they had been
invaded before by them, and they wanted to have Germany
communist. This move by the allies put pressure on the Soviets
to join Germany together in one democratic country, this
increased tensions.
In 1948 the allies created a new currency for the west side of
Berlin, the Deutsche Mark. Russia feared It was going to devalue
their Reich marks (currency they used).
The soviets had enough, they had to stop Berlin from eventually
being one and stop it from being democratic.
On June 15th,1948 the Russians took action against a democratic
Berlin, they announced that the Autobahn highway would be
closed for repairs, then they stopped all road traffic, canal
traffic, and the closed the railway into Berlin from their section
of Germany.
The Russians thought since the people in west Berlin couldn’t
get food or other supplies it would force the allies to give up
west Berlin, then the Russians could claim all of Berlin as their
own.
The Western allies agreed giving in was not an option because
they did not want communism running rampant in Europe. A
military strike back wasn’t a good idea since it would turn the
Cold War into a Hot War. The allies then decided they were
going to supply west Berlin by the air, this was called the Berlin
Airlift or Air Bridge by the West Berliners and started on the 27th
of June 1948.
This was containment and expansionism.
Life during the Airlift wasn’t easy, but the citizens of Berlin
supported the cause. By 1949 it was clear the Russian failed in
their attempts, so the Soviets allowed the allies through to west
Berlin by land and water ways and ended the Airlift.
The allies still dropped cargo in by air for a short while after to
stock pile supplies in fear that Russia would blockade it again.
During the airlift: 2.3 million tons of supplies were deliverd,
there was a plane landing or taking off in Berlin every 30
seconds, 78 airmen died from crashes, and 700 aircrafts were
used.
On August 13, 1961 the wall that separated east and west Berlin
started, this gave a literal meaning to the Iron Curtain.
The Russians started building this to stop a uniting of Berlin and
it from being democratic, this was exactly what they were trying
to do with the rest of eastern Europe.
Families were separated over night and people were shot on
sight if they were trying to escape into west Berlin.
This was containment.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9VKVt4yuhI
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/churchill-deliversiron-curtain-speech
• http://www.historyguide.org/europe/churchill.html
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-blockade
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-airlift
http://www.english-online.at/places/berlin-wall/berlin-wall.htm
http://www.pbs.org/behindcloseddoors/in-depth/preludecoldwar.html#Berlin