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How did a dispute over West Berlin exemplify U.S.-Soviet tensions at the beginning of the Cold War?

The Berlin Blockade of 1948 is a great example of the confrontational relationship between Truman and Stalin.

Berlin. By Deutschland_Besatzungszonen_8_Jun_1947_-_22_Apr_1949.svg: WikiNight2 (talk) derivative work: WikiNight2 [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
This is a map of Germany in 1948. The areas in red were under Soviet control. Within those areas, you can see a small patch of grey, which was West Berlin.

In case you don't remember: The city of Berlin was divided after World War II in the same way that all of Germany was divided--part was controlled by the Soviet Union, and part by the other Allies. The problem was that West Berlin was deep in East German territory.

On June 24, 1948, Stalin forbade all ground access to West Berlin from Allied-control areas of Germany. The city was cut off. This was the Berlin Blockade.

It was Stalin's goal to force the West Berliners to accept Soviet aid and supplies--effectively giving the communists control of the whole city.

Truman responded with the Berlin Airlift, an enormous aerial mission to fly supplies into West Berlin. Click on the image below to see how the Berlin Airlift worked.

Berlin Airlift. By Leerlaufprozess (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

It wasn't an easy job. American planes had to provide enough food for two million people. For almost a year, a supply plane arrived or departed from West Berlin every 30 seconds.

But the Berlin Airlift was a success. By May of 1949, West Berlin was in even better shape than it had been before the blockade, which the Soviets had to end, to their embarrassment.

Quickly review what you've learned so far using these questions:

What did Soviet leaders hope to achieve by initiating the Berlin Blockade?

  1. The death of West Berlin's citizens.
  2. The surrender of West Berlin to Soviet control.
  3. Political concessions from the United States.
  4. Economic concessions from the United States.

The Soviets' ultimate goal was gaining control over West Berlin. Simply seizing the city with force might have caused war with the West. Forcing it to accept Soviet aid was the better option.

The Soviets' ultimate goal was gaining control over West Berlin. Simply seizing the city with force might have caused war with the West. Forcing it to accept Soviet aid was the better option.

The Soviets' ultimate goal was gaining control over West Berlin. Simply seizing the city with force might have caused war with the West. Forcing it to accept Soviet aid was the better option.

The Soviets' ultimate goal was gaining control over West Berlin. Simply seizing the city with force might have caused war with the West. Forcing it to accept Soviet aid was the better option.

Why did the Soviets allow Western powers to fly supplies into West Berlin?

  1. They were worried about the health of West Berliners.
  2. They wanted the supplies for themselves.
  3. They didn't believe that flown supplies would be sufficient.
  4. Truman forced a compromise from Stalin.

Soviet leaders thought that planes would be unable to feed and supply a city of two million people. But the Berlin Airlift was so successful that planes ended up doing a better job than trucks had done previously.

Soviet leaders thought that planes would be unable to feed and supply a city of two million people. But the Berlin Airlift was so successful that planes ended up doing a better job than trucks had done previously.

Soviet leaders thought that planes would be unable to feed and supply a city of two million people. But the Berlin Airlift was so successful that planes ended up doing a better job than trucks had done previously.

Soviet leaders thought that planes would be unable to feed and supply a city of two million people. But the Berlin Airlift was so successful that planes ended up doing a better job than trucks had done previously.

Summary

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Question

What were U.S.-Soviet relations like under Truman and Stalin?

The two countries had a confrontational relationship thanks to Stalin's aggressive policy of expansion and Truman's aggressive policy of resistance and containment.