Berlin Blockade and Airlift: Cold War Impact

Have you ever wondered how it would feel to be separated from the outside world? The people who lived in East Berlin in the time of the Cold War know. The Cold War was in 1945 through 1990 when the USSR and America were in a place of political hostility. During the Cold War the USSR and America were continually engaged in an ARMS race; both countries wanted to have the best and most weapons. There were many difficulties of the Cold War, but the Berlin blockade and airlift is certainly the first. The three main points of the Blockade and Airlift that I will talk about are why the blockade went up, how the airlift was used, and how it affected people. In 1961 one of the most iconic monuments of the Cold War was built…the Berlin Blockade. According to the History Channel, tensions grew in Berlin when the United States, France, and Britain moved into their occupation zones. In response Russia launched a land blockade of West Berlin in an effort to force the West out of the city. “For the next 28 years, the heavily fortified Berlin Wall stood as the most tangible symbol of the Cold War-a literal “iron curtain” dividing Europe.”(The History Channel, 2010) The East Germans built a all to permanently close of access to West Germany. Many East Germans were dissatisfied with life under the

The air. America refused to back down when the Soviets put up the wall, so they used an airlift to show that to them.(US History) According to US History, “over an 11 month time period the United States and Britain planes flew over 4000 tons of supplies daily into West Berlin. But in May of 1949, the blockade was ended and there was no need for the airlift any longer. US History states that, In the end America flew over 250,000 supply missions to the people of West Germany. The airlift was many people's saviors asd they wouldn't be able to get food any other