- When a new currency was established, transport from the west to the east became blocked
- East Berlin controlled by the Soviets stopped supplying gas and electricity supplies to West Berlin to drive the western powers out
- The US' intelligence (CIA) contained reports of Truman knowing that Stalin was trying to remove the western powers from Berlin
- Response to this was difficult as...
- If Truman allowed the blockade to continue and withdraw out of West Berlin, Truman Doctrine would appear to be an empty threat
- Challenging the blockade with military force could threaten peace
- US, Britain, and France decided to not back down and supply West Berlin through transporting resources through the air
- This was named Operation Vittles, and lasted for 11 months and involved 300,000 flights bringing 2M tonnes of goods
- The Soviets did not attack physically, but instead make it more difficult for pilots with ways such as temporarily blinding them with searchlights and intefering with communications
- Stalin ended blockade in May 1949 and failed to push the Western powers of Berlin
- 65 German, British and Americans lost their lives in the operation
Consequences of the Blockade
- US joined NATO in April 1949
- First time US joined a military alliance in a time of peace and that the US military could be involved even without a direct attack to the US
- 11 other countries joined NATO in 1949
- Ernest Reuter, who was very anti-USSR, was elected for mayor in June 1947
- West German zones were officially merged in May 1949 as the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)
- Konrad Adenauer, right wing Christian-democrat, became the first Chancellor in Aug 1949
- Adaneur was in control of domestic affairs, while the occupying powers were in control of foreign affairs until the creation of the creation of the West Germany Office in 1951
- West Berlin was not part of West Germany, but the US, Britain, and France continued to occupy it to protect it from the East
- Stalin's response was the formation of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
- Key positions were taken by the Socialist Unity Party (forced combination of the Social Democratic Party and the German Communist Party)
- East Berlin became the capital of East Germany
- Did not form a military alliance like NATO, but instead increased control on satellite states, the countries that were formally independent but actually under Soviet control
- COMECON was established in January 1949 to control the economies of the Soviet countries
- USSR successfully tested nuclear weapon in August 1949
- Germany's position was set at one in which West Germany was vulnerable to Soviet aggression
- This position could be threatened by German rearmament and unification
- The European Coal and Steel Community was created in the Treaty of Paris and established a market between France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, and West Germany that imposed little or no duties (indirect import/export taxes) when internationally trading coal and steel
- This helped improve relations, and the US supported this
- French was against German rearmament, and the US Secretary of State: Dean Achaeson noted that disagreement over German rearmament could damage relations and the European Coal and Steel Community
- West Germany joined NATO in May 1955 with the circumstance that it did not have any biological, chemical, or atomic weapons and started rearmament
- In return, the USA and Britain kept forces in West Germany and formally ended its occupation in West Germany
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