When the USSR cut off West Berlin in 1948, the West flew in supplies instead of leaving or fighting its way in.
Picture two maps. Germany was split into four occupation zones, run by the USA, Britain, France and the USSR. Berlin lay deep inside the Soviet zone, but the city itself was also split into four sectors. The three western sectors made up West Berlin. Its people needed food and fuel brought across the Soviet zone, so the routes in mattered.
The Western powers moved towards creating a separate West German state. In June 1948, they brought in a new currency in their zones and West Berlin to help the economy recover. Stalin saw this as building a separate Germany tied to the West. He blocked all road, rail and canal routes into West Berlin. The aim was to force the West to change its plans or leave the city.
The USA and Britain used agreed air corridors, or flight routes, to fly in food, coal and other essentials. This was the Berlin Airlift. It avoided both giving up and sending an armed convoy through Soviet territory, which could have started a war.
The blockade ended on 12 May 1949. Flights continued until September to build up reserve supplies. The West had shown it would stay, but trust did not improve. Separate West and East German states were created in 1949. The crisis showed both confrontation and restraint: each side pushed hard, but avoided fighting.
- June 1948
- USSR blocks land and water routes to West Berlin.
- Berlin Airlift
- USA and Britain fly in food and coal.
- 12 May 1949
- Blockade ends; two German states form in 1949.
Worked example: Three choices over Berlin
Compare the gains and dangers of possible Western responses.
- Leave: avoids a fight, but abandons West Berlin and weakens trust in the West.
- Force a convoy through: could start a war with Soviet troops.
- Airlift: supplies the city and stands firm without fighting on the ground.
Watch out for this
The Berlin Blockade and the Berlin Wall were the same event.
The Blockade was in 1948 to 1949. The Berlin Wall was built much later, in 1961.
Check your understanding
Why did the West choose an airlift?
- It kept West Berlin supplied without fighting through Soviet territory.
- It was the only way to leave Berlin quickly.
- The USSR asked the West to use aircraft.