Le Blocus de Berlin et le Pont Aérien 1948 The USSR had already disagreed with Britain and the USA at Potsdam (July 1945) about what should be done with Germany. Germany had been split into four zones. There had been particular disagreement about reparations: Britain and America had wanted Germany to recover economically, but the Russians had gained the right to take 10% of the industrial equipment of western Germany, and as whatever they wanted from their own zone in eastern Germany. http://www.johndclare.net/cold_war9.htm Spidergram http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/episodes/04/game/

Le Travail (groupes de 3) Lire pages 145-146 (Le Blocus de Berlin) Répondre aux 5 W’s… « Quel a été l’effet de cet événement sur le déroulement de la Guerre Froide ? » Le blocus s’est transformé en épreuve de force entre l’URSS et l’Occident. L’occident a remporté cette bataille symbolique quand les Soviétiques ont aboli le blocus au bout de 11 mois.

clip http://www.johndclare.net/cold_war9.htm quatre secteurs : le secteur américain, le secteur anglais, le secteur français et le secteur russe. Berlin, la capitale historique de l'Allemagne maintenant entièrement dans la zone soviétique, fut aussi divisée en quatre secteurs entre les mêmes forces militaires. Congress voted for Marshall Aid on 31 March 1948.    Immediately, the Russians started searching all road and rail traffic into Berlin.   On 1 June, America and France announced that they wanted to create the new country of West Germany; and on 23 June they introduced a new currency into ‘Bizonia’ and western Berlin. The next day the Russians stopped all road and rail traffic into Berlin. Stalin said he was defending the east German economy against the new currency, which was ruining it.   The western powers said he was trying to force them out of Berlin. clip

Le Blocus de Berlin Ce massif pont aérien dura 11 mois après lequel en 1949 les trois secteurs occidentaux se réunirent pour former la République Fédérale Allemande (RFA). le secteur russe devint la République Démocratique Allemande (RDA). Berlin de l'Est fut incorporé dans la RDA pour enfin devenir sa capitale en 1954, par contre Berlin de l'Ouest continua d'être un territoire séparé avec son propre gouvernement et liens économiques et culturels avec la RFA.

Le Blocus de Berlin La première confrontation majeure de la GF. Pourquoi par l’air? Truman voulait éviter une guerre. The American Army wanted to fight its way into Berlin – that would have caused a war.   Instead, Truman decided to supply Berlin by air.   The Berlin airlift marked the first major confrontation in the Cold War. For 11 months, beginning in June 1948, the Western allies took part in an unprecedented attempt to keep a city alive -- entirely from the air. Despite Soviet harassment, poor flying conditions and official discouragement, the air crews performed what many thought was impossible. Click air corridors and Berlin for more information. CNN.com for the map

On 1 June, America and France announced that they wanted to create the new country of West Germany; and on 23 June they introduced a new currency into ‘Bizonia’ and western Berlin. The next day the Russians stopped all road and rail traffic into Berlin. Stalin said he was defending the east German economy against the new currency, which was ruining it.   The western powers said he was trying to force them out of Berlin.

                                  The Russians were taking German machinery back to the USSR.   In January 1947, Britain and the USA joined their two zones together to try to get German industry going.   They called the new zone Bi-zonia (‘two zones’).   Britain and America tried to restore German prosperity in their sectors, but the Russians systematically looted their zone.  This cartoon of 1946 shows Britain and America trying to get the 'lorry' (representing the German economy) going, while the Russian sits smugly on his motorbike, having stolen the wheels.

                                            In this British cartoon from 1948, Stalin watches as the storks fly coal and food into Berlin, but he dares not shoot them down. Faits: The blockade lasted 318 days (11 months). In the winter of 1948–49 Berliners lived on dried potatoes, powdered eggs and cans of meat.   They had 4 hours of electricity a day. 275,000 flights carried in 1½ million tons of supplies.   A plane landed every 3 mins. On 16 April 1949, 1400 flights brought in 13,000 tons of supplies in one day – Berlin only needed 6,000 tons a day to survive. Some pilots dropped chocolate and sweets. The USA stationed B-29 bombers (which could carry an atomic bomb) in Britain.   The American airmen were regarded as heroes. In 1949, the western Allies set up NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) as a defensive alliance against Russia. NATO countries surrounded Russia; in 1955, the Soviet Union set up the Warsaw Pact – an alliance of Communist states.    

                                 This 1961 cartoon shows Russia and America in an 'arms race'.   The caption read: 'If we go on with this race, there won't be a winner!'      After Berlin, the USA and the USSR realised that they were in a competition for world domination.   They began to build up their armies and weapons. Working as a whole class, draw a spidergram to show all the reasons why the Berlin blockade failed. 3.   What were the results of the Berlin Blockade.