Question

. Why did Stalin blockade Berlin?

He wanted to send all East German food to the USSR.
He did not want to allow free elections in Eastern Europe.
He did not like it when the Allies unified their zones in Berlin.
He wanted to spread communism to Western Europe.

Answer 1

These were the two causes which underlay the conflict in Berlin in 1948. Then there were three events which actually led to Stalin blocking off the borders.

Firstly, in January 1947, Britain and the USA joined their two zones together. They called the new zone Bizonia (‘two zones’). The Russians realised that Britain and the USA were beginning to create a new, strong Germany, and he were angry.

Then, on 31 March 1948, Congress voted for Marshall Aid. Stalin (rightly) saw this as an attempt to undermine Russian influence in eastern Europe. Immediately, the Russians started stopping and searching all road and rail traffic into Berlin.

Finally, on 1 June, America and Britain 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. People in eastern Europe began to change all their money into the new western currency, which they thought was worth more. The next day the Russians stopped all road and rail traffic into Berlin.

The Americans claimed that Stalin was trying to force the USA the British and the French out of Berlin, and that the blockade was Russian empire-building in eastern Europe.

Stalin, however, claimed that – by introducing the new currency – the USA and Britain had been trying to wreck the east German economy. And he said that the airlift was ‘simply a propaganda move intended to make the cold war worse.’