The Cold War was the war of cold hostility that started immediately after the Second World War till early 1990s between two world’s super powers – the USA and the USSR. During this period there was marked influence of the course of events in the war and other events. Of these the last was known as the Berlin Blockade played a significant part in determining the power relations between the two superpowers.

What Was the Berlin Blockade?

The Berlin Blockade describes a Soviet practicable by which they sought to place West Berlin out of reach of the Western Allies that was situated deep in East Germany. The blockade was set on June 24, 1948, and continued for the entire war till May 12,1949. The blockade occurred shortly after the creation of two separate German states: The Federal Republic of Germany usually called West Germany, and the German Democratic Republic or the East Germany.

The Background

After World War II ended Germany was divided into four zones, these were occupied the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain and France respectively. Like the whole of Germany, Berlin itself was the Soviet zone entirely and was also to be divided into four occupation zones to be occupied by the Allies. West Berlin, located far from the western lines, received the meaning of the Western Allies’ presence in Europe and the desire to restore a democratic Germany.

The Effects of the Berlin Blockade

From the lessons learnt, it may be agreed that the Berlin Blockade had both short term and rough implications on the Cold War.

The Berlin Airlift

The western allies — Out of reacts to this blockade the western allies started a colossal humanitarian and logistic operation known as the berline airlift under which the city of west Berlin was supplied with all its necessities such as food and fuel. In the course of the blockade, aviation of the United States, Great Britain, France and other states performed more than quarter a million sorties, delivering approximately 2.3 million tons of the necessary cargoes. This showed that the Western power was ready to support its allies and strengthened the perception that they were ready to stand and fight Soviet expansionism.

Increased Tensions

It was the Berlin Blockade which caused the antagonism between the United States and the Soviet Union to rise. As my focus is to elaborate on ideological and political rivalry between two super powers, it brought out this aspect well. The United States perceived the blockade as a threat to Self and counteracted it with vigour. This event served to deepen the divide and the level of distrust which was typical of the Cold War period.

Creation of NATO, and the Warsaw Pact

The Berlin blockade therefore was instrumental in shaping of the military alliances in the cold war. In reaction to the blockade the Western Allies formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO) in 1949. NATO was a collective defense organization whose objective was to respond to Soviet incursion. On the same note, the Soviet Union, together with other satellite nations from Eastern Europe established the Warsaw Treaty in 1955 as a result of the formation of NATO. These alliances even raised the stakes and boot that was the Cold war.

Division of Germany

If it were not for the Berlin Blockade, Germany remains united to this day. While East Germany became a Soviet type of regime, West Germany associated itself with the allies of United States of America. The division would continue to the collapse of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and Germany’s reunification in October 1990.

Conclusion

The blockade really represents the second phase of the Cold War and its impact on Europe was serious and long-lasting. It focused on the degree of competition between Americas and Soviets. The Western reaction in the Berlin Airlift demonstrated that they were prepared to risk anything to defend their interests and their friends. Subsequent military alliances, and longevity of the division of Germany extended the separations of the Cold War. Therefore, studying the outcomes of the Berlin Blockade is critical to get to a precise understanding of the periods multifaceted interactions.