Between June 1948 and May 1949 the Berlin Blockade formed a major part of the Cold War conflict. To understand its true purpose we need to look at both its historical background and the important participants.
The Cold War created trust issues between East and West during the years Germany split into parts.
After World War II, Germany was divided into four zones, each controlled by one of the victorious Allied powers: The United States, Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France ruled over four separate areas of both postwar Germany and Berlin. The Soviet Union split Berlin into its own four occupation zones even though it occupied all of the land nearby.
The Allies’ cooperative start ended because differences between Soviet Union leadership and Western powers grew into the Cold War starting point.
The Berlin Blockade Came into Being
The Soviet Union isolated West Berlin from road and water connections because they wanted to place communist leadership back in power over Germany. The Soviet Union implemented this border restraint as the Berlin Blockade and its official name became the “Soviet Zone of Germany Border Blockade.”
Soviet Union Implemented a Berlin Blockade as a Main Objective
The Soviet Union created the Berlin Blockade to take full power over the entire city and make Western Allies leave Berlin while strengthening its authority. Through a blockade strategy the Soviets wanted to force the Western Allies to give up control of West Berlin by making their hold impossible.
While achieving control of all Berlin the Soviet Union employed the siege to contrast communist benefits with capitalist disadvantages. Through making life harder for West Berlin residents the Soviet Union wanted to create anger among them which might lead to a communist takeover.
The Western Powers Answered Back
Following the consolidation of communism in Eastern Europe the United States leading Western Allies developed determination to fight back against Soviet incursion.
They setup the Berlin Airlift to get supplies into West Berlin by air against Soviet blockades. The US and British air forces delivered supplies including food and fuel above the Soviet blockade zones between West Berlin and Germany.
The Berlin Airlift Became a Mission Achieved
Despite Soviet attempts to starve the city the airlift delivered supplies to West Berlin at a constant pace through its air routes to safeguard its residents. Soviet authorities kept the Berlin Blockade in place for 12 months until they ended it in May 1949.
The Berlin Airlift showed other countries how much Western Allies refused to give up while proving different systems work better between communism and democracy.
The Berlin Blockade Shows Its Major Purpose
During the early Cold War phase the Berlin Blockade became a pivotal historical event. The Soviet Union enforced East-West division during their political and ideological fights with Western nations.
Through their successful Berlin Airlift operations the Western Allies showed they would defend democratic values. Through the Airlift the United States proved its global power status which boosted Western willpower to resist communist threats.
Conclusion
Through the Berlin Blockade the Soviet Union tried to secure control of Berlin while hurting Western Allied interests. The Soviet plan to cut off Berlin from other Western areas failed thanks to US and allied resistance during the Berlin Airlift. The Berlin Blockade created Cold War tension other than present years.