World War II was a brutal conflict involving over fifty countries and resulting in the tragic deaths of over fifty million people, making it the bloodiest and largest war in history. However, the fall of Germany and the conclusion of the Second Great War was only the gateway to a new antagonist in the history of the United States of America. The Soviet Union was a growing communist nation and its leaders decided to occupy East Berlin, while the rest of the Allies including Great Britain, France, and the US would occupy the West, dividing it into separate zones for each respective country, as shown in the map on the right. Germany’s capital, Berlin, was further divided into the East and West Sector, controlled by the Allies and the Soviets, respectively. The eventual blockade on Western Berlin by the Soviets led Allied relief efforts to fly in supplies and food to keep the West Berliners alive and to prevent them from defecting over to the East, where the Soviets were providing the food and supplies. Although America’s decision to airlift supplies to West Berlin cost the United States a lot of money, time, and supplies, it ultimately was successful in saving the lives of the Berliners and influencing the outcome of the restoration of Germany at the conclusion of the Second World War.
The Soviet Union had been the black sheep in the Allied alliance during World War II. The major players in the alliance like Great Britain and France were founded on principles of democracy, while the Soviet Union believed in principles of communism, which partially invalidated America’s reason to fight. Now that the war was over, a new ideologically based conflict was developing between the two former allies. In addition to disagreement regarding government and society, the Soviets also had no intention in ever promoting the reunification of Germany. In the past, the Germans had been the antagonists, who pushed the Soviets around in previous conflicts like World War I and World War II. For the Soviets, this was their time to take out their revenge on Germany. In contrast, the Allies had exactly the opposite in mind and favored a smooth and eventual restoration of Germany. This difference in the future of Germany led to intense debates, and standoffs, especially when the Soviets announced their blockade of West Berlin, which meant no supplies were allowed to enter the Allied-controlled region of Berlin. If nothing were to be done to counter the blockade, the West Berliners would starve, or be forced to seek out the Soviets for help in East Berlin, accepting their rule.
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As popular as the airlift was, one may assert that direct assistance was not the best way to solve the problem, as it was costly in both time and money. Many people had other ideas about how to deal with the crisis in Berlin. Lucius Clay, the general in charge of the American situation at Berlin initially had an idea to break the blockade by means of an armored convoy. If the convoy was refused, it would be an act of war ('The Berlin Airlift'). Others had ideas such as dealing with the issue diplomatically, in order to avoid any escalating conflict. However, in a report on the negotiations in Berlin regarding the blockade, the sender describes the state of the negotiations as “unacceptable” since they have “not broken down yet” and the “Soviets still maintain their position that the US have no rights in Berlin” ('Report on Negotiations'). The attitude of the Soviets made it clear that there would be no hope of negotiating until they would have their own way. The economic battle between the two currencies of the East and the West only worsened the situation. At the conclusion of the war, the two sides issued military marks as their currencies. The Allies were not as willing to use the marks as much as the Soviets, who printed a lot of the money to pay off their war debts. However, the Soviets released a new currency called the Ostmark while the Allies released the Deutsche Mark into circulation. The Allied currency obviously had a lot more value since it was backed by richer countries, and soon the Allied currency leaked into East Germany, where it proliferated. The Soviets were especially angered by this because they wanted a unified form of currency within their sector. This further widened the gap between the Allies and the Soviets, which made any form of diplomatic solution non-existent and implausible. Others may argue that the endeavor was way too costly for America’s benefit. At a total cost of $224 million, it may have been expensive, but there would have been no other option, and going to war again would have cost a lot more money and lives.
The Berlin airlift was necessary down to every grain of rice that was delivered. Ultimately, it aided in the survival of the over 2 million residents of West Berlin. The terms of the division of both Germany and Berlin led to the Soviet controlling the food-producing East sector while the Allies controlled the West sector, which relied heavily on imports for survival (Noblett). The Soviet blockade removed all forms of previous shipment methods by rail and road at the time, which led to near termination of all food supply into the region. According to a German website, the West Berliners only had about 36 days’ worth of food-based supplies and 45 days’ worth of coal. Without external shipments, the city would starve and freeze to death ('Die Luftbrücke'). Prior to the airlift, a personal account by Traute Grier, a 16- year-old at the time, described the conditions as “a shortage of food and coal…sometimes [my mother would] even collapse” (Grier). The Soviets even had electricity cut from the generators that provided power to the city. These were all methods that the Soviets used to try to intimidate the Allies and the Berliners to accept Soviet rule. Had the people been subjected to these conditions any further, there would have been many more casualties. At the conclusion of the airlift, the Allies had supplied the West Berliners with over “2,323,738 tons of food, fuel, machinery, and other supplies” over a span of 11 months that kept the citizens alive ('Berlin blockade and airlift'). Even though substantial amount of supplies were brought into the west via the Black Market, the vast majority of the Berliners supported the airlift because as without it, they would be suffering a great deal more.
It also changed the course of the reuniting of the two factions of the East and the West. Had the Soviets taken over both sections, Germany would most likely not exist today, and rather be part of Russia. The influence of Communism could have spread further, extending its influence all over the globe, and eventually, become a threat to democratic nations like the US. The Berlin airlift also acted as a beacon of hope, that other more powerful nations were on their side, and were willing to help them. Traute Grier, a witness in Berlin said that “...if the Americans could defy the Russians, we also had to get through this, even though it was really though at times” (Grier). The airlift itself proved to both the people of Germany and the rest of the Allies that Soviet aggression could be resisted. This led to more active participation in the relief effort, and later in the destruction of the Berlin Wall. There were also many forms of direct challenge. In one instance, workers in East Berlin rose to challenge government demands to increase production in the factories. Even though the revolt was swiftly crushed, the airlift proved to those workers that there was still hope in their cause. This was also one of the first instances where communism was openly opposed in Eastern Europe ('Berlin Crises'). In a way, the airlift itself also provided moral support in addition to material support.
While the Berlin airlift may have cost a lot of money and time, it was ultimately successful in completing its original goal. It supplied the starving citizens of Berlin with enough food and supplies to live, and also provided the city dwellers with a strong sense of moral resolve. Without this important and necessary step coupled with the sacrifice and dedication of the people involved, the fate of Germany would have been left undecided, possibly succumbing either to communism, or reunification.
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