Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
The Berlin Airlift, 1948 (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
The Berlin Airlift, 1948 - Summary
Economic differences between the capitalist West and the communist East prompted the countries of the USA, Britain and France to join their zones together to create Trizonia. Stalin and the Soviet Union saw this as the West's attempts to weaken the Soviet zone in Germany. This was made worse by creating a new currency called the Deutschmark, which all but split Germany in two. In June 1948, the Soviet Union shut off the land routes in Soviet-controlled Germany, preventing Trizonia from accessing their zone in Berlin. Without supplies from Trizonia, people in West Berlin would run out of food and important resources. The Western allies responded by flying supplies directly into West Berlin in an event known as the Berlin Airlift. For almost a year, the Soviet Union could only watch as thousands of supplies made their way into West Berlin. By the end of the Airlift in September 1949, Cold War tensions had rapidly increased, leading to several significant events such as the formation of East and West Germany, and the creation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact |
Exam Tip
The Superpower Relations exam relies on your understanding of narratives. This section should help you tie various events of the Cold War together. It is important for you to understand how one event caused another event to happen. These events fit into the wider themes of the Cold War, such as tension. You can see how the conduct of the West in Berlin caused the Soviet Union to blockade Berlin. The Berlin Airlift was the Western powers' attempt to break the blockade and win a propaganda victory over the Soviet Union.
What was the Berlin Airlift?
In June 1948, the Soviet Union shut off the two main land routes into East Germany, preventing the West from accessing their zone in Berlin
Without the support of the West, the Western-occupied zone in Berlin would quickly run out of food, fuel and medical supplies
The West risked war if they attempted to ignore the closed land routes and move supplies over land
Doing nothing would most likely lead to the Western-occupied Zone in Berlin being handed over to the Soviet Union
The West decided to fly supplies into Berlin, knowing that the Soviet Union themselves would be risking war if they shot any planes down
From June 1948 to May 1949, the West flew supplies into West Berlin in what was known as Operation Vittles (the codename) or the Berlin Airlift
What happened during the Berlin Airlift?
The Impact of the Berlin Crisis
Stalin could not stop the Berlin Airlift because shooting down aeroplanes carrying supplies would lead to war
The longer the airlift went on, the more humiliating it became for the Soviet Union
On 9 May 1949, the Soviet Union lifted the Berlin Blockade
The Western Allies continued to fly in supplies until 30 September 1949 so that West Berlin would be supplied in the event of a future blockade
The Berlin Airlift was a massive victory for the West over the East, but this created even greater tension between the two ‘superpowers’
A number of key events happened partly as a result of the Berlin Crisis
What was the impact of the Berlin Airlift on US-Soviet relations?
Worked Example
Explain the importance of the Berlin Crisis (1948-49) for the development of the Cold War
8 marks
Partial answer:
The Berlin Crisis was important for developing the Cold War because it showed the USA's commitment to the West. During the Berlin Crisis, the Soviet Union blockaded Berlin. This meant that the USA could not access West Berlin. As a result, the USA began the Berlin Airlift, dropping a tonne of essential supplies to West Berlin every day. This developed the Cold War because it showed the USA's commitment to protect West Berlin from communism. The USA could have given West Berlin to the Soviet Union. However, the USA's actions developed the Cold War because the Soviet Union did not achieve its aim of gaining West Berlin.
Exam Tip
This style of question in the exam paper would be worth 8 marks. An examiner would expect you to write two paragraphs analysing the importance of an event on a wider theme like US-Soviet relations. The worked example shows how you could start an answer for this style of question.
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