Summary
Highlights
After World War II, defeated Germany was dismembered, losing territories to the east, and then divided into four occupation zones controlled by the Soviets, British, Americans, and French. Berlin, located in the Soviet zone, was also divided into four sectors.
The Western presence in Berlin worried Stalin, who saw the progressive unification of the Western-occupied zones as a threat. On June 24, 1948, in response to the Western decision to introduce a single currency in their zones, the Soviet leader imposed a blockade to prevent supplies from reaching the two million West Berliners. Rail and road links were cut, and river navigation was interrupted.
Only the air routes remained open. American General Clem quickly established an airlift to supply the city. Three one-way air corridors (two inbound, one outbound) were created to allow for a rotation of up to 800 planes per day. For nearly 11 months, Western planes, nicknamed 'raisin bombers' by Berliners, transported approximately 2.5 million tons of goods, including food and coal.
Faced with the failure of his blockade, Stalin lifted it on May 1, 1949. In this first crisis of the Cold War, both superpowers showed caution. The USSR did not oppose the air rotations, and the US did not try to force Soviet blockades. However, their positions on Germany's fate became irreconcilable. In September 1949, under the aegis of the Americans, British, and French, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was created with Bonn as its capital. The USSR responded by creating the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) in October 1949, with East Berlin as its capital.