The Berlin Crisis, 1948-9
I can analyse the events of the Berlin Crisis of 1948.
The Berlin Crisis, 1948-9
I can analyse the events of the Berlin Crisis of 1948.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The USA, the USSR, Britain and France disagreed about how to administer a divided Germany and a divided Berlin.
- Stalin's response to the creation of Trizonia and the introduction of the Deutschmark in 1948 led to the Berlin Crisis.
- Between June 1948 and May 1949, the USSR set up a blockade to force the Western allies to abandon Berlin.
- The Western allies responded to the Berlin Blockade by successfully supplying Berlin from the air.
- The Berlin Crisis confirmed the long-term division of Germany and Berlin and led to the creation of NATO.
Keywords
Blockade - an attempt to prevent goods, people or supplies from entering or leaving a certain area
Airlift - the transportation of people or goods by air, often used when other forms of transport are not available
Crisis - a difficult or dangerous situation, often with the potential for serious consequences, requiring immediate action or resolution
Collective security - a system where countries cooperate to protect one other from threats, agreeing to respond together if any member is attacked or faces aggression
Common misconception
The German Democratic Republic (GDR) was West Germany.
The GDR was East Germany - the Democratic part of the name is confusing as it was not democratic in the Western sense of being able to choose freely between different political parties.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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