Superpower relations and the Cold War - The Berlin Crisis

The Berlin Crisis

Tension over the division of Germany had been building since the Potsdam Conference and finally spilled over in the Berlin Crisis in 1948. It resulted in an even larger rift between the two great powers.

In 1948 the USSR and the West clashed over Berlin

Berlin was in East Germany. The French, British and US sectors formed West Berlin, while teh Soviet sector was called East Berlin.

Immediately after the war, there were 4 zones of occupied Germany and 4 zones in Berlin. In 1947, USA and Britain agreed to combine their zones to form 'Bizonia'. The next year, the French agreed to add their zone.

The new Western zone had a single government, and in June 1948 introduced a new currency to help economic recovery.

This alarmed USSR. Stalin did not want a unified western zone on his doorstep. West Berlin's strong capitalist economy embarrassed USSR and made communism look weak. 

As a result, Stalin decided to blockage Berlin to try to force the West to withdraw from West Berlin.

In June 1948, he ordered that all road, rail and canal links between West Berlin and the outside world should be cut off…