The Berlin Blockade Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Berlin Blockade - Research Paper Example This assignment will focus on the state of Europe and Germany after the Second World War, gaining understanding as to how Germany became split between the Eastern and Western powers, and what this meant to all who were involved. The tensions between the Soviet Union and the other Western allies will be examined in order to understand the events that led to the Berlin Blockade. The assignment will explore and analyze the Blockade itself, seeing how the Eastern and Western powers reacted to and countered one another’s actions. Finally, the aftermath of the Blockade will be looked at in order to determine what the consequences were for all who were involved and how it affected their relations in the years preceding the Blockade. 2. AFTER WORLD WAR II During World War ii, Britain, France, the United States and the Soviet Union banded together to form the allied powers in order to fight and overcome Germany. The war was brutal and left devastation in its wake. After the war, the ma in question was what to do with conquered Germany. The Soviet Union, Britain and the United States convened at Potsdam in Berlin for a conference which lasted from 16 July until 2 August. 1945. This was the third conference held by the allies after the war in which decisions were taken as how to restore Europe and deal with Germany. The leaders who attended were: Stalin of the Soviet Union, Truman of the United States and Churchill of Britain who was replaced by Attlee who had become the new Prime Minister of Britain. Already, tension was displayed between the Soviet Union who practiced Communism and the Western powers who had adopted Capitalism. The Potsdam Agreement was signed during the conference, which led to the creation of a four-power allied control council [ACC] to govern Germany. The allied council was made up of Britain, The Soviet Union, The United States and France. They were each given a zone in Germany to govern. Berlin, the capital of Germany, fell within the Soviet Union’s zone; fearing that The Soviet Union would gain an advantage by this, the other three powers insisted that Berlin too be divided into four separate sections. The Soviet Union’s zone was mainly made up of fertile agricultural land that produced most of Germany’s food; while, the British and the United States’ zones were more industrial in nature and had to rely on food stuffs from The Soviet Union. The allies planned to limit Germany’s industrial capacity in order to ensure that it would never again be able to achieve remilitarization. Britain, who occupied the zone least capable of conducting agriculture, disagreed with this resolution and fought for a greater industrial output by Germany, tightly controlled by the allies, so that Germany may become a major trading partner. Due to the lack of an agreement on this matter, each country administered its zone as it saw fit. For instance, the Soviet Union transferred all factories, equipment and technicians to Russia in order to weaken Germany and bolster Russia’s economy. [World War II Data Base, 2004] This lack of unity on the administration of Germany set the foundation for the events that would later lead to the Berlin Blockade. 3. EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE BLOCKADE The division between the Soviet Union’s Communist ideology and the Western powers Capitalist views became more pronounced over the next few years which heightened tensions within the ACC. These differences and tensions sparked off a