To analyze the extent to which America provoked the 1948 Berlin Blockade, several causes and intentions of both parties need to be studied. The intentions and actions in the Truman Doctrine, the creation of Bizonia and West Germany, the Marshall Aid program, and the change of currency would need to be assessed. As well as that, it is necessary to examine Russian or American aggression in the years leading up to the Blockade in 1948. The research will be focused on different historian views on the matter – for example whilst Ann and John Tusa argue that America made great efforts to try and cooperate with the Russians, other experts like Roland Powaski argue that the American policies were provocative and left the Russians isolated. At the …show more content…
Ann and John Tusa were both graduates from Cambridge University. Their first book “The Nuremberg Trial” won the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award. “The Berlin Airlift” is an in-depth account of the dramatic events that led up to the Berlin Blockade and the events that followed. They argue that Soviet intention in the Berlin Blockade was aggressive and aimed at driving the Western allies out of West Berlin. As the Tusas’ view opposes Powaski’s in every aspect, this source is very valuable as it provides an alternative view on the same event in history. It is limited by the fact that the Tusas appear to try to justify and almost glorify American actions, fully blaming the …show more content…
Leffler’s interpretation, however, seems more reasonable than those of many others. He strongly claims that although the policies were not designed to provoke, these clearly did. Reason for this were the totally different ambitions and aims the West and East had in Germany. Whilst Russia wanted to keep Germany economically unstable, America wanted to help build the economy back up to secure Europe’s economic situation (Leffler 68). These discrepancies would inevitably lead to tension. Consequently all policies designed to achieve their one side’s objectives would provoke the other. Although neither side wanted war, they were both not willing to compromise (Bown and Mooney 29). An example for this was the new currency. Whilst Russia clearly felt provoked, as the new currency threatened the economic instability of Germany, America intended to help the general economic situation of Europe. Therefore America’s provoking policies were not intended to provoke Russia and were the outcome of the inevitable tension that arose due to the different ambitions. Consequently both sides felt that they were acting in
But the battle to control Berlin between, the United States and the Soviet Union, had been taking place since after the division of Germany. The German Democratic Republic wanted better control over its people to spread its communist ideas and tried taking its way around to get control of East Berlin by building the Berlin Wall. The creation of this “concentration camp” on a much larger scale, gave the GDR total control over the people. The reasoning that the German Democratic Republic provided for the creation of this gigantic wall was that many of its skilled labor were leaving to the “free land” or the West, causing an economic downfall in the East.
‘The Sources of Soviet Conduct’ also known as the “X” article is an imperative document that are needed to understand United States foreign policy in the Cold War. Written by George F. Keenan, a U.S. diplomatic staff in the Soviet Union, the “X” article turned into an influential document after the U.S. realized that the Soviet Union would no longer be allies in peacetime and it was necessity to figure out the nature of the Soviet Union so the U.S. could form precise foreign policies to prevent Soviet threats. This paper attempts to assess the “X” article’s influence in U.S. foreign policy in the early days of the Cold War, especially its role in Truman’s doctrine.
At the end of WWII, the United States, Great Britain, and France occupied the western zone of Germany while the Soviet Union occupied the east. In 1948, Britain, France, and the U.S. combined their territories to make one nation. Stalin then discovered a loophole. He closed all highway and rail routes into West Berlin. This meant no food or fuel could reach that part of the city. In an attempt to break the blockade, American and British officials started the Berlin airlift. For 327 days, planes carrying food and supplies into West Berlin took off and landed every few minutes. West Berlin might not have made it if it wasn’t for the airlift. By May 1949, the Soviet Union realized it was beaten and lifted the blockade. By using the policy of containment, the Americans and the British were able to defeat the Soviets.
Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union was nothing more than an immoral, unethical attack that was fuelled by his obsession of domination over Europe. When examined closely, Operation Barbarossa is a prime example of a non-just war as it disregards and goes against 3 of the Jus Ad Bellum
David Reynolds has written and enlightening book named “From Munich to Pearl Harbor” discussing three main objectives dealing with World War II. The first of the three objectives is to provide a detailed and clear narrative story from the years between Munich to Pearl Harbor. The second of the three purposes or objectives of the book is to analyze and show how President Franklin Delano Roosevelt led the American people into a new perspective on international relations that were different from anything Americans had known. The last of the three objectives of the book is to show the developments between the years of 1938 through 1941. Many of these developments were very important later for the foreign policy of the United States not only during the Second World War but also during the Cold War complications with Russia and today with President Bush’s war on terror currently taking place in Iraq.
From after World War II and up until 1991 the foreign policy of the United States was based on Cold War ideology and the policy of containment; to prevent nations from leaning towards Soviet Union-based communism, as first laid out by George Kennan and later used as one of the key principles in the Truman Doctrine (LeCain). As this essay will argue, because of this policy the United States made a commitment to fight communism everywhere in the world and got them involved in conflicts more because of self interest, self protection and determination to beat communism than the cause itself.
The Soviet Union blockaded any supplies coming in to West Berlin, so it’s citizens were starved of resources as well as food. The U.S brought supplies and food to West Berlin via hundreds of planes, which was later called the Berlin Airlift. Document B details the Berlin Airlift, and the importance of it to the Cold War. It also shows where the Soviet Blockade was and the major airfields where the U.S planes landed in Berlin. Document B also stated that if the U.S hadn’t have helped Berlin, it would have had to surrender to the Soviet Union. The Berlin Airlift was an example of containment in the Cold War. One of the reasons the U.S engaged in the Berlin Aircraft, was because they didn't want communism spreading to West Berlin, and they didn't want the Soviet union to have control over all of Europe. The U.S also felt that gaining the support of the citizens of West Berlin would also assist in achieving containment in the Cold
Taylor’s perspective on the origins of the Second World War, although controversial, is not one so easily dismissed. Taylor’s approach is one of, “innocent until proven guilty,” which allowed him to distribute accountability to both the Allied and Axis powers. Taylor carefully constructs a historical chain of cause and effect through his unbiased evaluation. The First World War left a structurally sound Germany bent on restoring its independence, and a weakened balance of power in Europe. These facts, along with a morally revolting yet rational leader, faced only with a strict policy of appeasement combined to form the perfect storm, one that would ravage the world in the Second World War.
Outline of Essay About the Origins of the Cold War OUTLINE: Introduction- 1. Definition of ‘Cold War’ and the Powers involved 2. Perceived definition of ‘start of Cold War’ 3. Iron Curtain Speech, Truman Doctrine and Berlin Blockade as significant events that caused strife between both powers, but which triggering off the start of the Cold War Body- 1. Iron Curtain Speech (1946) - A warning of Soviet influence beyond the acknowledged Eastern Europe - Churchill’s belief that the idea of a balance in power does not appeal to the Soviets - Wants Western democracies to stand together in prevention of further
The most visible aspect of the Cold War was the Berlin Wall. Before the wall was constructed, East and West Germans could travel freely between the two states. The number of East Germans fleeing to West was an embarrassment to the Communists, and something had to be done to pro...
After WWII After WWII, Germany was divided into four zones and occupied by Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union. Berlin itself was occupied by the western powers; however, it was surrounded by the Soviet zone. Between 1947 and 1948 cooperation between these powers broke down. The west decided to create a separate government in their zones. To prevent this, the Soviet's increasingly harassed the western traffic to and from Berlin. Russia was trying to spread communism, abolish democracies, and spread poverty. Thus creating the Berlin Blockade, which forced America to create the Berlin Airlift. This created a greater controversy between the United States. This controversy's caused spies to enter into the opposition's country.
As the Soviet Union approaches Berlin from the East, the allied forces invade from the west. Hitler’s German war-machine was crumbling. The United States had to make an enormous decision. Should they attack the Red Army of the Soviet Union? Should they keep the increasingly shaky alliance with the Russians and end the war in Europe? America chose to remain allies, resulting in a decision that affected the world for the next 46 years. World War 2 had concluded but now there was a new enemy, the Soviet Communist.
The extent to which the fact that the Western Allies did not respond with violence but with the airlift and its success was a main factor to its end will be assessed. The significance of the agreement made between the Soviets and the US in lifting not only the Berlin Blockade but also the Western counter blockade will also be evaluated. The reasons for the implementation of the blockade, the actions of the superpowers that do not contribute to the failure of the blockade, and the consequences of this crisis will not be investigated. The analysis will be done by researching different views on the blockade’s failure and the events leading up to it.... ...
After World War II, when Germany was defeated, it was divided into four zones, one for each of the Allies. The eastern part went to the Russians. The other Allied Powers, France, Britain and the U.S. divided the Western portion of the city among themselves.
...blockade; he prevented all access to and from East Germany. Access to Berlin from the west was cut off in stages and culminating in the full blockade on June 24, 1948. To support out part of Berlin, the US started airlifting over 5,600 tons of supplies every day over the blockade. Stalin saw the US airlift response to the Berlin blockade as confrontational. The constant pressure from America and the British eventually forced Stalin to end the blockade in 1949. Russia was just defending itself by keeping Germany broken up. The US refused to acknowledge communism as a valid form of government. The US’s biased perspective of communism, tied with their responsibility to manipulate governments and economies all throughout Europe, initiated the Cold War. The US’s actions infuriated the Soviet Union, and their ideology made a global threat in the Soviet Union and communism.