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Berlin Airlift Dbq

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“We maintain the peace through our strength; weakness only invites aggression.” - Ronald Reagan. During WWII, the allies: the United States, Great Britain, the French Resistance, and later the Soviet Union, fought to defeat the forces of Nazism in Europe perpetrated by Germany and Italy under Hitler and Mussolini. As they closed around Berlin, however, a new threat to the free world began to slowly emerge, Soviet backed communism. In May of 1945, as WWII drew to a close in Europe this threat became undeniable. Despite the best efforts of US president Franklin D. Roosevelt to assure America that he could “control” Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union. Then, polio claimed the life of president Roosevelt. The vice president, Harry S. Truman …show more content…

After the introduction of a new, stronger currency by the allies, the Soviet Union blocked all rail and road access to Western Berlin. Truman was left with a choice, combat the Soviet Union or back down and withdraw the new currency for the older weaker Reichsmark, that the Soviets wanted. To the surprise of the Soviets, Truman ordered the airlifting of supplies and food into Berlin essentially beginning the peace through strength policy. This became quickly known as the Berlin airlift, and it lasted from June of 1948 to September of 1949, when the Soviets removed the blocks. The Berlin airlift is seen as the first major conflict of the Cold War and established the precedent of peace through strength that would be exemplified throughout the Cold War. The airlift was a success. It forced the Soviet Union to either back down or take military action. The Soviets knew that any military action would instantly start another major conflict, an event they wanted to avoid. Thus they were forced to allow the airlift to continue until they backed down in September of 1949. The success at berlin helped establish the US’s peace through strength strategy which would be used throughout the Cold War: the Truman Doctrine. This strategy along with the Marshall Plan would keep communism at bay for the next 30 …show more content…

Formed on April 4, 1949, NATO has been a dominant international military alliance since the Korean War. Born out of a collective defense pact originally signed by England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg in 1948, it was expanded to include Norway, Canada, and the United States. The NATO treaty connected the United States officially to Europe’s political system for the first time since the Revolutionary War. One of the key principles of NATO was the statement that an attack against one is an attack against all. This sent a not so subtle message to the Soviet Union and other communist governments and parties around the world, that the free countries of the west would not permit any more communist takeovers. This was first tested in the Korean War. The establishment of NATO allowed the US and its allies to quickly enter the war, and for General Douglas MacArthur to successfully complete the amphibious landings at the Battle of Inchon in September of 1950 that eventually lead to the standstill at the 38th parallel in early 1951. The standstill ultimately lead to an armistice in 1953 and the division into North and South Korea in 1954. Although many see the Korean war as a failure and a waste of American time and resources, it had many side effects that contributed to America's victory in the Cold War. It proved the resilience and effectiveness of NATO by having

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When World War II ended, the world became chaotic in the struggle between democracy and communism. It is directly connected to the Cold War, in which the United States and the Soviet Union fought over what ideology was the best for the world. The Cold War era was marked by the most significant tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, with both sides competing with each other for global influence. From the world’s perspective, the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union left a great legacy including economic growth, technological advancement, and social stability during the Cold War. However, the Cold War certainly hurt other countries with proxy wars, such as the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

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With East Berlin losing its professional class to West Berlin, the Kremlin decided to make sure that no one could get out. The large numbers of Red Army soldiers around construction sites lead many to fear that an invasion was nearing. In response, Kennedy put troops on the other side of the wall, both countries insisted on never backing down. That was, until an agreement had been made, and another world war

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In the context of the Cold War, the fight for power and the establishment of the strongest nation were reflected over several ambits, one of them being the capacity of armament or military power of the nation. Therefore, the military-industrial complex is not only exhibited on the foreign relationships among nations, but the growth of the military power itself. For instance, after World War II ended, the United States, as the strongest nation in military power due to the drop of the two nuclear bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki that ended the war, decided to keep short the Soviet Union and stop the spreading of the communist ideas, not only in their own nation, but to keep it from spreading in Europe and Asia. And by doing so, the United States needed to create military alliances with smaller nations, offer them protection from external threats, and secure them with an increase in weaponry. So, the United States needed to expand their own military and weaponry industry, thus applying the concept of military-industry complex, where the government increased the investment for national defense and arms production.

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Berlin was the first hotspot of the Cold War because after World War II, Berlin was divided into four zones, and it divided capital. The western part of berlin was getting screwed over at this time because of the Berlin Blockade which was an attempt to starve West Berlin into giving up to the communists. This act made West Berlin mad and they had to find an act of revenge so they airlift signalled the West’s determination to

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This is demonstrated when Winston Churchill states that if the Allied powers had worked together to protect Czechoslovakia, then that could have prevented World War II (document 6). Churchill’s statement shows that collective security is the way to respond to aggression and that appeasement only provokes a war. The war lasted six years with many different battles between the Allies and the Axis’s. Hitler did not only invaded Poland, but from there fought his way through many other parts of the world such as Greece, France, Britain, and the Soviet Union. The quote, “It is us today.

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Secretary of State George Marshall gave a speech explaining a plan for European recovery which known today as The Marshall Plan. It states that if the United States does not do whatever it takes to help restore normal economic health to the world, “there can be no political stability or peace.” (Document

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He had a proposal called the Marshall Plan, to have America give money to Western Europe in 1948 to help them rebuild (Cannarella 39). The President’s idea was smart because he showed America that he cared about Europe and rebuilding their economy. The Berlin Airlift was another way Truman decided to help. In 1948, the Soviets stopped all food and goods entering Germany from the west. Many of these German people would starve, so Truman ordered troops to send in supplies until the Soviet’s agreed to allow goods back into Germany (Cannarella 40).

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The Cold War was a term Walter Lippmann used to refer to the relations between the U.S. and the USSR after World War II. Many historians, over the years, have debated on the subject of ‘What started the Cold War?’ There’s no clear answer, one thing’s for sure; although Soviet Domination of Eastern Europe was a cause, it was not the main reason for the Cold War. Mr. Winston Churchill’s iron curtain speech, along with Mr. X’s theories for containment, prove that Soviet Domination was a cause of the Cold War. Since other causes will be presented in this essay, I will prove [or at least try to prove] that Soviet Domination of Eastern Europe was not the main cause of the Cold War.

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Berlin Airlift The Berlin Airlift began when the Soviet Union built a blockade preventing supply transportation and forced the Americans to begin the Berlin Airlift. East Berlin was controlled by the communists and West Berlin was controlled by the U.S and supported by the Western Powers. The Soviet Union was concerned because it’s East Germans were fleeing to the new democratic West Berlin. In order to stop any more from leaving, Stalin completely isolated Berlin with large iron walls called the Berlin Wall- also referred to as the Iron Curtain.

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Berlin Airlift: Before WWII,the Soviet Union blocked the roads into Berlin, (not allowing goods or people to enter and leave) while the Western Allies were staying in Berlin, which caused the Berlin Airlift. The Berlin Airlift took place from 1948-1949, the end of WWII. U.S, Britain, and Soviet Union military forces occupied Germany. A direct result of the blockade was that, the people of West Berlin were left without vital supplies(clothing, food, etc.) A few U.S. officials wanted a bellicose retort to the Soviet’s actions but a different plan was made.

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Berlin was known as the centerpiece of the Cold War. Being the capital city of Germany, the desire to have power over it was extremely high. Germany was split into two, the East, taken over by the Soviet Union, and the West, taken over by the United States, Britain, and France. Tensions rose between each country on who would be able to have power over Berlin. Since the city was on the east side and up to 100 miles inside Soviet-controlled East Germany, the Soviets had power; However, the West would not allow them to take over the capital city so easily.

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Communism was finally starting to come close to an end on its own, so there was no need for the United States to be involved to stop it, but the United States went to war

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Sarah Paroya D period I hate MUSH The end of World War II should have marked a period of relief in America but instead, it lead America into a completely different type of war called the Cold War. The Cold War was an ongoing state of political and military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. This constant state of tension and fear had been embedded deep in the American public.

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This became one of the first of many international crisis of the Cold War, in which America responded well, not destroying the blockade or attacking the Soviets, but by delivering supplies through an alternate route until the USSR had no choice but to acknowledge their actions were futile and remove the blockade. Just before the Berlin Blockade and right before Harry Truman became president he said, “I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisted subjugation by armed or outside pressures.” (A) This concept surely followed him into the incident involving West Berlin and he stayed true to his ideas in helping the citizens living there obtain resources, despite the Soviets

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1075 Words | 5 Pages

The U.S needed serious support if they wanted the airlift succeed. The massive population of West Berlin gave the most doubt among contemporaries. However, a key component many seem to forget is the fact that Stalin cut off all electricity and transportation through West Berlin, which resulted in jobless Berliners. Stalin’s move proved un-strategic, as jobless Berliners now had time to help support the airlift. Doing jobs such as loading and unloading planes, transporting goods, and other laborious tasks, the people of Berlin provided the much needed support the U.S was looking for.

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