Berlin Crisis Dbq

The Berlin Crisis 1948 – 1949 was a period of an escalation in tensions between the western powers of USA and Britain and the Soviet Union. The presence of two separate German states: West Germany, or the Federal Republic of Germany (FDR) and East Germany, or the German Democratic Republic (GDR) coexisting caused major clashes of ideologies in the years leading up to the Cold War, the most hostile years of the Cold War and the years that followed the Cold War. The events of the Berlin crisis with the most prominent being the Berlin blockade and the Berlin airlift culminated in the construction of the Berlin Wall on the night of the 12th August – 13th August 1961. The original wall was built of barbed wire and cinder blocks but was soon replaced

As president Truman described in his Truman doctrine, “at the present moment in world history nearly every nation must choose between alternative ways of life” this in an extremely reliable viewpoint as it comes directly from the president. The president of the United States, as leader of a major superpower would have very strong and extensive knowledge of the global climate at this time as he would have had a whole team monitoring the situation and feeding him the findings and key information, meaning he would be very well informed. The Berlin blockade was the first of major international crises of the Cold War period. The Berlin blockade refers to the period of time, 24th June 1948 to 12th may 1949, in which the soviet leader, Joseph Stalin cut off all land and river transit routes between West Berlin and West

It is argued by some historians such as Gerhard Wettig that Stalin did in fact want to keep close relations with the western powers, “he also saw acceptance, or at minimum acquiescence, by his western allies as essential.” This temperament for a civil relationship between east and west was reflected by Stalin’s counterpart the president of the United States Franklin Roosevelt who said in august 1941 that “Stalin is not that kind of man…I think that if I give him everything I possibly can and ask nothing from him in return…he wont try to annex anything and will work for me for a world of democracy and peace.” This shows that the two superpower leaders shared a united goal of achieving a peaceful world. The fact that this is a quote directly from the president of the United States of America makes it relatively reliable as he would have ad extensive and first hand knowledge of on the government’s foreign policy. Winston Churchill, the British prime minister agreed with the two superpowers stating at the Yalta conference in February 1945 that, “the peace of the world depends upon the lasting friendship of the three great powers” this shows that he too was striving for peace not conflict and favoured a united approach to foreign affairs in order to preserve the peace and civility of the world. This quote is useful as it supports the temperament that president Franklin Roosevelt outwardly displayed in