Here we are with our blog post for the Berlin Airlift – one of the significant events which unfolded in the cold war period. The subsequent sections of this article will provide a background and significance of the event and highlight some of the main facts.

1. Cold War: An Overview

The cold war was a period of political rivalry between America and the Soviet Union starting after the second world war up to early 90s. The two superpowers were associated with different brands of politics; the Americans supported democracy and capitalisms while the Soviet supported communism. Due to such cultural differences there were many confrontations and standoff and one of it was the Berlin Airlift.

2. Post-WWII Divided Berlin

After World War II ended in 1945, Germany was divided into four occupation zones, controlled by the Allies: the United States of America, France, Great Britain and Soviet Union. Even in regions thought to be deeper in the Soviet dominated East Germany the capital city Berlin was also split into four sectors. This division ensured tensions arose between the Allied powers and the Soviet Union resulting to the Berlin Airlift.

3. Forces and Events: Soviet Blockade and the Berlin Airlift

In 1948 the Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin and closed of all land and water routes to the city. Their intention was to put pressure on the western powers in order to bring about the evacuation of West Berlin. When confronted with such a massive problem, the United States and its supporters schemed how to deliver food and other random supplies to the people of West Berlin to avoid catastrophe.

3.1 The Operation’s Beginnings

The airlift formally known as “Operation Vittles” started on June 24, 1948, the day the first American and British planes started flying supplies into the city of West Berlin. A total number of 277000 flights were accomplished in the airlift exercise where essentials such as food, fuel and medicine were airlifted.

3.2 The Airbridge and Tempelhof Airport

West Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport was the biggest centre of the airlift with American, British, Canadian and French aircraft landing and taking off day and night. This immense operation of moving supplies into the city demanded stringent integration and appropriate employment of these elements in order to receive constant throughput.

4. Resilience and Unity

The Berlin Airlift demonstrated the tennacity of the Western Allies and the citizens of West Berlin. Soviet blockade sought to stifle supply of food and other essentials to the people of West Berlin but through the airlift Supplies were flown into West Berlin. Yet the Soviet leadership took this demonstration of commitment to freedom and the ability to cooperate in the difficult circumstances as a sign of the imminent rebellion against Moscow’s domination.

5. The End of the Berlin Airlift

The Soviet Union finally understood the failure of the blockade and ended this on 12 May, 1949. At that time the Berlin Airlift developed as a new model of humanitarian aid and the success of the Western Allies landmark. After the blockade was lifted, the airlift was carried out for several more months to ensure some buffers of stock were rebuilt in the city and the exercising of the transportation network which had been disrupted were ongoing.

6. Legacy of the Berlin Airlift

Holding detailed discussing the historical event of the Berlin Airlift, and its importance in the study of international relations and the view of the Cold War. It enhanced the relations of the United States, the United Kingdom and west Germany thus in 1949 came up with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). Also, successful completion of the airlift was convincing to maintain American’s line that it would not abandon its friends and to contain Soviet influence.

Conclusion

The event now associated with the Berlin Airlift is one of the most memorable events in history; it is the symbol of unity, strength, and the victory of the Free World over communism. It demonstrated the commitment of western allies to the fight against fascist and communists regimes and depicted relevance of coalition in long crisis. The experiences of the Berlin Airlift are thus appropriately symbolic, and timeless, in our present world.