How and when was Germany divided
- yalta confernence- febuary 1945
-split into 4 occupational zones
-berlin was also split
-ACC set up to enable Germany to be politically and economically united
What did the countries initially want/ aim to do with Germany
-US + UK- prevent it from being absorbed into the soviet sphere of influence, liberty, democracy, not making the same mistakes of ww, german revival
-USSR- form a centralised Germany, soviet safeguarding, reunify Germany and make it neutral
-France- complete disemberment up until 1947 – just make it non- existant
When and why did the USA stop giving reparations to the Ussr
-may 1946
-not until an overall term plan could be agreed on about Germanys economic recovery
-soviets saw this as a strategy tocreate a capitalist society
How did the masrshall aid plan impact germany and why was it significant
-april 1948
-11% is given to west germany
-plan was to revitalise germany economically and deter it from turning to communism
-helped to revitalise industries such as coal
-expanded its market
-highlighted the economic divisions between the west and east
-weakens the image of the east
What actions did the US take up to June 1948
-Bizonia January 1947
-Trizonia June 1948
-Formal Constitution June 1948
-New Deutschemark currency June 1948
-Marshall aid April 1948
-Last ACC meeting March 1948
Why did the USSR start the Berlin Blockade and when
- 24th June 1948
-US actions- seen as a threat to security
-currency- trigger
-blocking western plan for Germany
-protecting the security of the USSR
-spreading communism
-gaining global power
-long term instability - yalta and potsdam
What are the facts about the Berlin Blockade
- 15 month air lift
-only 3 air corridots, no motorway or railway acess
-2 million west berliners
-planes arrived every 30 seconds at the peak
-92 million miles travelled by the US
-had food for 36 days and coal for 45 initially
-US delivers almost 2 million tons of supplies
-ends in may 1949 but airlift continues
What are the consequences of the blockade
- stalin is humiliated
-stalin shifts attention to the east - esp with the formation of the PRC
-March 1948- Treaty of Brussels leads to the 1948 April NATO= countries use collective security to deter soviet agression
-official split of germany into the Federal republic of germany (west, may 1949) and the german democratic republic (east oct 1949)
-neither countries were willing to start a nuclear war even with nuclear weapons- ussr oct 1949 atomic bomb
-usa shifts attention to east now that europe is secure
