Crisis of the Cold War – Berlin blockade and Wall, Cuba

Berlin Blockade and Airlift 1948– Impact of Early Crisis on the Origin of the Cold War

The Berlin Blockade (June 24, 1947 – May 11, 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold
War. In protest of the US, France and Britain’s amalgamating their occupation zones in Germany in ‘Trizonia’ and
trying to establish a democratic government using a new currency in the form of the Deutsche Mark, which was
also used in the Soviet section of Berlin, the Soviet Union decided to blockade all “land and water routes to
Berlin” to ensure the highly sought after capital was inaccessible to the three nations.
West Berlin was a ‘window into the West’ for those living in the Soviet sector. The Western Allies had invested
heavily to help West Berlin recover. This showed those in East Germany (living behind the Iron Curtain) the
standard of living in the West. West Berlin was thus a potential embarrassment to Stalin – with Marshall Aid it
was being used as a showpiece of capitalism. However, instead of sending troops into Berlin which could have
very well caused a declaration of war, the US decided to, for eleven months, send aircraft into the capital to fly
thirteen thousand tons of supplies to needy German citizens each day. Over 275,000 flights carried in 1½ million
tons of supplies. At its peak, one plane landed every 3 minutes.

The Berlin Airlift saw an important Cold War victory for the West, as it secured a propaganda victory through the
airlift which served as a reminder to the USSR of Western technological superiority, especially in the air.
Conversely, Berlin blockade served to show the Soviets in a poor light, they seemed willing to threaten two
million people with starvation. It proved a political masterstroke for the US, with its efforts winning over German
public opinion and helping pave the way for the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany in September 1949.
However, Germany was now segregated into a capitalist west and a communist east, with the Soviet Union
having to establish their own German state in their occupation zone at the conclusion of the blockade, leaving
Germany the melting pot of Cold War affairs for the next forty years.

The blockade and airlift made clear to the US that the new enemy was definitely the Soviet Union. Young writes
“​The fears generated by the blockade had only served to strengthen western suspicion of Russia and to deepen
Europe’s division​”As well as this, the Berlin Airlift ensured that the US and the Soviets came to the realisation
that they were fighting for world domination, and thus a race to produce both technologically superior weapons
as well as a high amount of them begun and would continue until the completion of the Cold War. Using the
Berlin blockade as ‘proof’ of Stalin’s intentions to take over Europe, the Western Allies set up NATO in 1949. This
‘North Atlantic Treaty Organization’ was a military alliance that offered mutual support in case of attack and
served to formalised the Cold War animosity into a grim confrontation and sparked an escalation of the arms
race. The Warsaw Pact (the USSR equivalent) was set up in 1955. Gibbons writes: “​Each side, after the first week
or so, gradually stiffened its own resistance and determination, and so was led into the most serious crisis of the
early post-war years. But neither was willing to provoke all-out war.”
Berlin Wall (1961) – Nature and Impact of Crisis on the Development of the Cold War

Following the segregation of Germany into two separate nations, a great antagonism between the prosperous
West whom had undergone an “economic miracle” and the communist East manifested itself within Germany.
The Soviet Union believed that the United States, France and Britain had delayed the construction of a formal
peace settlement between East and West Germany in hope that the prosperity that West Germany was enjoying
would “…pull East Germany and other Eastern European states out of the socialist bloc. This caused immense
troubles for the Soviets in establishing a feasible state within East Germany, and with the East German
government resisting pressures for reform and its citizens emigrating to West Germany using Berlin as a
thoroughfare, Khrushchev had no choice but to act. East Germany’s economy was suffering due to the increasing
number of academically trained, highly skilled or professional workers, people who were leaving in search of
capitalistic benefits. In 1961, Khrushchev responded to the obvious economic emergency by sealing-off the
border between the East and West of the city.

The Berlin Wall became symbolic of the Cold War and the dictatorial and oppressive means that the communist
party needed to employ to ensure the loyalty of its inhabitants in Eastern Germany, and thus it was an
ideological defeat of colossal proportions for the Soviet Union and world communism. Doris M. Epler calls the
wall “a​ flashpoint for tension between the superpowers​” and goes on to say it “​stood as a dark, forbidding
symbol of repression…of the Cold War​.” However, the erection of the wall did indeed end the period of
instability that was plaguing East Germany throughout its years of mass emigration and as a result a long phase
of economic, social and political stability graced Europe, ensuring that the Cold War would now be played out on
foreign shores which was a crucial moment in its development.

The great ideological and physical divide of Berlin inevitably increased tensions between the USA and USSR. The
Wall proved to be a physical manifestation of Churchill’s ‘iron curtain’ representative of the closed society the
Soviet Communist system. It was iconic of Cold War culture – that is, it set the scene for numerous incidents in
espionage war, Kennedy’s speech, with the end of the cold war the wall was smashed down. The construction of
the Wall saw a rapid increase in tension which resulted in an increase in arms spending on both sides adding to
the already volatile situation.

The creation of the Berlin wall in 1961 inevitably increased tensions between the USA and USSR. Holding strong
belief in the rights of the individual, the USA did not accept that limitations can be imposed on the freedom of
movement within Berlin, and that the measures taken by the USSR were illegal. In essence, the USA was of the
basic belief that the ‘unilateral infringement of the quadripartite status of Berlin can only increase existing
tension and dangers.’ The USSR however saw no reason for the USA’s criticism of the Berlin wall. In defence to
the USA’s allegations, the USSR claimed that aside from harsh criticisms regarding the wall, no USA authoritarian
body actually attempted to stop the building of the wall. The USSR also accused the USA of using ‘slanderous
propaganda’ to incriminate and degrade the Communist government’s reasoning for the wall. From the
perspectives of both the USA & USSR it is clear that the Berlin wall did nothing to improve the tensions between
the two states; rather, it irritated the already strained relations between the two superpowers. By the mid
1980’s however, the USA & USSR had settled to a relative mutual respect, and by 1987, the collapse of the Berlin
wall was drawing close when US president Reagan made a speech demanding the USSR to ‘tear down that wall’.
Reagan spoke with an air of respect towards the Berlin wall, saying that ‘there in Berlin, symbols of love, symbols
of worship cannot be suppressed’. Finally, the wall came down on 9​th​ November 1989, following immense public
pressure and the recession of Communist power. The fall of the Berlin wall, unlike its creation, paved the way for
more peaceful relations between the USA & USSR. It satisfied the USA’s call for unification of Berlin; however it
was a large concession to have been made by the USSR. Despite the resentment which the USSR may have
harboured towards the USA and western world, the Cold War was on almost at an end, and tensions between
the two superpowers had begun to decrease.
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)– Nature and Development of Cold War

The Cuban Missile Crisis had a major impact on the foreign policies of the major superpowers in the CW. The
crisis marked the closest the war had came to escalating into nuclear holocaust, and consequently both nations
took steps to reduce the possibility of future nuclear conflicts by implementing a Hot Line between Moscow and
Washington that provided a direct link between the respective leaders, and signing a Test Ban Treaty in 1963
that prohibited the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere.

For the US, success in the crisis fostered the belief that the SU would not pursue war and enhanced the hubris of
US military planners. Consequently, the US pursued military ‘adventurism’ in Vietnam, Nicaragua and Grenada.
For the Soviet Union, the CMC exposed a strategic deficiency in their nuclear capability, and precipitated an arms
race that resulted in the Soviets achieving parity with the US in 1972. Although US-Soviet relations improved, the
arms build-up had made the world a potentially more dangerous place. The crisis also contributed to the decline
in Sino-Soviet relations, with China accusing the SU of capitulating before the capitalist superpower. The crisis
can also be linked to the downfall of Khrushchev, with politburo embarrassment triggering his removal from
office in 1964.

Unlike other crisis the Cuban crisis saw the two superpowers 'eyeball to eyeball' in direct confrontation.
Kruschev writes that “The two most powerful nations in the world had been squared off against each other
other, each with its finger on the button”. Gaddis writes “​During the Cuban missile crisis the main concern on
both sides was how to prevent warlike gestures from being misinterpreted as actual moves to war.” ​Both sides
conceded a tactical position and also acknowledged that their rivalry had almost sparked off a nuclear war, led
to negotiations for arms reduction talks and led to the installation of a direct communications link between the
White House and the Kremlin to minimize the danger of misunderstandings of policy decisions and the signing of
a Test Ban Treaty in 1963. By it the USSR, the USA and Britain stopped all nuclear tests except underground
ones.

It also won prestige for America, in particular Kennedy. Gaddis writes “John Kennedy had gained the admiration
and respect of people throughout the world.” The crisis also worked to reinforce the importance of the
superpowers staying on their own side of the Iron Curtain. Gaddis says of this: “The missile crisis established the
importance - and legitimacy, at least so far as the superpowers’ governments were concerned - of ‘spheres of
influence’. After Cuba, the Soviets never again tried to place nuclear weapons in the Eastern Hemisphere.”

“It suddenly became brutally plain that east and west did have something in common after all - fear of nuclear
war.” – Gibbons
“October 1962 had seen the gravest of Cold War crises but was followed by a growing move towards detente in
Europe" – Young