Berlin Blockade essays

Berlin Blockade essays On June 26, 1948 the largest airlift began as the American and British forces began the Berlin Airlift. To understand how the airlift came to be, we have to look all the way back to the Yalta Conference. The Yalta Conference began in February 1945 in which the three superpowers, America, Russia and Britain, met to discuss the future of post war Europe. America and Russia were emerging as the two superpowers, and their deteriorating relationship would soon lead to many problems that would develop in post war Europe. Yalta saw the beginning of this deteriorating relationship. First, Stalin put a communist government in place in Poland. Poland had been the route that enemies had used to invade Russia on three separate occasions and Stalin felt he needed a friendly government in power. Stalin had agreed to hold elections in liberated countries following the war which he broke when he established a communist government in Poland. Although the U.S. and Britain had done the same thing when they put their own government in Italy following their defeat, Stalins move in Poland still upset the other two superpowers. U.S. still needed Russias help to fight the war in Japan so President Roosevelt had to be careful not to upset Stalin. The communist government was allowed to stay in Poland but the government was extended to include the Poles living in London that were suppose to form the government. Stalin made sure that the communists always had the majority. Also in an attempt to keep good relations with Russia, Roosevelt agreed to allow Russia to remove ten billion dollars from defeated Germany. Also at Yalta, it was agreed that post war Germany be divided into four occupational zones, which would become one of the main problems leading to the Berlin Airlift. Russia was given the north east, the U.S. was given the south east, Britain the north west, and France the south west. Berlin, German...