Berlin Blockade

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Exam question -Berlin Blockade

  1. What was the Cold war?

The cold war was a period of time when there was great tension mainly between the two super-powers: United States and the USSR but also their allies and surrounding countries. This occurred between the end of the Second World War and the early 1990s. The main disagreements were to do with control or political influence in the countries liberated from Germany after the war. USA and USSR had very opposing views on what system these countries should have. USA wished for countries to be socialist; whereas USSR wanted to influence communism. Rather than going at each other in an all out war, they attempted to obtain their way through subtle methods.

  1. Why did tension between the Soviet Union and the West increase after the Potsdam conference?

Tension between the west and the Soviet Union increased after the Potsdam conference because of the many disagreements that were discussed there and the clear different political views of the two opposing sides.

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One of the disagreements at Potsdam was how hardly Germany should be punished. Stalin wanted to cripple them completely, whereas Truman believed that this may lead to another Treaty of Versailles. Failure to come to an agreement on this subject increased tension between the Soviet Union and the west. It was a similar case when it came to reparations. Stalin wanted large scale reparations from Germany, whilst Truman believed that this may lead to another Treaty of Versailles.

Additionally, there was a lack of trust between the leaders. At Yalta, Russia had agreed to have free elections in ...

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