Truman's massive airlift in West Berlin during Cold War? Why did Stalin lift the blockade?

Question

Stalin said if Germany was to be divided, Western Germany would have to abandon its outpost in the Soviet Eastern Berlin. What did Stalin mean by this?

Truman's massive airlift in West Berlin during Cold War? Why did Stalin lift the blockade?

Oops, I mean Truman's massive airlift in EAST Berlin, not West.

Oh I see! Answers have been great. Thanks so much.

Answer 1

This is a good question, and you were right the first time. The Soviet Union's Stalin blockaded West Berlin, which is surrounded by East Germany. Stalin's objective was simple starve and deprive West Berlin of its supplies, force its surrender and capitulation to being part of East Germany.

Stalin looked like he had a possible goal. At first glance the United States appeared to have two options: fight for the sovereignty by a difficult military attack or accept its surrender. President Truman then came up with a brilliant idea to supply West Berlin by air. It was a gamble. West Berlin had terrible weather; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has the worst of major United States cities and it is good compared to West Berlin! Nevertheless, the United States decided it would devise an around the clock supplying of the city.

Amazingly, the weather caused no accidents. The Soviets did not gamble in trying to fire on the planes. The technology steadily improved, and the supplying of West Berlin became more and more efficient, completely sufficient to keep the city operating normally. With the blockade a failure, Stalin accepted the inevitable, and gave up. West Berlin, though surrounded by East Germany, remained a free city, until the wallls came down in 1989, and East Germany also became free.

Answer 2

Stalin wanted all east Germany and with Berlin in his sector the others would always be in west Berlin, and he could not control the most important city in Germany. Getting total control of Berlin meant that he could keep Germany from being unified.. He knew if that if unification happened the whole of Germany would want the Russians out and become a democracy. The reason Stalin lifted the blockade was
He realized that he could not get the Allies to give up all of Berlin and had to admit defeat, but He could still stop Unification

Answer 3

The Soviets lifted the blockade because the airlift was effective. Also it was bad PR for the Soviets. Also again: You were right the first time: The airelift was to West Berlin. The U.S. was certainly not going to fly supplies into East Berlin.

Answer 4

Stalin was sure that the West would be unable to keep the people and garrisons of West Berlin supplied for any length of time. After the winter inwhich the planes flew in all supplies and the raising support of the West by West Berliners' caused the Stalin to open the border again.

Answer 5

Stalin wanted complete control of East Germany. He was testing the West's resolve, and abandoned the blockade when it became clear that the Western World was prepared to do whatever it took to keep West Berlin going.

Answer 6

Supplies and people were pushed toward that direction. The airlift was needed, therefore the blockade needed removal for such progress to occur.

Answer 7

im not sure we have all the i.e real facts,but the K.G.B could've had hard intellegence that led them to believe that we could have taken east berlin easily