In 1948 the Berlin Blockade marked the first true crisis of the Cold War. The Berlin Blockade marked the end of cooperative rule in Germany, and an extreme heightening in Cold War tensions. Secondly, in 1961 the Berlin Crisis, an extension of the prior circumstance, threatened to spark an international war. Lastly, blame must be assessed regarding these separate events. Historians of the Cold War are divided, in the most general sense, into two categories. The traditionalist view maintains that the Soviets carry the burden of guilt. Revisionists are reluctant to place blame on the Soviets alone. Rather, the Soviets were put in situations

By 1961, the East German problem of the mass emigration had reached its peak. East German President Walter Ulbricht informed his Soviet ally of the need for immediate action. The building of the Berlin Wall, separating the city into east and west, was the Soviet-East German solution.

"Lucius Clay, the military governor of the American zone of occupied Germany wrote: ‘When the order of the Soviet Military Administration to close all rail traffic from the western zones went into effect at 6:00AM on the morning of June 24, 1948, the three western sectors of Berlin, with a civilian population of about 2,500,000 people, became dependent on reserve stocks and airlift replacements. It was one of the most ruthless efforts in modern times to use mass starvation for political coercion... ‘"

In November 1958, Soviet Premier Khruschev demanded that the western powers withdraw from Berlin within six months. Khruschev stated that the Soviets, following the six month period, would also leave Berlin. In response, the western allies, the United States, Britain, and France, refused to give up their right to free access in West Berlin. In 1959 the ultimatum was withdrawn and a conference of the four nations’ foreign ministers was organized. This interaction led to Premier Khruschev’s visit to the United States in 1959. Khruschev’s meeting with President Eisenhower ended with the agreement that "’all outstanding international questions should be settled, not by the application of force, but by peaceful means through negotiations.’"

"Germany occupied the center of Europe. Her geostrategic location and formidable industrial potential made her a crucial factor in the European and global balance of power. Whichever side controlled this vital center could dominate the whole of Europe and tilt the global balance

Some topics in this essay:
Military Administration, Berlin Blockade, Soviet American, Marshal Solovsky, France Germany, West Germany, Germany Soviet, Decisions ACC, Berlin Crisis, Cold War, war ii, world war, world war ii, berlin blockade, cold war, west germany, britain france, berlin blockade marked, soviet union, eastern zone, military governor, mass emigration, united france britain, united britain france, building berlin wall,