Berlin: Divided
At the close of World War Two, Germany was a vulnerable nation, crippled by economic struggle, homelessness, food shortages and ruined cities caused by the Nazi regime and its wartime defeat (Clare, D, J. 2014). Germany was divided among the four major powers of the victorious allies: the Soviet Union, the United States of America, Britain and France, to create stability and growth until a centralised German government could be established. This objective was outlined at an Allied conference at Potsdam in 1947- “It is the intention of the Allies that the German people be given the opportunity to prepare for the eventual reconstruction of their life on a democratic and peaceful basis.” (Potsdam Conference Report, 1947, cited in GHDI)
Two key conferences between the allied superpowers took place to establish the Division of Germany, and its capital, Berlin into four military occupied zones. The Centre de la Connaissance sur l’Europe, a research organisation, expresses that this division positioned Berlin to “become one of the main theatres of confrontation between East and West” (2015), guiding and magnifying conflict and tensions throughout the war. Chicco, M et al support this popular notion that “Events in Berlin underscored the potential of the Cold War divisions to erupt at any moment.” (Chicco M, Schnabel, O. online)
It is widely accepted that “Berlin became the focal point of the Soviet-Western struggle as the result of a series of decisions, agreements, and actions taken during and shortly after the Second World War.” (Slusser, R. 1978). Much of this diplomacy took place at the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences in the period during the end of World War Two.
The first of these major conferences, held in Yalta, Crimea in February 1945, before the end of the war, was the place in which the four way division of Germany and Berlin after Germany’s forthcoming and inevitable surrender was devised (CVCE, 2015.) between Allied leaders: Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt. An excerpt from the Yalta Conference report of 1945 simply outlines this policy- “Under the agreed plan, the forces of the Three Powers will each occupy a separate zone of Germany.” This policy would come to centre Germany and Berlin at the “frontline” of confrontation between East and West during the Cold War (Coleman, D. 1995)
The Potsdam Conference, held a few miles from Berlin took place in August 1945 after the end of the war, where an official council was established to divide Germany into the four occupation zones. At this time, the tension between Soviet and Western leaders was heightening (Walsh, B. 1996) through undergoing agreements to establish a post war Europe, where each power endeavoured to possess the most influence across the war torn continent. The agreement of a shared occupation of Germany and Berlin allowed the weakened economy to recover without threatening or advantaging either the Communists or Capitalists. Germany’s centrality in Europe and it’s Allied division made it the “frontline” (O’Brien, A. 2010) of the ideological conflict associated with the Cold War.
Rising tensions between the Soviets and the Western powers can somewhat be attributed to these Conferences that posed difficult issues and questions regarding a post war Europe, such that “by 1946 the wartime friendship between the Allies had broken down. It had been replaced by suspicion and accusation.” (Walsh, B. 1996) These suspicions led to the outbreak of the Cold War in Berlin in the following years.
Two key conferences between the allied superpowers took place to establish the Division of Germany, and its capital, Berlin into four military occupied zones. The Centre de la Connaissance sur l’Europe, a research organisation, expresses that this division positioned Berlin to “become one of the main theatres of confrontation between East and West” (2015), guiding and magnifying conflict and tensions throughout the war. Chicco, M et al support this popular notion that “Events in Berlin underscored the potential of the Cold War divisions to erupt at any moment.” (Chicco M, Schnabel, O. online)
It is widely accepted that “Berlin became the focal point of the Soviet-Western struggle as the result of a series of decisions, agreements, and actions taken during and shortly after the Second World War.” (Slusser, R. 1978). Much of this diplomacy took place at the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences in the period during the end of World War Two.
The first of these major conferences, held in Yalta, Crimea in February 1945, before the end of the war, was the place in which the four way division of Germany and Berlin after Germany’s forthcoming and inevitable surrender was devised (CVCE, 2015.) between Allied leaders: Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt. An excerpt from the Yalta Conference report of 1945 simply outlines this policy- “Under the agreed plan, the forces of the Three Powers will each occupy a separate zone of Germany.” This policy would come to centre Germany and Berlin at the “frontline” of confrontation between East and West during the Cold War (Coleman, D. 1995)
The Potsdam Conference, held a few miles from Berlin took place in August 1945 after the end of the war, where an official council was established to divide Germany into the four occupation zones. At this time, the tension between Soviet and Western leaders was heightening (Walsh, B. 1996) through undergoing agreements to establish a post war Europe, where each power endeavoured to possess the most influence across the war torn continent. The agreement of a shared occupation of Germany and Berlin allowed the weakened economy to recover without threatening or advantaging either the Communists or Capitalists. Germany’s centrality in Europe and it’s Allied division made it the “frontline” (O’Brien, A. 2010) of the ideological conflict associated with the Cold War.
Rising tensions between the Soviets and the Western powers can somewhat be attributed to these Conferences that posed difficult issues and questions regarding a post war Europe, such that “by 1946 the wartime friendship between the Allies had broken down. It had been replaced by suspicion and accusation.” (Walsh, B. 1996) These suspicions led to the outbreak of the Cold War in Berlin in the following years.
What caused the Outbreak of War?
The outbreak of the Cold War, which officially commenced with the Berlin Blockade of 1948 was caused by a conglomeration of tensions after the end of World War Two, most notably the growing tensions caused by the underlying ideological distinctions between the East and West and the defeat of the Nazi regime, followed by the expiration of the alliance between the Soviets and the United States. Further actions including the conferences where the division and allied occupation of Germany and Berlin was conceived, and the US policies of containment to resist Soviet expansionism, which sought to exploit the war torn nations. The mutual opposition which was established through these events, policies and decisions would come to guide the four decade conflict of the Cold War.
These factors combined, led to the first significant conflict between the Soviets and the United States; the Berlin Blockade of 1948.
These factors combined, led to the first significant conflict between the Soviets and the United States; the Berlin Blockade of 1948.