Russia had already disagreed with Britain and the USA at Potsdam, particularly about . Germany was split into zones. Berlin (also split into zones) was entirely within the Russian zone.

Causes of the Berlin Blockade:
1. The Cold War was just getting started (e.g. , March 1948) - the Blockade was just another clash in the Cold War.
2. Russia and the west had different Aims for Germany. Britain and the USA wanted to the German economy. Stalin wanted to destroy Germany and systematically the Russian zone.
3. To try to get German industry going, Britain and the USA joined their two zones together into '' (Jan 1948). the Russians saw this as a plot against them.
4. American Aid was also seen as an attack on Soviet in eastern Europe. As soon as Congress voted for Marshall Aid (31 March 1948) the Russians started all road and rail traffic into Berlin.
5. On 1 June, America and France announced that they wanted to create the new country of West Germany; and on 23 June they introduced a New Currency into ‘Bizonia’ and western Berlin. So the Russians all road and rail traffic into Berlin. Stalin said he was defending the east German . Britain and America said he was trying to force them out of Berlin.

Events of the Berlin Blockade and Airlift
The American Army wanted to fight its way into Berlin – that would have caused a war. Instead, Truman decided to supply Berlin by air.
- In the winter of 1948–49 Berliners lived on dried , powdered eggs and cans of meat. They had hours of electricity a day.
- flights carried in 1½ million tons of supplies. A plane landed every 3 mins.
- On 16 April 1949, flights brought in 13,000 tons of supplies in one day – Berlin only needed 6,000 tons a day to survive.
- Some pilots dropped sweets. The American airmen were regarded as .
- The situation was bad at first, but things got better as the blockade went on.
- The USA stationed B-29 bombers (which could carry an bomb) in Britain. On 12 May 1949, Stalin re-opened the borders.
- The blockade lasted days (11 months).


Results of the Blockade
1. The Cold War got - there was almost an all-out war.
2. Germany split up into East and West Germany. In May 1949, America, Britain and France united their zones into the (West Germany). In October 1949, Stalin set up the (East Germany) .
3. In 1949, the western Allies set up NATO () as a defensive alliance against Russia. NATO countries surrounded Russia; in , the Soviet Union set up the Warsaw Pact – an alliance of Communist states.
4. Russia and America realised that they were in a competition for world domination. They began an Arms Race to build up their armies and .