Rise of the Superpowers

Attachments:

• Berlin Blockade

1. Background
   1. After defeat of Germany, country divided into 4 zones
      1. Britain, France, USA and USSR
   2. Berlin divided too, but deep in Soviet zone
   3. Communist governments began to be installed in the eastern European countires
      1. 1945 on
      2. countries Red Army occupied during war
   4. this alarmed the Allies
      1. Churchill named this the Iron Curtain
   5. Marshall Plan
      1. President Truman offered to help European states rebuild their economies
         1. wanted to stop communism
      2. financial aid organised by General George Michael
2. The Blockade
   1. Allies issued new currency in western zones of Germany
   2. Soviets refused to accept this
      1. blockaded all overland access to Berlin
   3. Western allies decided to airlift supplies to their zones
   4. June 1948 - May 1949
      1. 2.3m tonnes of supplies flown in
   5. USSR never fired at a plane
      1. didnt want to provoke war
      2. high tensions
   6. abandoned in May 1949
3. Results
   1. destroyed any chance of agreement between USSR and other allies on reuniting Germany
   2. Allies joined there zones together to form democratic West Germany
      1. Soviets founded communist East Germany
   3. blockade and the fact that both USA and USSR had atomic weapons made tensions very high
      1. seek allies
         1. USA
            1. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
               1. 1946
         2. USSR
            1. Warsaw Pact
               1. 1955
   4. USA and USSR called Superpowers
      1. atomic weapons, huge nations and alliance leaders