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Berlin Airlift
A Soviet blockade of West Berlin aimed to starve the Western Allies out of the city. Instead of retreating, United States and its allies supplied transportation with 2.3 million tons of food, fuel, and other goods to West Berlin. ''During the Berlin airlift, an Allied supply plane took off or landed in West Berlin every 30 seconds. The planes made nearly 300,000 flights in all.'' (History.com/ Did You Know?) -
End of Berlin Airlift
The Soviets called off the blockade. -
Tensions Uprised Again After Nearly a Decade
For the next three years there were conflicts. The Soviet Union successfully launched the Sputnik satellite mission the year before, while a stampede of refugees rushed from the east to the West after the blockade. There were some three million of them, including doctors, workers, and engineers that created threats while the Allies resisted. A lot of negotiations came in place but none were successful. -
Fleeing of even more Refugees
19,000 people left the German Democratic-Republic through Berlin. On the following month, 30,000 fled. -
Most Defectors Left In a Single Day
2,400 defectors left to leave East Germany after first 11 days of August of 16,000 East Germans crossing the border. -
Birth of the Berlin Wall
The construction of the Berlin Wall began to block the flood of refugees from East to West Berlin as the East German government, Premier Khrushchev, gave permission to. It later reduced the tension and crisis over Germany as a clear separate division.
