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The Cold War
Home » Germany » Germany: A History » The Cold WarGermany was the country where the Cold War manifested itself most clearly. The Western and Soviet social systems could scarcely have been more different. With the assistance of the German Communist Party leadership, which had returned from exile in Moscow, the Soviet occupying power pushed ahead with political and social change.
This “anti-fascist democratic upheaval,” put all political and social functions in the hands of the German communists and persons they trusted. Walter Ulbricht, the head of the communist group, set the tone when he said, “It has to look democratic, but everything must be in our hands.”
One truly significant step towards the division of Germany was the April 1945 merger of the German Communist Party (KPD) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) to form the Socialist Unity Party (SED).
The status of protective power was certainly put to the test when Soviet party leader and head of state Joseph Stalin took the occasion of the introduction of the Deutsche Mark to instigate a blockade of Berlin (West), aimed at annexing it to the Soviet occupied zone. During the night of June 23, 1948 all land routes between the Western zones and Berlin (West) were closed. Supplies of energy and food from the surrounding zone of occupation to the west were discontinued.
The Allies responded with an unprecedented airlift, which took supplies to the citizens of West Berlin. Over time 277,000 flights carried a total of 2.3 million tons of food, medication, fuel and building material to the city, keeping it alive.
Related Germany: A History Articles
- Germany: A History Overview
- The Middle Ages
- The Bismarck Reich
- World War I
- World War II
- The Cold War
- The New Berlin Republic