The Berlin Air Lift: Stalin Relents (May 1949)

Figure 1.--Stalin's blockade of West Berlin failed and proved an embarassment for several reasons. One was that the people of west Berlin ate better with the Soviet blockade than the people of East Berlin. This caption to thi press ohoto read, "Berlin's Growing Army of Hungary Children: The horror that was war, can easily be matched by the horror of revovery for German children in the Soviet sector of Berlin, wakened by lack of sufficint food, many German parets are sending their children into the amerucan Sector of Berlin to beg for food as a last resort against the slow death they are experiencing at home. The faces of the two children (above) who came into the American tired and hungary, wearing rags, and learning too early in life that food too belongs to the victors. This slowly growing army of children are fed when possible, but the next mealtime finds them forced once again to beg for their food and a chance to sleep in someone's hallway. The photograph was dated January 21, 1949. Photographer: Allyn Baum.

Finally with the success of the Airlift, Stalin relented and with no fanfare rail and road links were reopened (May 12, 1949). This ended the 11-month Soviet blockade of west Berlin, one of the early Cold War crises. One issue glossed over in Berlin Air Lift accounts is why Stalin relented and ended the blockade. We have not found a detailed assessment of this issue. A problem here is that most accounts are based almost enforely on westrn sources. We know of not assessment drawing on available Soviet sources. we do not know how Soviet historians explained the end of the blockade. A range of reasons have been put forward as to why Stalin ended the Blokade,but as far as we know, he never explained his thinking. Khruschev in his memoirs offers little insight. He says that Stalin did not discuss the blockade with thersn Politboro, except perhaps Molotov and than says only that 'the capitalists turnd out to be too strong for Stalin'. [Khruschev, p. 192.] We can only speculate. It does not appear that there was any desire to improve relations. He was about to get his first atomic bomb (August 1949) and he was about to unleash the North Koreans (June 1950). There seems to be no clear reason as to why he relented. After all the Air Lift was very expensive to the West, supplying a huge city by air while the blockade cost the Soviets virtually nothing. Some of the reasons suggested include the following. First, the most common reason is the propganda war. The image of Soviet tanks blockading West Berlin was not one that was helpful for Communist parties in Western European elections which were trying to portry the Soviet Union as aeace loving nation. And down play the idea that the Communists were repressive. Stalin still hoped that Communist parties in the West, especally in Italy and France might be able to gain power democratically. Second, the western countr-blockade on East Germany was damaging. As a countermeasure against the Soviet blockade, the Western powers also launched a trade embargo against eastern Germany and other Soviet bloc countries. One author writes, "The East German economy suffered grievously from the Allied counterblockade imposed...against Western zone shipments to the East. Trade with Berlin’s Western sector companies helped reduce the damage of shattered interdependencies and avert collapse in certain key sectors." [Stivers, p. 587.] Third, Stalin's action came to be seen as alunder, both in the East Block and Germany. this was Khruschev assessment. . Stalin may have thought this as bad for his image and decided to cut bait. Another assessment, "As it was, the blockade was a massive blunder. In German eyes, not only did the Soviet Union appear a most implausible 'friend', but the necessity of seeking security with the West seemed conclusively proved. Economic considerations aside, Soviet supply and trade offers – beginning with the milk offer five days after the blockade began – look like efforts to deescalate the crisis in order to repair political damage." [Stivers, 596] Fourth, the Air Lift proved to be an ebarassment. Stalin seemed inpotent in the face of American airpower. In addition,the Airlift was so sucessful that food and fuel was soon more available in blockade West Berlin than in East Berlin. It was the first hint even before the German Exonomic Miracle that Comminism was a failure. None if this did Stalin any good. Fifth, Soviet aggresiveness helped to cement Western resistance. Not only did it convimce the West Germans that America would stand up to the Soviets, but it convinced the American and European publics that united action was needed--leading to the North Atlantic Treaty. Noting could have been more damaging to Soviet security interests.

Sources

Khrushchev, Nikita. Edward Crankshaw, intro, commentary, and notes. Strobe Talbott, trans. and ed. Khrushchev Remembers (Little Brown: Boston, 1970), 639p.

Stivers, William. “The Incomplete Blockade: Soviet Zone Supply of West Berlin, 1948–49,” Diplomatic History Vol. 21, No. 4 (October 1, 1997), pp. 569–602.

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