Berlin Crisis Research Paper

A wall. A structure standing 11 feet and 8 inches tall ran through a country torn between two Government systems. A wall separating families, loved ones, neighbors,and friends. A wall is all it took to destroy a country. During the aftermath of World War II Germany was split into two separate parts and not only was the country separated but so was Berlin. Berlin Germany was separated into East and West Berlin. East being the cruel communistic state and West Berlin being a Democratic state. Otherwise known as “the loophole”, West Berlin was an escape from communism. Many people decided that communism wasn’t for them and starting pouring over into West Berlin. This angered the Soviet Union because Communism allowed everything to be controlled by the Government, this in return meant every citizen had to share the wealth upon themselves. Most fled to West Berlin because in a Democratic society you have the opportunity to grow and make your own money. The Soviet Union had, had enough, on August 13th 1961 the border between East and West Berlin has been permanently closed. The next day on August 14th 1961, the Brandenburg gate was closed. From here on, Berlin turned into horrific situation.

The fall of the Berlin Wall, the events in Eastern Europe and Russia in the 90’s, those were a time when the march of democracy and freedom in the world seemed inevitable. Every time you opened up a newspaper, you expected to see another country opening its arms to freedom.

The Berlin crisis started in February 1948 when the Western allies held the London conference to discuss how to jumpstart the German economy after two years of disagreeing with the Soviets. The Western allies wanted to implement a free-market economy which all of their nations had and felt was the best option while the Soviet Union wanted to convert Germany to a planned communist economy. Because the London conference went against the regulations as laid out during the Potsdam Agreement, the Soviet Union’s protest was quick and they withdrew from the Allied Control Council (ACC).

As World War II was coming to fruition, the future of Germany was uncertain. During the Potsdam Conference in July of 1945, the allied countries of U.S, Soviet Union, Britain, and France divided Germany into four sectors, in hindsight; this would become the birth of the Cold War. Russians geological position would soon become a nightmare for U.S military, as the City of Berlin was located in the heart of the Soviet Unions Sector. Dividing Berlin into to East and West divisions, the U.S, Britain, and France controlled the west, and Soviets East, would prove a strategic liability for the U.S, as they had to travel miles through Soviet territory to reach Berlin. According to Nikita Khrushchev, a Soviet politician at the time, Berlin was like the

(wikibooks). In a June 5, 1947, speech to the graduating class at Harvard University, Secretary of State George C. Marshall issued a call for a comprehensive program to rebuild Europe.(containment of Marshall plan). Due to the fear of Communist expansion and the rapid deterioration of European economies in the winter of 1946–1947, Congress passed the Economic Cooperation Act in March 1948 and approved funding that would eventually rise to over $12 billion for the rebuilding of Western Europe.(history state) After Marshall’s announcement, three requirements in his proposal became essential for the U.S. as the design of the recovery program developed.(UNH) First, the initiative must come from Europe, it must be evolved in Europe, and Europeans must be held responsible for it.(UNH) Second, the program must be collaborative and European nations must form a coalition from which a comprehensive plan could be developed. And finally, the program must be self-sufficient (UNH) Officially initiated on April 3, 1948, the Marshall Plan became the largest economic recovery effort in human history. Without the economic aid provided by the Marshall Plan, it is questionable whether the devastated countries of Europe could have recovered to where they are today.

In the quick post-World War II period, Europe stayed assaulted by war and therefore defenseless to abuse by an interior and outer Communist risk. In a June 5, 1947, discourse to the graduating class at Harvard University, Secretary of State George C. Marshall issued a require an extensive system to remake Europe. Fanned by the apprehension of Communist extension and the quick decay of European economies in the winter of 1946–1947, Congress passed the Economic Cooperation Act in March 1948 and endorsed subsidizing that would in the long run ascend to over $12 billion for the remaking of Western Europe. The Marshall Plan produced a resurgence of European industrialization and brought broad venture into the area. It was additionally a stimulant to the U.S. economy by building up business sectors for American products. In spite of the fact that the Soviet's cooperation Union and East European countries was a beginning plausibility, Soviet worry over potential U.S. monetary control of its Eastern European satellites and Stalin's unwillingness to open up his mystery society to westerners destined the thought. Besides, it is improbable that the U.S. Congress would have been willing to finance the arrangement as liberally as it did if help additionally went

From 1948 (the year that the plan was implemented) to 1952 (the year that Europe declared it would no longer require Marshall Aid) Europe experienced the fastest rate of growth in its history. Industrial and agricultural production increased by 30% of the pre-war levels and the standard of living¬¬ improved dramatically. Western Europe was set to commence two decades of unprecedented growth. This is exactly what the Marshall Plan had aimed to achieve, not wanting to just send a lump sum of $13 billion and be done with it, America set out to rejuvenate the European economies in a number of ways. They did this by providing European markets with experts, new machines and breakthrough technology which helped to push industrial and

Its primary purpose was to unify and strengthen the Western Allies military response to a possible invasion of western Europe by the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies. NATO has been effective in fulfilling its responsibilities. To this day NATO includes 28 countries, including former Warsaw Pact members, and it has stopped the expansion of communism. Approximately 18,000 military personals are involved in NATO missions around the world. NATO is still to this day is without a doubt the most successful defense group in

The European Recovery Program also known as The Marshall Plan was a U.S supported program intended to restore the economies of 17 western and southern European nations with a specific end goal to bring about stable conditions and to help the democratic countries survive. Secretary of State George C. Marshall and his aid idea was initially offered to all the European nations, including those under military occupation by the Soviet Union Direct grants represented by far most of the aid, with the rest of the type of loans. To organize the European membership, 16 states, drove by the United Kingdom and France, built up the Organization of European Economic Cooperation to recommend a four-year recuperation program.

The formation of NATO impacted the world because of it’s influence into our political lives today and the political lives of people during the Cold War. This new alliance, called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was one of the most needed alliances in history. In addition, NATO has also made many large political decisions, even forcing the Cold War into its most tense stage. Finally, NATO has made many large influences into our governments today, keeping each other’s countries up-to-date on such welfare projects, military experiments, or just needing help for a new construction if need be. It keeps the countries in the alliance increasingly involved into each other’s projects and will supply aid to each other when asked for. Why NATO

NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; a “political and military alliance”. NATO started in 1949 with 12 nations: the United States, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Iceland, Canada, United Kingdom and Portugal. According to an article “NATO’s essential purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of its members through political and military means”. NATO involves a line of defense as well as democratic values. Roland Flamini starts his article of with describing NATO as the “west line defense” during the cold war, but then explain how some feel “about NATO relevance”.

NATO was thought to be an alliance that was formed together in response to the Soviet Union (History Hompage). The alliance’s purpose of creating NATO was to: deter Soviet expansionism, forbid the revival of nationalist militarism in Europe through a strong North American presence on the continent, and encourage European political integration. Their essential purpose was to safeguard the freedom and security of its members using political and military means (What is NATO?). NATO promoted democratic values and encourages consultation and cooperation on defense and security issues to build trust and prevent conflict. NATO’s military goals were to remain peaceful when there are disputes between countries.

This paper will analyze how NATO grew in such sheer size and strength since 1949 in its military and overall transformation, it will compare the weakness of NATO and how it has overcome them from the events of the Cold War all the way to the recent events as

The Marshall Plan, also known as the European Renaissance Program, has more than $ 13 billion in funding for the recovery of Europe from 1948 to 1951. The Marshall Plan succeeded in triggering an economic recovery that achieved "the restoration of the European people towards their own country and Europe as a whole for the economic future." The plan was named Secretary of State George Marshall.

In Anthony’s Beevor’s book “The Fall of Berlin 1945” his forward opens with a statement from Albert Speer, the so called architect of Nazi Germany. He states the following: “History always emphasizes terminal events.” Ironically, his text should refer to the Cold War between the two former Allies, Russian and the United States.. The conditions for World War II were drawn from the experiences, defeats and conditions set forward in the Treaty of Versailles which ended World War I. While, many events brought Adolph Hitler to power, including: the harsh terms imposed on Germany in the Treaty of Paris after World War I; the depression that followed World War I; the French and British government appeasements of Hitler; French and British overconfidence in their military and underestimation of Germany military strength. Coupled with a weak political leadership and desire to restore their military dominance, the Germans embraced Hitler’s doctrines. By 1943 after the Tehran Conference the shape and focus of the Cold War was determined; there would only be two super powers remaining. The power that won the most in WWII was Stalin; the master of deception and guile.When one looks in retrospect of the underpinnings of World War II; one often finds the quote of “fighting and preparing the last war” as appropriate in the context of preparation of pre-war Europe. While there were sufficient military theories advancing the new technologies and proposed by former commanders from