The Berlin Blockade was an attempt by the Soviet Union to force the Western Allies out of West Berlin by cutting off rail, road and canal links to the sectors of the city they controlled. It followed the introduction of a new currency in the Western zones of Germany, which Stalin saw as a step toward a separate West German state. The United States and Britain responded with the Berlin Airlift, flying in food, fuel and other supplies to the city for months. The Soviets lifted the blockade in May 1949 without achieving their aim. The crisis hardened the division of Europe, helped bring about NATO and led to the creation of separate West and East German states.
Before and after
- 15 May 1948Gaza–Israel conflict
- 31 May 1948Birth of Svetlana Alexievich
- 5 June 1948Construction of National Diet Library
- from 16 June 1948 to 12 July 1960Malayan Emergency
- from 23 June 1948 to 12 May 1949Berlin Blockade
- 5 July 1948The National Health Service begins in Britain
- 8 July 1948First flight of Ilyushin Il-28
- 26 July 1948Executive Order 9981
- 29 July 1948The Stoke Mandeville Games for disabled athletes
More in Wars, politics & history
- 6 August 1945Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- from January 1978 to February 1979Iranian Revolution
- from 25 December 1979 to 15 February 1989Soviet-Afghan War
- from 22 September 1980 to 20 August 1988Iran–Iraq War
- from 20 March 2003 to 15 December 2011Iraq War
- 28 February 20262026 Iran War
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.