9781422283608

During the Berlin Airlift, cargo planes brought thousands of tons of supplies into the city every day, including chocolate and sweets.

The Berlin Airlift After the war the four main Allies occupied Germany. Each controlled a separate zone. Berlin was in the eastern, Soviet zone, and was itself divided between the four Allies. The Soviet sector was in the east. Soon the Communist Soviets and the other, non- communist Allies came into conflict. In June 1948 the Soviets closed all road, rail, and canal links between West Germany and West Berlin. Supplies could not get through. The other Allies had to airlift food and fuel into West Berlin. The blockade ended in May 1949.

East and West Germany In May 1949 the British, French, and American zones formed the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), with Bonn as its capital. In October the Soviet zone became the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), with East Berlin as its capital. East Berlin was poorer than West Berlin, so many people fled to the West. The East German government erected the Berlin Wall in 1961 to prevent more escapes. This wire and concrete barrier ran right through the city.

The fall of the Berlin Wall symbolized the end of the Cold War and the hope of a new future. ⌂

Together again In the 1980s East Germans protested against the lack of democracy in their country. This led to the collapse of the government. Germans began to break down the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989. On 3 October 1990 East and West Germany were reunited, and in 1991 Berlin became the capital of the whole country again.

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BERLIN

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