The Berlin Airlift: How the United States Resisted Soviet Aggression with Non-Military Means

As a way to fight the Soviet Blockade without fighting a war, the United States did this with supplies, travelling by air, causing the blockade to fail. This is seen as a victory of the containment policy.

Airlift

The United States implemented the Berlin Airlift as a way to fight the Soviet Blockade without fighting a war. From 1948-1949, the Soviet Union blocked all land and water access to the city of Berlin, which was divided into four occupation zones controlled by the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union after World War II. The Soviet Union wanted to force the Western powers to give up their occupation zones in Berlin and to limit the ability of the West to rebuild Germany.

The United States responded to the blockade by airlifting supplies to the people of Berlin. The Berlin Airlift was a massive operation that involved flying food, fuel, and other essential items into the city. The airlift began on June 26, 1948, and lasted almost a year. During this time, the United States and its allies flew more than 277,000 flights, delivered more than 2.3 million tons of supplies, and kept the city of Berlin alive.

The Berlin Airlift was a victory for the containment policy because it showed that the United States was willing and able to use non-military means to resist Soviet aggression. The airlift was a clear demonstration of the United States’ commitment to the people of Berlin and to the larger goal of containing Soviet influence in Europe. The Soviet Union eventually lifted the blockade in May 1949, recognizing that the United States was not going to back down.

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