The Berlin Blockade

June 24, 1948

Blocking off all road access and waterways, the Soviet turned West Berlin into a capitalist island, immersed in the Soviet occupied zone. The Allied powers promised to stand by the West Berliners and in order for the 2.2 million citizens to survive, cargo was flown into the city on which the population was completely reliant. Rather than just having pragmatic effects, the Berlin Blockade symbolised the intensification of the conflictual divide between the East and West and resulted in Berlin becoming the epicentre for the Cold War. The blockade was not removed by the Soviets until May 1949.