Hi, my name's Mr. Williams, and I'm going to be your history teacher for today.

This lesson is part of a unit on the origins of the Cold War from 1941 to 1958.

I'm really looking forward to teaching you today, so let's get started.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to analyse the events of the Berlin crisis of 1948.

There are four keywords that are essential to understanding today's lesson.

They are: blockade, an attempt to prevent goods, people, or supplies from entering or leaving a certain area.

Airlift, the transportation of people or goods by air, often used when other forms of transport are not available.

Crisis, a difficult or dangerous situation, often with the potential for serious consequences, requiring immediate action or resolution.

And finally, collective security, a system where countries cooperate to protect one another from threats, agreeing to respond together if any member is attacked or faces aggression.

Our lesson today will be split into three parts.

In this first part of the lesson, we're going to be learning about the causes of the Berlin crisis.

At the Potsdam Conference in June 1945, the USA, Britain, and the USSR had agreed that Germany and its capital Berlin should be divided into four zones.

Each country would control a zone, and the final zone would be controlled by France.

The Allied Control Commission, or ACC, was established so that the four countries could work together to administer Germany.

On the streets of Berlin, there were military checkpoints that controlled movement between the zones.

The division of Germany was intended to be a temporary measure until free elections could be held, but it ended up lasting much longer.

From the start, there were significant disagreements between the occupying powers.

For example, the Western allies, the USA, Britain, and France, wanted to invest in the German economy and help the country to recover from World War II.

They believed that it was necessary to ensure a long-lasting piece.

On the other hand, the USSR wanted to use German resources to speed up their own recovery and protect themselves from possible future attack by ensuring that Germany remained weak.

Consequently, Stalin refused to let the Soviet zone trade with the other three zones.

Stalin's long-term aim was for Germany to be reunited as a communist country dominated by the USSR.

Let's do a quick check of your understanding.

Stalin clashed with Britain, France, and the USA about how Germany should be administered after World War II.

Is this true or false? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said that was true, but as always, we need to be able to justify our response.

So on the screen are two justifications.

A says, Stalin believed that Germany should be supported by the Allies to help them recover after World War II.

And B says, Stalin believed that Germany should be kept weak and German resources should be taken to support the USSR's recovery.

Which of these justifications is correct? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to find out the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said that the correct justification was B, Stalin believed that Germany should be weak and that German resources should be used to support the USSR's recovery.

In March 1948, continued disagreements led to the USSR leaving the Allied Control Commission.

The Western allies had to decide how they wanted to run the parts of Germany they controlled, including Berlin.

The USA and Britain had already combined their zones in January 1947 to create Bizonia, and after the USSR left the ACC, the French agreed to join them to create Trizonia in June 1948.

Just two days later, the Western allies introduced a new currency, called the Deutsche Mark, to ensure that there was economic unity across Trizonia.

This led to a furious response from the USSR because the new currency created a harder division between Trizonia and the Soviet-occupied zone.

Stalin believed that the Western allies were trying to speed up the economic recovery of the areas they controlled at the expense of the USSR, and saw this as an attack on Soviet interests.

His response led to the Berlin crisis of 1948.

Let's take a moment to check our understanding.

Which country left the Allied Control Commission in March 1948? Was it A, Britain; B, France; C, the USA; or D, the USSR? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, very well done if you said it was D, the USSR.

Let's do another quick check.

The paragraph on the screen is incorrect.

I want you to identify and correct the mistakes.

Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the corrected paragraph.

Okay, well done for your hard work.

You were asked to identify and correct the mistakes in the paragraph, and the corrected paragraph should read as follows.

Britain and the USA had already joined the zones they controlled in Berlin to form Bizonia.

After the USSR left the Allied Control Commission in March 1948, France joined to form Trizonia.

Very well done if you found and corrected all of those mistakes.

Let's do another quick check of your understanding, and this time I want you to discuss the question with a partner.

Why was Stalin so angry about the introduction of a new currency in Trizonia? Pause the video now, talk to your partner, and press play when you're ready to see a model response.

Okay, welcome back.

I hope that discussion was helpful.

You were asked to explain to a partner why Stalin was so angry about the introduction of a new currency in Trizonia, and you could have said something like this.

Stalin was angry because the introduction of the Deutsche Mark created a harder division between Trizonia and the Soviet-controlled zone in Berlin.

He believed that the Western allies were trying to support the recovery of their zones at the expense of the USSR.

Well done if your conversation covered those points.

You are now ready to attempt the first practise task of today's lesson, which is split into two parts.

In the first part, I want you to explain why the division of Germany created conflict between the USSR and the Western allies before 1948, and you might find it helpful to use the sentence starters on the screen.

Pause the video now, attempt the activity, and then press play when you're ready to see a model response.

Okay, very well done for your efforts on that task.

You were asked to explain why the division of Germany created conflict between the USSR and the Western allies before 1948, and you could have written something like this.

There was conflict between the USSR and the Western allies because the USSR wanted to take resources from Germany.

This was because they wanted to use German resources to speed up the post-war recovery of the USSR and because they wanted to keep Germany weak, so it would not be a threat.

In contrast, the Western allies wanted to help the German economy to recover.

This was because they believed that this was the only way to ensure that there would be a lasting piece.

Well done if your answer looks similar to the one that we've just gone through.

For the second part of the practise task, I want you to explain why the division of Germany created conflict between the USSR and the Western allies after March 1948.

You should answer in one paragraph and you should include the following words in your answer: Trizonia, Deutsche Mark, recovery, and Stalin.

Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see a model answer.

Okay, well done for your hard work on that task.

You were asked to explain why the division of Germany created conflict between the USSR and the Western allies after March 1948.

And your answer may include: after March 1948, the Western allies combined their zones to form Trizonia.

They then introduced a new currency, the Deutsche Mark.

This created conflict because it prompted a furious reaction from Stalin, who believed that the Western allies wanted to speed up the recovery of the zones they controlled at the expense of the USSR.

Very well done if your answer looks something like the one that we've just gone through.

We are now ready to move on to the second part of our lesson.

And in this next part of our lesson, we're going to be looking at the two key events that constituted the Berlin crisis of 1948: the Berlin Blockade, which was introduced by Stalin, and the Berlin Airlift, which was the response of the Western allies.

The timeline on the screen provides an overview of the key events of the Berlin crisis.

Take a look now, and if you need to, you can return to this timeline later on in the lesson.

Stalin knew that the Western-occupied zones of Berlin were vulnerable because they were surrounded by Soviet-occupied territory, and they could only be reached from the rest of Western-occupied Germany by two land routes and two air routes.

On the 24th of June 1948, in a move that has become known as the Berlin Blockade, Stalin announced that he was closing the land routes into West Berlin.

Stalin's aim was to make it impossible for the Western allies to send supplies to their zones in Berlin so that they would be forced to abandon the city and leave the whole of the German capital to the control of the USSR.

The Berlin Blockade was a direct challenge to President Truman who had committed the USA to a policy of containment in a 1947 speech that became known as the Truman Doctrine.

Truman saw the Berlin crisis as a test case of the USA's determination to contain communism.

He believed that if the Western allies did not stand up to Stalin and lost control of Berlin, the western zones of Germany could be next.

Breaking the blockade by attempting to send supplies via the land routes could be seen as an act of war by the USSR, but Truman believed that West Berlin could be supplied by air.

The only way Stalin could prevent this from happening was by shooting down Western planes.

Truman gambled that Stalin would not be prepared to go that far.

Let's check your understanding.

Why did Stalin blockade Berlin from the 24th of June 1948? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to go through a model answer.

Okay, well done for your hard work on answering that question.

You were asked why did Stalin blockade Berlin from the 24th of June 1948? And your answer may include the following.

Stalin wanted to make it impossible for the Western allies to send supplies to the zones they controlled in Berlin.

Stalin hoped that by doing this, he could force the Western allies to abandon Berlin so that the USSR could take control of the city.

Very well done if you managed to cover those points in your answer.

Let's do another quick check.

This time, I want you to discuss the question with a partner.

Why was Truman so determined to stand up to Stalin and ensure that the West did not lose control of Berlin? Pause the video now, talk to your partner, and press play when you're ready to go through a model response.

Okay, welcome back.

I hope that was a useful conversation.

You were asked to discuss why Truman was so determined to stand up to Stalin and ensure that the West did not lose control of Berlin.

And in your conversation, you could have said the following.

Truman had made a commitment to prevent the spread of communism.

Truman believed that if Stalin was allowed to take control of Berlin, he would then attempt to take control of the Western-controlled zones in the rest of Germany.

Well done if you covered those points in your discussion.

Operation Vittles, better known as the Berlin Airlift, began on the 26th of June, 1948.

For almost a year, Western aircraft flew day and night to keep West Berlin supplied.

By September, 4,600 tonnes of supplies were being delivered every day.

However, this did not prevent shortages in West Berlin.

Stalin attempted to take advantage of this and tried to persuade people to move to East Berlin, but only 3% of the population did so.

The USSR also attempted to disrupt the airlift by flying planes across the supply routes.

As the blockade continued, tensions rose.

As a warning, Truman placed B-29 bombers, capable of carrying atomic bombs, in range of the USSR.

Eventually, on the 12th of May, 1949, Stalin gave in and ended the Berlin Blockade.

Stalin's attempts to force the Western allies out of Berlin had backfired, and the Western allies had won a significant propaganda victory.

Let's do a check of your understanding now.

By September 1948, approximately how many tonnes of supplies were being flown into West Berlin per day? Was it A, 46 tonnes; B, 460 tonnes; or C, 4,600 tonnes? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, very well done if you said that it was C, 4,600 tonnes of supplies were being flown into West Berlin every day by September 1948.

Let's do another quick check.

The Berlin Blockade was a failure for the USSR.

Is this statement true or false? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, very well done if you said that that was true, but as ever, we need to be able to justify our response.

So on the screen now are two justifications.

A says, the blockade was a failure because the Western allies took control of the Soviet-controlled zone in Berlin.

And justification B says, the blockade was a failure because Stalin did not achieve his aim of forcing the Western allies to abandon Berlin.

Which of these justifications is correct? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, very well done if you said it was justification B, the Berlin Blockade was a failure for the USSR and for Stalin because Stalin did not achieve his aim of forcing the Western allies to abandon Berlin.

Well done if you got that correct.

We're gonna do one final check for understanding before moving on to the second practise task of today's lesson.

The key events of the Berlin crisis are on the screen, but they are in the incorrect order.

I want you to rearrange them so that they are in the correct chronological order.

Pause the video, have a go at the task, and then press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, good effort.

You were asked to place the key events of the Berlin crisis in the correct chronological order, and the right answer is as follows.

The USSR left the Allied Control Commission.

The Western allies joined together to form Trizonia.

The Western allies introduced the Deutsche Mark in Trizonia.

Stalin began the Berlin Blockade.

The Western allies supplied their zones in Berlin through the Berlin Airlift.

And then finally, Stalin was forced to end the Berlin Blockade.

Well done if you got those events in the correct order.

We are now ready to move to the second practise task of today's lesson.

I want you to write an account that analyses the main events of the Berlin crisis between 1948 and 1949.

You should aim to write about three key events and may wish to write about the following: the creation of Trizonia and the introduction of the Deutsche Mark, the Berlin Blockade, and the Berlin Airlift.

Pause the video now, have a go at this question, and press play when you're ready to go through a model answer.

Okay, well done for your hard work on that second practise task.

You were asked to write an account analysing the main events of the Berlin crisis between 1948 and 1949.

For your first paragraph, you could have written something like this.

From the moment Berlin was divided, the USSR clashed with the USA, Britain, and France over administration of the capital.

Tensions continued to rise until the USSR decided to stop cooperating and left the Allied Control Commission in March 1948.

Shortly after this, France joined its zone with the British and American zones to create Trizonia.

The Western allies then introduced a new currency, the Deutsche Mark.

These events angered Stalin, who believed that the Western allies were ganging up against the USSR.

Well done if your first paragraph looks similar to that one.

For your second paragraph, you could have written: as a result, Stalin established the Berlin Blockade in June 1948.

He closed all land routes into West Berlin as he knew that it would be difficult for the Western allies to supply their zones.

By blockading West Berlin, Stalin hoped that he could force the Western allies to abandon the city, which would allow the USSR to take full control of the German capital.

However, Truman had vowed to contain the spread of communism in a 1947 speech that came to be known as the Truman Doctrine.

Finally, for your third paragraph, you could have written something like this.

Subsequently, the USA was determined to stand up to the Soviets, and they began the Berlin Airlift, which lasted from June 1948 to May 1949.

During this period, the Western allies kept West Berlin supplied by air.

Despite Soviet attempts to interfere, Western aircraft flew day and night carrying food and other supplies to the blockaded city.

By September 1948, 4,600 tonnes of supplies were being delivered each day.

Although West Berlin suffered shortages, the airlift was successful, and in May 1949, Stalin was forced to end the blockade, resulting in a propaganda victory for the Western allies.

Very well done for all of your hard work on that task, and well done if your answer was similar to the model answer that we've just gone through.

We are now ready to move on to the third and final part of today's lesson, where we're going to be analysing the consequences of the Berlin crisis.

The timeline on the screen provides an overview of some of the main consequences of the crisis.

Have a look at it now, and you can return to it later in the lesson if you need to.

On the 23rd of May 1949, within a few days of the Berlin crisis ending, the Western allies announced that the zones they occupied, including West Berlin, would join together to form a democratic country called the Federal Republic of Germany, FRG.

This new country later became known as West Germany.

The three Western-controlled zones of Berlin were known as West Berlin and continued to be part of West Germany.

On the 15th of September 1949, Konrad Adenauer became the first democratically elected president of West Germany.

The USSR responded rapidly, and in October 1949, the Soviet zone became the German Democratic Republic, which later became known as East Germany.

The GDR was only recognised as a country by communist countries, and the Federal Republic of Germany only officially recognised that Germany had been split into two during the 1970s.

Let's do a quick check of your understanding.

The paragraph on the screen is incorrect.

I want you to identify and correct the mistakes.

Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the corrected paragraph.

Okay, well done for your hard work.

The corrected paragraph should read as follows.

In May 1949, the Western allies established the Federal Republic of Germany.

It became known as West Germany.

In response, the USSR established the German Democratic Republic, or GDR, in October 1949.

It became known as East Germany.

Well done if you got that correct.

The Berlin crisis of 1948 significantly increased tensions between the USA and the USSR.

Combined with the Soviet-backed communist takeover of Czechoslovakia in the same year, the Berlin crisis persuaded countries in the West that they needed to create a formal military alliance to protect themselves from Soviet aggression.

As a result, in April 1949, the USA, Britain, and France joined 12 other Western nations to create the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, or NATO.

NATO's aim was to prevent the USSR's expansion, and the charter signed by its members was based on the idea of collective security, stating that an attack on one member would be viewed as an attack on all members.

Although Truman had made a clear commitment to contain communism in 1947 as part of the Truman Doctrine, and had supported this by taking decisive action in response to the Berlin Blockade, the creation of a formal military alliance through NATO was a major step in escalating Cold War tensions.

Let's check your understanding.

What does NATO stand for? Is it A, North American Treaty Organisation; B, North Atlantic Trade Organisation; or C, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation? Pause the video now, and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said it was C, NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Let's do another quick check of your understanding, but this time I want you to discuss the question with a partner.

Why was NATO established in April 1949? Pause the video now, talk to your partner, and press play when you're ready to go through a model response.

Okay, Welcome back.

I hope those conversations were useful.

You were asked to discuss with your partner why was NATO established in April 1949.

And in your conversation, you could have said the following.

NATO was established in response to perceived Soviet aggression.

The aim of NATO was to prevent further expansion by the USSR through collective security, which meant that members would defend one another if they were attacked.

Well done if you covered those points in your conversation.

We're now ready for the third and final practise task of today's lesson, and I want you to explain two consequences of the Berlin crisis of 1948.

You should identify two consequences and write one paragraph per consequence to explain each one.

Pause the video now, attempt the question, and press play when you're ready to see a model answer.

Okay, very well done for your hard work on that final practise task.

You were asked to explain the consequences of the Berlin crisis of 1948 in two paragraphs, and for your first paragraph, you could have written something like this.

One consequence of the 1948 Berlin crisis was the division of Germany into two new states.

A few days after the crisis ended, the USA, Britain, and France established the democratic Federal Republic of Germany, known as West Germany.

The USSR responded by establishing the German Democratic Republic, or GDR, which became known as East Germany.

The GDR was a communist country controlled by the USSR, and it was only recognised as a country by other communist countries.

Well done if you've written a paragraph that looks something like this one.

For your second paragraph, you could have written: another consequence of the 1948 Berlin crisis was the establishment of NATO in April 1949.

After the crisis, the countries of Western Europe were fearful of further Soviet expansion.

As a result, the USA joined with Britain, France, and 12 other countries to create a military alliance known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, or NATO.

The members of NATO agreed to protect one another if they were attacked by another country.

The creation of NATO escalated Cold War tensions significantly.

Very well done for all of your hard work on that final practise task, and well done if you've written two paragraphs similar to the ones that we've just gone through.

We're at the end of our lesson now, so it's a good opportunity to pause and just recap our key learning points.

The USSR clashed with the Western allies, the USA, Britain, and France, over the administration of a divided Berlin.

Stalin tried to force the Western allies to abandon Berlin by blockading the city in an event known as the Berlin Blockade.

The Western allies responded with the Berlin Airlift, which took place between June 1948 and May 1949, in which they successfully supplied West Berlin by air until Stalin was forced to end the blockade.

After the Berlin crisis ended, Berlin remained divided, and Germany was divided into West Germany and East Germany.

NATO was formed in April 1949 to prevent further Soviet expansion.

Well done for all of your efforts in today's lesson.

It's been a pleasure to teach you, and I hope to teach you again in the near future.