During the Cold War West Berlin was one of the most contentious and dangerous places on the globe. After giving pre-war Germany’s eastern sections to Poland and the Soviet Union, the allies carved up the remainder into four zones. Specifically, both Germany and Austria were divided in four occupation zones. The Soviets controlled the eastern sector, while the Allies controlled the west. In Germany, the British zone was in the north, the American in the south, and the French along their border. The capitals of both countries were similarly divided into four zones.
Both occupations were contentious and created crises for years after the war’s end. In exchange for a pledge of perpetual neutrality, the four powers relinquished their control of Austria in 1955. Unfortunately for Germany, it’s dominant position in Europe (both physically and eventually economically) prevented a simple solution.
First Crisis 1948
One of the most pressing issues was the resolution of Berlin. Lying 100 miles inside the Soviet zone, the western occupation of the city created an untenable position for the Soviets. In response to the introduction of the Deutsche Mark in June of 1948, the Soviets attempted to force the issue with a blockade of road, rail, and canal access to West Berlin. To defeat the blockade, the Allies turned to air power. From a meager 90 tons on the first day, the Berlin Airlift grew. Improving efficiency by stacking planes in the pattern, the Allies were able to land and take-off every 3 minutes. While it was a tough Winter, by April the airlift delivered more than 200,000 tons of supplies. May the Soviets agreed to lift their blockade.
The creation of separate Western (Federal Republic of Germany) and Eastern (German Democratic Republic) nations in 1949 raised the stakes even further. During the 1950s West Germany not only regained its full independence it also joined NATO, rearmed, and through a series of treaties reintegrated its economy with the rest of Europe. During the first half of the decade, hundreds of thousands of East Germans emigrated to West Germany each year. In 1956, East Germany halted almost all travel to the west. At the end of 1957, they introduced a new passport law and drastically cut the number of emigres.
Second Berlin Crisis 1961
Once again the ‘problem’ of Berlin and its western sector reared up. By 1961 nearly 3.5 million East Germans had left the country. Recognizing that the drain was unsustainable, the East Germans built a wall (officially the “anti-fascist protective rampart”) around West Berlin. On the morning of 13 August East Germany closed the border between East and West Berlin. Despite some lofty rhetoric the Allies took little concrete action. Privately, western leaders believed that by curtailing the drain of citizens the wall actually lowered the chances for war over Germany. The wall remained standing and the city divided until November 1989.
All right, interesting, but what’s this got to do with a blog focused on maps? In 1988, the East Germans created a rather unique map of the divided city. While the blank area of West Berlin might seem trite or ineffective, it is accurate in at least one respect. Since virtually all East Germans were prohibited entry into West Berlin, in an odd way the map is quite accurate from their perspective. (Map is Courtesy of Brilliantmaps)
As always thanks for reading.
Armen
Note to pay the bills: While the Warders series lacks a divided city, it does feature plenty of intrigue and action. If you’re interested in a James Bond-like thriller in a fantasy setting, then, check out a summary of the series here or find links to purchase books here.