The Berlin Blockade was an attempt in 1948 by the Soviet Union to limit the ability of the United States, Great Britain and France to travel to their respective sectors of the city of Berlin,...

Berlin blockade, international crisis that arose from an attempt by the Soviet Union, in 1948–49, to force the Western Allied powers (the United States, the United Kingdom, and France) to abandon their post-World War II jurisdictions in West Berlin.

The Berlin Blockade (June 24, 1948 – May 12, 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies’ railway, road, and canal access to the sectors of Berlin under Western control.

On June 24th, Soviet forces implemented a full-scale blockade of Allied zones in West Berlin. The Russians closed the land corridors, halting Allied road and rail shipments and sending them back to their points of origin.

Berlin blockade, international crisis that arose from an attempt by the Soviet Union, in 1948–49, to force the Western Allied powers (the United States, the United Kingdom, and France) to abandon their post-World War II jurisdictions in West Berlin.

Learn how the Soviet Union imposed the Berlin Blockade to isolate West Berlin from West Germany and the Western Allies, and how they responded with a massive airlift. See maps, photos and illustrations of the Cold War crisis that exposed the ideological divide between East and West.

Learn how the Soviet blockade of West Berlin in 1948-1949 sparked the first major crisis of the Cold War and led to the US policy of containment. Explore the sources, facts and legacy of the Berlin Airlift that saved the city and shaped the course of history.

Learn how the Soviet blockade of West Berlin in 1948 sparked the largest air relief operation in history, and how it shaped the Cold War and Germany's future.

Overview of the Soviet Union's blockade of West Berlin, with a detailed discussion of the deutsche mark's role in the event.