Why did the wartime alliance break down into the Cold War, and what did the Berlin Blockade reveal?
Origins of the Cold War and the Berlin Blockade: the breakdown of the wartime alliance, the division of Germany, the Berlin Blockade and Airlift of 1948 to 1949, and the formation of NATO.
A focused CCEA GCSE History guide to the origins of the Cold War. Covers the breakdown of the wartime alliance, ideological and security differences, the division of Germany and Berlin, the Berlin Blockade and Airlift of 1948 to 1949, and the formation of NATO.
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What this dot point is asking
You need to explain why the wartime alliance between the USSR and the West broke down into the Cold War, how Germany and Berlin were divided, and what the Berlin Blockade and Airlift of 1948 to 1949 revealed. This is part of the Unit 2 outline study, so it also carries the interpretations (AO4) work on who started the Cold War. CCEA examiners reward an understanding of the ideological and security causes and a judgement on the trigger and underlying cause of the blockade.
The breakdown of the wartime alliance
The alliance broke down for several connected reasons.
- Ideology. The capitalist, democratic West and the communist USSR held opposed beliefs and each feared the other's system.
- Security. The USSR, invaded twice in the twentieth century, wanted a buffer of friendly states in Eastern Europe; the West saw this as Soviet expansion.
- Trust. Disagreements at the wartime conferences and over the future of Eastern Europe and Germany destroyed what trust remained.
The division of Germany
After the war, Germany was divided into four occupation zones (American, British, French and Soviet), and its capital, Berlin, deep inside the Soviet zone, was likewise split into four sectors. The West wanted to rebuild Germany as a strong, prosperous democracy, while the USSR wanted to keep it weak. This clash made Germany the front line of the Cold War.
The Berlin Blockade and Airlift
The crisis hardened the division of Europe. In 1949 the West formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), a military alliance for collective defence, and Germany was formally split into the West German Federal Republic and the East German Democratic Republic.
Examples in context
Model causation paragraph. "The Berlin Blockade was triggered by the Western currency reform but caused by the deeper breakdown of trust over Germany. The West and the USSR could not agree on Germany's future: the West wanted to rebuild it as a strong democracy, while Stalin wanted it kept weak. When the West introduced the Deutschmark in 1948 as a step towards a West German state, Stalin saw a threat and used West Berlin's vulnerable position deep inside the Soviet zone to close the routes in. The trigger was the currency reform, but the underlying cause was the clash over Germany and the collapse of trust between East and West." This scores highly because it ranks the trigger against the underlying cause with precise evidence.
Try this
Q1. Name two reasons the wartime alliance broke down. [2 marks]
- Cue. Any two: opposed ideologies, Soviet security concerns seen by the West as expansion, and the collapse of trust over Eastern Europe and Germany.
Q2. What was the Berlin Airlift? [2 marks]
- Cue. The Western response to the Blockade, supplying West Berlin entirely by air with food and fuel for almost a year.
Q3. What military alliance did the West form in 1949? [2 marks]
- Cue. NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, a military alliance for collective defence.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of CCEA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
CCEA Unit 2 (style)9 marksExplain why the Berlin Blockade happened in 1948.Show worked answer →
A causation question testing AO1 and AO2. Give developed, linked reasons and rank them.
Disagreement over Germany: the West wanted a strong, rebuilt Germany; the USSR feared a revived Germany and wanted it kept weak.
Currency reform: the West introduced a new currency, the Deutschmark, in their zones in 1948, which Stalin saw as a threat.
Berlin's position: West Berlin lay deep inside the Soviet zone, giving Stalin the chance to squeeze it.
Rank: argue the trigger was the currency reform, but the deeper cause was the breakdown of trust between East and West over Germany's future. A ranked judgement reaches the top band.
CCEA Unit 2 (style)10 marksWhy do historians differ over who started the Cold War?Show worked answer →
An interpretations question testing AO4. Explain why interpretations differ and judge.
Why they differ: historians use different evidence, write at different times and start from different assumptions. Some blame Soviet expansion, others Western fear and American policy.
Use the extracts: identify what each interpretation argues and stresses.
Judge: argue which view is more convincing and why, using your own knowledge of the breakdown of the alliance and events like the Berlin Blockade. A judgement that explains and weighs, rather than describes, reaches the top band.
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Sources & how we know this
- CCEA GCSE History specification — CCEA (2017)