TheBerlinBlockade
(24june1948-12may1949)
1)Tuningin
Filltheblanks
fourzones/byair/supplylines/tricky/railwaysandcanals/Berlin/sovietzone/was
linked
Germanyin1948:whywasWest-Berlin’ssituationtricky?
AttheendofthewarGermanywasdividedinfourzones,soasBerlin.ButBerlinwasdeep
inthesovietzoneandwaslinkedtothewesternzonesofGermanybyvitalroads,railways
and canals. In june 1948, Stalin blocked all these supply lines, cutting off the two-million
strongpopulationofwestBerlinfromwesternhelp.TheonlywayintoBerlinwasbyair.
Timeline:(usingtheagreeing/disagreeingvocabulary)
Truman Doctrine/ Birth of the People’s Republic of China / Birth of NATO / End of the
BerlinBlockade/BeginningoftheBerlinBlockade/MarshallPlan
-march1947:TrumanDoctrine
-june1947:MarshallPlan
-june1948:BeginningoftheBerlinBlockade
-april1949:BirthofNATO
-june1949:EndoftheBerlinBlockade
-october1949:BirthofthePeople’sRepublicofChina
2)Findingout
On june 23 the Soviet authorities suspended all traffic into Berlin because of alleged
technical difficulties… They also stopped barge traffic on similar grounds. Shortly before
midnight,theSovietauthoritiesorderedto…disruptelectricpowerfromSovietpowerplants
totheWesternsectors.Shortageofcoalwasgivenasareasonforthismeasure.
U.S.Governmentreport,June1948.
WhathappenedonJune231948?
ThesovietauthoritiessuspendedalltrafficintoBerlin
WhyweretheamericansconcernedbyBerlin?
BerlinwasoccupiedbytheWesternAllies.
WhatreasonsdidtheSovietUniongiveforcuttingoffWestBerlin?
Ashortageofcoal.
Matchingexercise
Surrender/shortofwar/todrivefrom/americanforeignpolicy/unmistakable/toremainin
Déloger:todrivefrom
Politiqueétrangèreaméricaine:americanforeignpolicy
Reddition:Surrender
Indubitable:unmistakable
Saufencasdeguerre:shortofwar
Resterdans:toremainin
Telegram, dated June 25, 1948, by Alfred M. Bingham to President Harry S. Truman
(BinghamwaschairmanoftheAmericanAssociationforaDemocraticGermany.)
RUSSIANEFFORTSTODRIVEWESTERNPOWERSFROMBERLINAREACRUCIALCHALLENGE
TO AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY. SURRENDER WOULD DELIVER TO RUSSIAN VENGEANCE
TWO MILLION GERMANS WHO HAVE DEFIED COMMUNIST TOTALITARIANISM. THERE ARE
DISTURBING RUMORS OF PLANS TO EVACUATE BERLIN BECAUSE OF RUSSIAN BLOCKADE
AGAINSTGERMANCIVILIANSUPPLIES.ESSENTIALSUPPLIESFORTHEGERMANPOPULATION
CANBEDELIVEREDBYAIRANDIFNECESSARYMUSTBEATWHATEVERCOST.WEURGEYOU
TO MAKE THIS COUNTRY’S POSITION UNMISTAKABLE BY DECLARING THAT UNDER ALL
CIRCUMSTANCESSHORTOFWARWEWILLREMAININBERLINANDMAINTAINSUPPLIESFOR
THE CIVILIAN POPULATION. NOTHING LESS CAN ADEQUATELY REASSURE DEMOCRATIC
FORCESINGERMANYANDELSEWHERETHATTHISCOUNTRYWILLNOTDESERTTHEM.
-Highlightinpinkwhatisconnectedtotheissue
-HighlightinbluethesolutiontokeepWest-Berlinalive.
AccordingtoatelegramdatedJune25,1948fromthechairmanoftheAmericanAssociation
foraDemocraticGermany,AlfredM.Bingham,whatdoesthisblockademeanfortheUSA
andfortheGermanslivinginWestBerlin?
ItisaprovocationfortheUSA:ifnothinghappens,WestBerlinwillfalltotheSoviets.
Whatmeasureisrecommended?
ItisrecommendedtosupplythepopulationbyairatallcostsinordertokeepWestBerlin
onitsdemocraticpath.
3)Sortingout
Introduceandcommentadocument.
Using ‘Methodology 1’ and ‘Methodology 2’, introduce and comment the following
document.
Title:Berlincitizenswatchingtheairlift,1948-1949.
Source:WalterSanders/Time&LifePictures/Gettyimages
Introducethispicture
Thisdocumentisaprimarysource,aphotographshotinBerlinduringtheSovietblockade.It
raisestheproblemofEuropeafterWWII,acontinentunderinfluence.
Commentthepicture
Describethepicturebyusingthewordsabove.Usebe+ing
Ruins/ plane/ pupils/ to watch/ loaded with/ coal/ food/ goods/ Berlin airlift/ Russian
blockadeofBerlin/West-Berlin/Berlininhabitants/tosupply
4)Reflecting:
Motscroisés:Berlinairlift/coal/WestBerlin/Russians/Goods/
+airportgame
Matchingexercise
-Accordtotal:
Thatmakessense;Iagreewithyou;That’sexactlymyopinion;Absolutely.
Biensûr=
Jesuisd’accord=
C’estexactementmonopinion=
C’estlogique=
-Désaccordtotal:
Idisagree;Idon’tthinkso;Nonsense;Youarewrong
Tuastort=
N’importequoi=
Jenesuispasd’accord=
Jenepensepas=
-Accordpartiel:
Inacertainway;Itdependswhatyoumeanby;Yes,maybe,but
D’unecertainemanière=
Celadépenddecequevousentendezpar=
Oui,peutêtre,cependant=
-Désaccordpoli:
I’mnotsure;I’mafraidyouarequitewrong;I’mnotkeenonthisidea
J’aipeurquetunetetrompes=
Jenesuispassûr=
Cetteidéenemeplaîtpasbeaucoup=
Introduceandcommentadocument
On 15 September 1948, commenting on the airlift organised by the Western Allies to
bring supplies to West Berlin, British cartoonist Leslie Gilbert Illingworth takes an
ironic look at the new mission of the British pilots of the Royal Air Force, heroes of
the Battle of Britain, who, three years after the end of the Second World War, have to
fly to Berlin to transport food.
OralEOC1’photo:présenteretdécrire.Evaluéenclasse.
A-Vocabulaire:expressionspourréagirfaceàuninterlocuteur
Matchingexercise
-Accordtotal:
Thatmakessense;Iagreewithyou;That’sexactlymyopinion;Absolutely.
Biensûr=
Jesuisd’accord=
C’estexactementmonopinion=
C’estlogique=
-Désaccordtotal:
Idisagree;Idon’tthinkso;Nonsense;Youarewrong
Tuastort=
N’importequoi=
Jenesuispasd’accord=
Jenepensepas=
-Accordpartiel:
Inacertainway;Itdependswhatyoumeanby;Yes,maybe,but
D’unecertainemanière=
Celadépenddecequevousentendezpar=
Oui,peutêtre,cependant=
-Désaccordpoli:
I’mnotsure;I’mafraidyouarequitewrong;I’mnotkeenonthisidea
J’aipeurquetunetetrompes=
Jenesuispassûr=
Cetteidéenemeplaîtpasbeaucoup=
-Accordtotal:
Matchingexercise:
Thatmakessense;Iagreewithyou;That’sexactlymyopinion;Absolutely.
Biensûr=Absolutely.
Jesuisd’accord=Iagreewithyou
C’estexactementmonopinion=That’sexactlymyopinion
C’estlogique=Thatmakessense
-Désaccordtotal:
Idisagree;Idon’tthinkso;Nonsense;Youarewrong
Tuastort=Youarewrong
N’importequoi=Nonsense
Jenesuispasd’accord=Idisagree
Jenepensepas=Idon’tthinkso
-Accordpartiel:
Inacertainway;Itdependswhatyoumeanby;Yes,maybe,but
D’unecertainemanière=Inacertainway
Celadépenddecequevousentendezpar=Itdependswhatyoumeanby
Oui,peutêtre,cependant=Yes,maybe,but
-Désaccordpoli:
I’mnotsure;I’mafraidyouarequitewrong;I’mnotkeenonthisidea
J’aipeurquetunetetrompes=I’mafraidyouarequitewrong
Jenesuispassûr=I’mnotsure
Cetteidéenemeplaîtpasbeaucoup=I’mnotkeenonthisidea