Answer:
It was crucial for the U.S. and Britain to succeed with the Berlin Airlift for two reasons: First, the people living in West Berlin relied on this aid; due to the Soviet blockade, they were receiving no food or other supplies, so people’s lives were at risk. Second, the rest of the world was watching to see how strong each side was in this East-West conflict. If the airlift had failed, countries around the world would not have trusted the aid or support of the U.S. and Britain.
If West Berlin had been allowed to fall under Soviet control, the Soviets would have had an easier time pushing back against the influence of Britain, France, the U.S., and, eventually, the new West Germany. The article mentions that Berlin remained a place where ideas, people, and even threats were exchanged all the way until the early 1990s. If its fate had been decided in 1948, there is no telling the effects on the rest of Europe in the East-West conflict.
Step-by-step explanation: