Final answer:
The division of Berlin and Stalin's opposition to it were a result of the post-World War II power struggle between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies. Stalin ordered a blockade to assert Soviet control and force the Western nations to abandon their control of the city.
Step-by-step explanation:
The division of Berlin and Stalin's opposition to it was a result of the post-World War II power struggle between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies. In 1948, the US, British, and French sectors of Germany moved towards uniting as an independent nation, which alarmed Stalin.
He responded by ordering a blockade of all land and water routes to Berlin, cutting off supplies to the US sector of the city. Stalin's opposition to the division of Berlin was a tactic to assert Soviet control and force the Western nations to abandon their control.