Final answer:
The Soviet Union implemented the Berlin Blockade in 1948 to force Western Allies out of Berlin by cutting off ground routes for supplies. The Allies responded with the Berlin Airlift, supplying the city by air for nearly a year until the Soviets lifted the blockade. This event was a key moment in the Cold War, leading to the establishment of West and East Germany.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Soviet Union made several attempts to push the U.S., French, and British forces out of Berlin. In a strategy primarily intended to starve the Western Allies out, the Soviet Union initiated the Berlin Blockade in June 1948 by cutting off all ground routes into West Berlin, thereby preventing food, fuel, and other vital supplies from reaching the city via road, railroad, or canal. The West responded with the Berlin Airlift, a massive effort to fly in all necessary supplies to sustain the city. Unwilling to witness the fall of West Berlin, the United States, Great Britain, and France demonstrated their ingenuity and resolve by carrying out the airlift operation. For nearly a year, planes took off from Berlin's Tempelhof Airport every 45 seconds, showing the world the Western Allies' commitment and capability to support the beleaguered city. Eventually, the Soviet Union recognized that they could not overcome the determination and resourcefulness of the Western Allies, leading them to end the blockade in May 1949. In the aftermath, the Western Allies unified their occupation zones into the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), while the Soviets eventually established the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), highlighting the division between East and West during the Cold War.