(official) What extent, East-West relations affected over Berlin 1948-1989?

(official) What extent, East-West relations affected over Berlin 1948-1989?

1. Over Berlin

   • Berlin Blockade
     • USSR claimed the wet had broken Potsdam agreement, treating Germany as a single economic unit
     • Soured relations, USSR used force to block off Wests access to their half of city
       • Incidents such as a USSR fighter colliding with a British transport plane worsened relations
   • Berlin Wall+crisis
     • Broke four power accord, allowed free travel between all zones
       • Allies did not like this, heightened tensions
     • Sign of aggression by the USSR
       • Physical sign of political failure by the GDR
     • Brandt criticised the Berlin Wall and the east for building it, this did not help the relations as the countries were talking negatively of each other
   • Ostpolitik
     • Positively improved relations between both states
       • Moscow Treaty 1970, gave GDR international recognition, GDR joined UN
         • 1984, recognised by 132 states, joined UN
       • Warsaw Treaty 1970, financial aid given to eastern bloc country
       • Four power agreement 1971, improved travel rights for west Berliners
       • Basic Treaty 1973, FRG recognised the GDR, visa introduced to allow west Berliners to travel to East Berlin 1 day
       • Made GDR thankful for loans, allowed GDR to grow a little, cheaper exports for GDR
         • Relations better, GDR could gain access to materials they previosuly could not, became an unofficial extra member of EEC
       • GDR were reliant on loan, 38.5 billion in debt to FRG, they were thankful after the USSR had pulled support
     • Ostpolitik
       • Drove states apart at international level
         • propped up the GDR for longer, keeping the division existing between them
           • Broke the Basic laws commitment to unification

2. Other

   • Currency reform 1948
     • USSR claimed the west had broken potsdam agreement, the reform united the currency of the three allied zones which meant the western zones could be treated as single economic unit
       • Caused severe disagreement with the USSR and the west, led to the Berlin Blockade and airlift, blocked travel to and from Berlin for westerners
   • Ideological differences
     • Marshall Aid
       • USSR thought west was trying to build up western Europe as a defence against communism
         • Negative relations with the west, they thought they were attackingt communism
           • Officially to help the economic recovery of Europe
     • Hallstein Doctrine, made relations worse, isolated GDR
       • Hallstein Doctrine, isolated the GDR and made them loose faith in the west, they began looking Eastward. Damaged relations with the west
       • Stopped countries from having diplomatic relations with GDR, as they would have theirs with the FRG removed
         • Left the GDR isolated, relatiosn worsened as GDR looked Eastwards for support
           • Drew both states further apart
     • Incompatable ideologies, communism vs capitalism, they were unlikely to have many agreements over things
     • NATO, the wests relationship with the east dissapeared as they looked for western integration, NATO meant the Warsaw Pact was created as a reaction to the west, damaged relations as they looked towards the eastern bloc for support that the west was not giving them
   • London conference
     • Excluded from the conference, it was to discuss German affairs
   • NATO/ Warsaw Pact
     • Bolstering defence against communism in West
       • Fears in East, FRG may be used to attack East Germany
       • GDR accepted into Warsaw Pact 1955, gave them a new sense of security as they had the mutual support of Eastern bloc countries
         • Look eastwards for support, not westwards, they lost faith in the West when FRG joined NATO