Hitler over Berlin - Occupation, Blockade, Division 1946-1949 (4/5)
All episodes of the "Hitler on Berlin" series can be found here: https://bit.ly/Hitler_ueber_Berlin
The conflicting interests of the victorious powers regarding the postwar order led to the failure of the joint administration of the city. Berlin became a focal point of the Cold War:
On October 20, 1946, Berlin's first city council after the war was elected. This was followed by the harsh winter of hunger and cold in 1946/47.
The blockade of the western sectors by the Soviet Union, triggered in part by disputes over currency reform, began in June 1948. The Western Allies responded with the Berlin Airlift. The blockade of Berlin also brought an end to the joint administration of the city. On September 9, 1948, Ernst Reuter appealed to the "peoples of the world" in his speech before the ruins of the Reichstag. On May 12, 1949, the Soviet Union lifted the blockade of the western sectors of Berlin.
On May 23, 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany was founded in the Western zones of Germany. Berlin retained its special Allied status. With the founding of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the Eastern zone on October 7, 1949, East Berlin became the "capital of the GDR."
Subsequently, both halves of the city were integrated into the respective social systems of their ruling powers.
This documentary depicts the political and everyday life of Berliners:
Life amidst the ruins, events, church, sports, theater, cinema, fashion, swap meets, Wannsee lido, etc.
A compilation of the documentaries "Berlin under the Allies" (1987), "Newsreels" (West) (1946-1949), and material from the CHRONOS-MEDIA film and sound archive.
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