Berlin Airlift DBQ

“In the circumstances it is clear that the main element of any United States policy toward the Soviet Union must be that of a long-term, patient but vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies.” This telegram was secretly sent to US State Department officials on February 22, 1946. It was written by George Kennan, an American Foreign Service officer who was stationed in Moscow, at the time. He is saying that the US needs to stop the Russians, who are going to try to expand their territory. The United States believed in the policy of containment and the Russians thought communism was the best way to live. Containment is the action or policy of preventing the expansion of a hostile country or influence. The United States showed its policy of containment during the Berlin Airlift, Korean War, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. One event where the US method of containment is apparent, is the Berlin Airlift. In Document B, it quotes, “On June 27, 1948, Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union decided to blockade any shipments (including food) coming into West Berlin. West Berlin was completely surrounded by communism…” This is talking about how the
Soviets blocked all shipments from coming through to Western Berlin, in hopes to get the US to give it up. America and its allies supported their half of the country by flying in airplanes that delivered the goods. By doing this, it meant they got to keep West Berlin. Not giving West Berlin to the Soviets, means that communism could not be spread throughout that country, which shows the United States policy of containment. Another incident that showed the United State’s guideline of containment, was the Korean War.
In Document C, it comments on the map mentioning, “The war drags on for several years, finally ending in 1953 very close to the original 1950 borders.” This war was a battle between Soviet Union-supported, North Korea and US-supported, South Korea. North Korea was a communist region and South Korea believed in the rules of containment. After many years of fighting, there was barely any change to the placement of the border between them.The US worded very hard, constantly supplying South Korea with supplies, food, and weapons so they did not have to lose their land. The fact that the United States aided South Korea, so they did not have to lose any land, where North Korea could have spread communism, shows their policy of
containment. A situation that helps display the United State’s beliefs of containment, was the Cuban Missile Crisis. In Document D, it states, “Soviets begin to remove missiles, crisis is avoided. In a quiet agreement with Soviets, US removes missiles from Turkey.” This quote speaks of the Missile Crisis where the Soviets secretly began shipping in missiles into Cuba. When the US discovered the missiles, they chose to make an agreement with the Soviets. The agreement was if the Soviets removed the missiles from Cuba, they would take missiles out of Turkey. The Soviets agreed to this compliance and did what the US had asked. The missiles in Cuba, could have been used to attack a country where they would have taken over, to potentially spread communism. The facts that the United States worked so hard to make the agreement shows how badly they believed in the policy of containment. The United States thought the usage of containment was the best policy and showed how much they believed in it through their actions in the Berlin Airlift, Korean War, and Cuban Missile Crisis. Although some may claim that during the Cuban Missile Crisis, it would have been more effective for the US to attack Cuba, it would have resulted in many deaths and they would have lost a multitude of their weapons. This issue is important today because countries still have different ideas of what policy should be used. The United States still believes in the policy of containment and Russia continues to think communism is the best way to think. The United States do not feel the need to take action against countries that believe differently, but they did in 1946 and beyond.