Cold War I: Berlin Crisis - Part 2: Post-Viewing Activities

CHAPTERS

Part 1: Pre-Viewing | Post-Viewing
Part 2: Pre-Viewing | Post-Viewing

Introduction

OTHER EPISODES

Part 2: Post-Viewing

BERLIN CRISIS JOURNAL
Tell students that they will be writing journal entries for different dates during the Berlin Crisis from one of the following points of view: as an American or British airman, a young German child in Berlin, an adult woman in Berlin, an American or British citizen at home, a Russian occupation soldier, or Stalin. Use the timeline to refresh the students' memories about the events occurring on each of the dates before viewing the video. After viewing, allow students to write entries for the following dates: May 7, 1945, July 26, 1945, June 24, 1948, Dec. 20, 1948, and May 12, 1949. Have them read their entries aloud and compare how the same events were experienced in different ways by different individuals.

STATISTICS AND THE BERLIN AIRLIFT
There are many misconceptions about the Berlin Airlift that can be clarified by developing pie or bar charts to visually portray statistics. Divide the class into groups to prepare visual charts to answer the following common questions about the Berlin Airlift. Use the data provided below as well as other resources to prepare the charts.

Chart l: What percentage of flights did each western country fly during the Berlin Crisis?
Chart 2: In general, what percentages of food, fuel, people, or other cargo were airlifted?
Chart 3: What percentage of flights carrying people or cargo went into and out of Berlin?
Chart 4: What percentage of the costs of the Berlin Airlift did the U.S. and Great Britain pay?
Chart 5: What kinds of harassment incidents by the Soviet Union occurred during the Berlin Crisis?

	# of Flights	Cargo (short tons)*				Passengers
		Food	Coal	Other	Total	In	Out
USA	189,963	296,319	1,421,119	66,135	1,783,573	25,263	37,486
Britain	87,841	240,386	164,911	136,640	541,937	34,815	130,091
France	424	unknown	unknown	unknown	896	unknown	10,000

Total	278,228				2,326,406

* One short ton = 2,000 pounds or 907.18 kilograms

The total airlift mileage amounted to 124,420,813 miles, which is equivalent to 4,000 times around the world, or 133 round trips to the moon.
Toward the end of the Berlin Airlift, for every 260 tons of raw material flown into Berlin daily, 100 tons of manufactured goods were flown out of Berlin.

Harassment by Soviet Union, as reported by U.S.: (Source: Bridge Across the Sky, Richard Collier, 1978.)

103 searchlights
96 close flying
82 radio interference
77 buzzing
59 flares
55 ground fire
54 flak and chemical laying
42 air-to-ground fire
39 ground explosions
36 bombing
14 air-to-air fire
11 balloons
7 unidentified objects
4 rockets
TOTAL: 733 incidents of harassment

Airlift Costs:

Approximately $500,000 per day (U.S.)
$50,000-$100,000 per day (Great Britain)

GUEST SPEAKERS
Personal interaction with people who have experience or special knowledge about the Soviet Union, post-World War II Germany, or the Cold War is a wonderful way to add a personal dimension, and thereby a greater impact, to the unit of study. Presentations or talks on particular aspects of East German or Cold War life, culture, or issues are very informative. But the most effective use of a guest speaker is to allow students to interact with that person. This can be organized either through questions (which students should prepare in advance) or it can be done through an organized debate about specific events or issues - also prepared in advance. An interesting topic for this debate might be "Could the Berlin Crisis have been prevented?"

ROLE OF THE MEDIA IN HISTORY
Ask students to select a particular event in the history of the Berlin Crisis and review the historical footage as presented in the video. Then ask students to seek out information from other media sources (different newspapers, magazine articles, declassified CIA documents, autobiographies, letters, etc.). Compare and characterize the points of view from each of these media sources. Propose reasons for these differences in perspectives.

CHILDREN IN CRISIS
Examine the instances in the video which show how children were uniquely affected during the Berlin Crisis. Discuss how you think the "Candy Bomber" and "Operation Santa Claus" affected children in Berlin. What similar examples of humanitarian actions affecting children have occurred during wartime or other times of conflict?

SPIES IN THE BERLIN CRISIS
Research the significance of the role spies played during the Berlin Crisis. Would you support the argument that Donald McLean's actions were harmful to the United States and the West? Or do you believe that, in the end, McLean's actions helped avert a nuclear war?

WARS: COLD OR HOT?
What seem to be the biggest differences between "conventional wars" (sometimes called "hot wars" which are fought with armed conflict and battles) and the Cold War? How are deaths that occurred during the Berlin Airlift different from deaths that occurred during World War II?

THE SECOND BERLIN CRISIS
In the 1960s, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev described Berlin as a "bone stuck in the throat" and as "a sort of cancerous tumor requiring a surgical operation." Ask students to report on the events that led to the construction of the Berlin Wall during the second "Berlin Crisis" of 1961 and the actions and individuals that led to the fall of the "Berlin Wall" in 1989.

WORLD WAR III DEBATE
Conclude the study of the Berlin Crisis by organizing the class into two halves to present different arguments in answer to the question: How close do you believe the world came to World War III during the Berlin Crisis? Extend the discussion by considering the related questions: How close to World War III are we now? How can we prevent World War III in the future?

CREATIVE CONCLUSION
The video program referred to the Berlin Crisis of 1948-49 as both "one of mankind's finest hours" and "the first step of the Cold War." Write a poem, paint, draw, sculpt, compose a song, or express in some other creative way your feelings about the lessons you have learned from studying the Berlin Crisis. Share these products with other students in your school or with members of your community.