The Berlin Blockade, one of the first major international crises of the Cold War, arose in 1948 when the Soviet Union cut all land access to West Berlin for the Allies. Stalin, the Soviet leader, believed that this would force the Allies out of Berlin and make Berlin entirely dependent on the Soviet Union. The only way into Berlin was by air. Therefore, in June 1948 the United States and its allies decided to airlift supplies. For the next ten months, West Berlin was supplied by a constant stream of airplanes (three per minute) bringing in everything from food and clothing to oil and building materials. By May 1949, however, it was clear that the blockade of Berlin would not make the United States and its allies give up Berlin, so Stalin reopened communications.
