{"product_id":"berlin-on-the-brink-the-blockade-the-airlift-and-the-early-cold-war-9780813136134","title":"Berlin on the Brink: The Blockade  the Airlift  and the Early Cold War","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Berlin blockade brought former allies to the brink of war. Britain  France  the United States and the Soviet Union defeated and began their occupation of Germany in 1945  and within a few years  the Soviets and their Western partners were jockeying for control of their former foe. Attempting to thwart the Allied powers plans to create a unified West German government  the Soviets blocked rail and road access to the western sectors of Berlin in June 1948. With no other means of delivering food and supplies to the German people under their protection  the Allies organized the Berlin airlift.  In Berlin on the Brink: The Blockade  the Airlift  and the Cold War  Daniel F. Harrington examines the \"Berlin question\" from its origin in wartime plans for the occupation of Germany through the Paris Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in 1949. Harrington draws on previously untapped archival sources to challenge standard accounts of the postwar division of Germany  the origins of the blockade  the original purpose of the airlift  and the leadership of President Harry S. Truman. While thoroughly examining four-power diplomacy  Harringtondemonstrates how the ingenuity and hard work of the people at the bottompilots  mechanics  and Berlinerswere more vital to the airlifts success than decisions from the top. Harrington also explores the effects of the crisis on the 1948 presidential election and on debates about the custody and use of atomic weapons. Berlin on the Brink is a fresh  comprehensive analysis that reshapes our understanding of a critical event of cold war history.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45953266188341,"sku":"ByrdShop_081313613X","price":23.88,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780813136134.jpg?v=1788183514","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/berlin-on-the-brink-the-blockade-the-airlift-and-the-early-cold-war-9780813136134","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}