The heroism of the Berlin Airlift provided future Allies with some solace, but privation remained a grave threat to freedom and stability. Then, in reaction to the democratic consolidation of West Germany, the Soviets blockaded Allied-controlled West Berlin in a bid to consolidate their hold on the German capital. In February 1948, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, with covert backing from the Soviet Union, overthrew the democratically elected government in that country. In addition, Communists aided by the Soviet Union were threatening elected governments across Europe. In the German city of Hamburg alone, half a million people were homeless. Millions of orphans wandered the burnt-out shells of former metropolises.
In some areas, infant mortality rates were one in four. Refugee camps and rationing dominated daily life. Approximately 36.5 million Europeans had died in the conflict, 19 million of them civilians. The aftermath of World War II saw much of Europe devastated in a way that is now difficult to envision.
In fact, the Alliance’s creation was part of a broader effort to serve three purposes: deterring Soviet expansionism, forbidding the revival of nationalist militarism in Europe through a strong North American presence on the continent, and encouraging European political integration. It is often said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was founded in response to the threat posed by the Soviet Union.
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