The Berlin Blockade in 1948 was significant as it marked a pivotal confrontation in the early Cold War between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies. After World War II, tensions grew as the Soviet Union sought to consolidate control over East Germany, while Western powers aimed to support a democratic and economically viable West Berlin. In June 1948, the Soviets blocked all ground access to West Berlin, trying to force the Allies out. In response, the Allies initiated the Berlin Airlift, supplying the city with essential goods from June 1948 to May 1949, solidifying the division of East and West Germany and deepening the Cold War divide.