Includes bibliographical references (pages 317-357) and index.
Contents:
The road to Berlin -- Flag on the Reichstag -- Red Berlin -- Loot -- Arrival of the allies -- Life on the edge -- Dividing the spoils -- Let battle commence -- Enter the overlords -- The Iron Curtain -- Ministry of lies -- Crime and punishment -- Playing dirty -- Shifting sands -- Breaking point -- The perfect siege -- Flying high -- The sky's the limit -- Checkmate -- Fruits of victory.
Summary:
Berlin's fate was sealed at the 1945 Yalta conference: the city, along with the rest of Germany, was to be carved up among the victorious powers the United States, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. On paper, it seemed a pragmatic solution. In reality, once the four powers were no longer united by the common purpose of defeating Germany, they wasted little time reverting to their prewar hostility towardand suspicion ofone another. The veneer of civility between the Western allies and the Soviets was to break down in spectacular fashion in Berlin. Rival systems, rival ideologies, and rival personalities ensured that the German capital became an explosive battleground.
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