“The Berlin Airlift” – Lessons and Emotions Essay

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The Berlin Airlift movie is an inspirational and educative film that talks about the events of the cold war. There are a number of lessons that I got while watching the account of Americans and Britons trying to submerge the pressure from Russia on Berlin. For instance, the movie evoked feelings in me that hard work and determination will always win. I cannot forget the fact that the city of Berlin was in dire need of food supplies, gas, electricity, coal, and others. How such happened was also another lesson from the movie. First, the events that resulted in the devastation of Berlin were selfish acts of their perpetrators. I could not hold back my empathy for the thousands of people that flooded the streets to wait for food aid. The Germans were living like slaves in their country just because of the selfish interests of foreigners (Reeves 34).

After the blockade of the major infrastructure that linked Berlin to the rest of the world, the Soviet forces piled pressure on their competitors to quit Berlin. Had it not been for the efforts of the US and Britain, the millions of Berliners would have died of hunger. Despite the challenges that people meet in their lives, they can always make it through should they be determined. The US and British Air Forces proved that despite the consistency of Russia on its stance, they never gave up hopes of feeding the people of Berlin (Berlin Airlift PBS Documentary).

The devastation of the Berliners was also a moment to behold from the movie. For instance, the living condition of the people in comparison to their oppressors was far incomparable. While the soldiers enjoyed the comfort of life, the Berliners lived in abject poverty and hunger. One of the pilots in the airlift operation was particularly good enough to have thought of the children. The children stayed all day long to watch planes fly above them, provoking the pilots to throw candy at them (Reeves 45).

Such an action won the loyalty of all the children, which also points to the desperation of the inhabitants of the city. It made me think that children are very easy to like or dislike things. In this particular movie, I also felt that the children might have influenced their parents into liking the British and American forces. Therefore, the two forces won over the loyalty of the city through favors.

In summary, the movie taught me an important event in the history of the world; the cold war. I learned that the war was as a result of the opposing capitalists and communists and did not involve fighting. The movie also taught me about the importance of persistence and the need to remain focused on goals. Such a lesson was drawn from watching the American and British forces flying food relief to Berlin for 15 months and overwhelming the Russian resilience. The movie, therefore, painted an image of Russia being the enemy of Berlin and Britain and the US being friends of the thousands of children in the city. The actions of the Americans and the Brits who dedicated their lives to the service of the Berliners evoked feelings of sympathy in me. For instance, I felt sorry for both those who died in the process and the people who suffered from their curfew.

Works Cited

American Experience. The Berlin Airlift PBS Documentary. YouTube.com: American Experience, 2014. Video.

Reeves, Richard. Daring Young Men: The Heroism and Triumph of the Berlin Airlift-June. Simon and Schuster, 2010. Print.

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