Why did the USSR hand over West Berlin? (Short Animated Documentary)

Just after World War 2, the USSR handed over West Berlin to the western allies despite having conquered it all on its own. So why did it do this? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.
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[@ahistoric_gamer9716]

I love that what equates to making life difficult is a Soviet soldier flashing a light in an American soldiers face 😂

[@answerman9933]

Let me flash a light in your face and you see how you like it.

[@ahistoric_gamer9716]

@@answerman9933 hence why it’s funny. Cos it does 😂

[@victorrenevaldiviasoto9728]

It is very annoying

[@ahistoric_gamer9716]

@@victorrenevaldiviasoto9728 I know it is. I found it funny that was chosen as an example

[@bebedor_de_cafe3272]

If im not mistaken they actually flashed lights into the american occupation zone to make sleeping difficult

[@bzqp2]

The Soviet guy annoying the Western guy with a flashlight was an actual fenomenon on the Berlin Wall. Eastern watchtowers would regularly blind the Western posts with strong searchlights just to annoy the hell of them (or perhaps to see what was happening there).

[@xymos7807]

Makes me wonder how many shit talking battles the two sides got into, or if they even had some instances of getting drunk together just to shit talk one another.

[@SILOPshuvambanerjee]

@@xymos7807 Point

[@MrTJPAS]

So it was like The cold war predecessor to aiming a laser pointer in the face of pilots then?

[@varana]

@@xymos7807 None. The situation at the wall was fucking tense - East German guards were required to shoot at trespassers, and for a while the West German guards fired back to help refugees. There are (afaik) five incidents when children fell into the river at the border but couldn't be saved because emergency services couldn't enter the river (which was officially East German territory) and they would've been in danger of being shot at; and several East German guards were killed by trespassers, West German guards, or friendly fire.

[@StonedWidowOnDoom]

A bit sad, the eastern soldier were not very happy on their side. They had a lot of issues (Stuff you are not allowed to discuss on KZbin) and conditions were harsh. Western soldiers didn't need to annoy them. They were annoyed and fed up anyway.

[@samueldesta2151]

"He forgot the sky existed." I love that line

[@sail2byzantium]

I laughed out loud!

[@funguy183]

“Sup nerd”

[@jackturner5117]

@@sail2byzantium Me too!

[@cpob2013]

Tbf it didn't work at stalingrad

[@fallendown8828]

Flight was few dozen years old yet changed history drastically, so fascinating

[@TheNorthie]

2:14 my grandfather was a doorman for the transport planes during the Berlin Airlift. He only volunteered for that because he didn’t want to go to Korea. He said he was always scared the Soviets were gonna shoot him out of the sky and start another war. Other than that, he loved being in Germany

[@jacob4920]

History tells us that was absolutely the better of two choices...

[@tankle]

🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵

[@TheNorthie]

@@jacob4920 his brother had to go to Korea and he was messed up after the conflict.

[@dimitri6171]

@@tankle 🤮🤮

[@thunderbird1921]

My Great-Uncle also went to Korea, US Army infantryman KIA in 1951 (may he RIP). A brutal war is what that conflict was, probably second only to the Pacific Theater of World War II in how violent the battles got. At least we saved South Korea and got a decent result, unlike the later sh*tshow that was Vietnam.

[@ItsElvisOsceola]

The USSR wanted all of Berlin, but James Bisonette convinced them to share the city.

[@DrZirdrz]

@@alpex2541 and what about boogely woogely

[@theonetheonlyjoey]

With legal advice from Spinning three plates

[@balabanasireti]

Cringe

[@tankle]

🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵

[@bigblue6917]

@@theonetheonlyjoey I think it was Spinning Thee Plates who sealed the deal.

[@richardfalls1379]

As a fellow history freak, I can happily say this channel is answering all my obscure questions

[@thunderbird1921]

Honestly, the Berlin Blockade is what changed American opinion toward the Cold War significantly. Part of the reason that Operation Unthinkable never happened is because the US public (or at least a large number of them) at the time saw the Soviets as a real ally (partially thanks to FDR's propaganda), and also because many of them still held an isolationist mindset. When the Soviets blockaded Berlin and seemed to be acting provocative, that all changed. Distrust and anger grew, and when the 1949 Soviet nuclear test happened, the Cold War in the eyes of the American public was on. The outbreak of the Korean War a year later was just the icing on the cake, from that point forward the Communists were a full on enemy.

[@balabanasireti]

Cringe

[@luizcsn89]

Same here

[@Bramble451]

Heck, it's answering all the obscure questions I didn't know I had!

[@kloothommel6569]

The division of Berlin and why the Soviets gave half the city away in the first place is not an obsecure footnote

[@TheJhouston]

It's a small detail, but I truly appreciate how the weapons in the video are depicted accurately by nation and time period. Like at 2:49 where the American is holding an M14, the British soldier has an L1A1, and the Soviet has an AK-47. The quality of the drawings are impressive as well. You can tell a lot of care and attention is given to these videos.

[@rhedosaurus2251]

Don't forget how the French soldier has a MAS 49/56. A solid rifle in its own right. Heavy, but very reliable.

[@abdullahrizwan592]

Yes, these incredibly small attentions to detail are really good on this channel. I love it!

[@ar0568]

2:33 the american soldier’s pupils dilates and undilates as the flashlight turns on and off

[@catfacecat.]

I don't know anything about weapons but it's interesting that the Soviets invented the AK-47

[@TheJhouston]

@@catfacecat. Why do you find that interesting?

[@andreass2301]

West Berlin as an island in the middle of East Germany is fascinating. What a strange place it must have been to live in.

[@woufff_]

It was, I was living there for a couple of months in the middle of the 70s. Seeing the DDR soldiers pointing machine guns at you when you approached the city limits too close was... an interesting experience 😉

[@texaswunderkind]

Being an island also meant families hoping to escape to the West could simply cross the street in Berlin. Thus, the Berlin Wall.

[@slewone4905]

I was told the famous scene of World war Z, was based on Berlin, during that time period. Instead of Zombies, it was Germans scrambling over each other to get over the wall.

[@hannahk1306]

There's a BBC archive news clip from this time (before the wall was built), showing how easy it was to cross and how you could tell which part of the city you were in (from the differences in shops, food, clothing, etc). It's a really interesting watch if you want to see a window into that piece of history. There are also tonnes of other archive clips from really trivial things to big news stories and lots of them are now available on KZbin.

[@lukemarshall1701]

I lived there for a few months in 1979. It felt a bit claustrophobic - go a few miles and then the wall. Most locals happy to meet someone from UK, though - perhaps made them feel less isolated.

[@mybodyisamachine]

Next, could you maybe do an episode on why Sudan split in half? It's actually a more complicated question than you think, because countries like Nigeria, Chad and even Tanzania also suffer from a divide between Christians and Muslims. I wanna know what was so different about the Sudan situation that caused them to have two civil wars and eventually separate while the others didn't.

[@StonedWidowOnDoom]

Doesn't the whole continent suffer from deviance? Nevertheless, I want to hear from it all.

[@Slaktrax]

@@StonedWidowOnDoom All countries in Africa suffer from that!

[@Slaktrax]

The US Government has the answer (clue, oil)

[@2hotflavored666]

@@Slaktrax Not an answer, since the US doesn't need any oil. Nor is the US involved in the situation, so why you even mentioned the US is beyond me.

[@theforsakeen-9014]

@@2hotflavored666 why are they so pissed at saudi arabia wanting to join the brics then?

[@grzegorzbrzeczyszczykiewic5937]

The Soviet soldier repeatedly flashing the Allied soldier in the eyes with a flashlight together with the sound effects is the funniest shit I’ve seen on this channel so far.

[@anthonymanderson7671]

😂😂

[@Peachrocks5]

I dunno I still think Queen Elizabeth being deployed in the Falklands is still top.

[@ek3197]

@@Peachrocks5 I agree, Queen Elizabeth II being deployed from an aircraft and shooting a gun was the funniest yet. It was so good it replayed at the end of the video.

[@Tony-.]

the soldier’s pupil even narrows, but he still doesn’t blink 🤣

[@r.a.acosta6528]

2:32 - 2:39 had me laughing so hard. The soldier repeatedly flashing the light on the other one's face was funny enough. But then the examples just get exponentially more petty and passive aggressive. This channel never disappoints.

[@pinkiepain1291]

What makes it even better is that the pupil of the eye in the light beam actually reacts as well

[@pwnmeisterage]

A firmly-entrenched bureaucracy is indeed a mighty obstacle. Soviet apparatchiks are legendary adversaries. They are essentially the government on the ground, they decide what does and does not happen, and anyone who troubles them too much ends up getting "interviewed" by the police.

[@Tab1300]

It also actually happened but with searchlights.

[@llywrch7116]

@@pwnmeisterageThere is also the German tradition of Ordnung -- a law, rule, or regulation for everything. Even the Germans find this tradition annoying.

[@Levelistchampion]

I absolutely LOVED the ice ax inching towards Trotsky from just out of frame.

[@finnmoog7187]

Just commented the exact same thing a minute ago 😂 that had me cracking up

[@Tony-.]

what mean the revolver that appears at same place lately, at 1:05 ?

[@ricardokowalski1579]

Pinky promise😅

[@jayfeather31]

0:46 Just the bit of the icepick slowly approaching Trotsky was an amazing and hilarious detail.

[@Judah132]

Since I'm living in the former French Zone (Reinickendorf+Wedding) it is worth mentioning, what the French Army build in my part of the city: - a sailing club ("Club Nautique Francais de Tegel" and "Club de Pêche e.V.") - a cultural center ("Centre Français de Berlin") - a public and military airport (“Flughafen Berlin-Tegel) - a train station ("Gare Francaise Berlin-Tegel") - a church for the French military, today used by the Bundeswehr ("St. Louis") - a cinema with a hotel ("L'Aiglon Cinema") - a few neighbourhoods, incl. schools (Cité "Foch", "-Guynemer", "-Pasteur" and "Joffre") - as well as occupying former German buildings. Unfortunately two of the neighbourhoods (Cité Foch and Cité Guynemer) got a bit torn down and lost some of their historic buildings. The city-centre and church of Cité Foch got completely demolished.

[@andrewbyrne2173]

Danke for sharing.

[@hrotha]

Bit cheeky to call these French neighbourhoods in Germany 'Foch' and 'Joffre'

[@benoitbvg2888]

@@hrotha Even Guynemer fought the Germans. And I'm wondering whether "Aiglon" (Eaglet?) isn't a cheeky reference to the German Eagle.

[@Anis-zc9rw]

@@benoitbvg2888 no i think it's a reference to Napoleon's son who was nicknamed "l'aiglon".

[@nlpnt]

There was a similar British complex, mostly around Olympiastadion in Charlottenberg and an American one in Dahlem centered on Clayallee north of the Oskar-Helene-Heim U-bahn station. The new British NAAFI was built on the site of Spandau Prison and opened just in time for the Forces to start pulling out and is now a dead mall, the American AAFES/Commissary complex had parking in front like any other American strip mall and was replaced/supplemented with a new build more in tune with a major European city. North of it, the movie theater is now a museum. The US Embassy still uses the part of the complex on the east side of Clayallee for consular services while the "main" embassy near the Brandenburg Gate is mainly for intergovernmental functions. There were also two school complexes, the regular army-brats-only one run by DoDEA and the John F. Kennedy school run as a joint venture between the State Department and the Berlin school district and open to locals and the children of American civilians as well. The latter still exists. There was also a "satellite" American base at Tempelhof Airport.

[@rostafori]

It flashes quickly, but that joke at 2:38 is hilarious "Form 22J: Must not be submitted after form 17E. Form 17E: Must not be submitted before form 22J"

[@goldeagle8051]

It would even be funnier if the second one said: "Form 22J: Must not be submitted before or together with form 17E."

[@christianvirgil]

@@goldeagle8051 😆

[@bcvetkov8534]

1:04-1:06 with the gun showing up behind that guy pointing to capitalize was so funny. Big props to History Matters as a whole for making his videos amazing as always.

[@dondrbeto]

The quality of the animation in this video is superb. Did you noticed that the western soldier's pupil contracts and dilates with the light (at 2:33)? Definitely Oscar worthy visual effects.

[@adamw9021]

Yes and it's kinda funny 😂

[@BrkCntkn]

Out of all the funny moments in this video the one in 1:05 is by far my favorite. Shock, anger, purge whatever you need just in one funny and hard to realize moment. Awesome job mate

[@The_whales]

A good play in words, he would have lived if he used “communlise”

[@albens5852]

0:34 I always thought it was bold to give Indonesia a piece of Germany, but given their instrumental part in the death of Hitler, it makes sense.

[@edwardblair4096]

That's not the flag of Indonesia. The white area is a continuation of the Polish flag, and the red area is a continuation of the flag of the USSR. That's Koenensberg/Kalliningrad (sp?).

[@fandemusique4693]

@@edwardblair4096 That clearly was a joke.

[@CyrogenicNation]

Indonesia wasn't given a piece of Germany. That's obviously Monaco's share of Germany.

[@Robert53area]

I love how you actually have the clicking sound of an old soviet flashlight. That's pretty good

[@jamesbissonette8002]

Big thank you to HM for an awesome year of uploads and of course the shoutouts at the end!

[@youtubeadministration8037]

A blessing from the Lord!

[@dog811]

Why are you thanking her majesty

[@Bustycat]

So true my king

[@tremedar]

@@dog811 Could be thanking *his* majesty, the deliverer of wise-cracks and nuggets of historical knowledge you never knew you wanted to know.

[@tsarman2182]

I love you

[@michaeltamke8542]

The amount of eastereggs possible in a 3:30 minute long video is ever to be increased by this channel. JUST AWESOME!!!

[@jackturner5117]

Yes!! The slow moving ice axe! 😂😂😂

[@geezlers]

Love the detail at 2:50 to give each soldier the respective battle rifles of their nations.

[@Guilhem74]

There's actually a small mistake on your map of Berlin showing the different occupation sectors. You inverted the British and French sectors. The British one was in the middle of west Berlin, sandwiched between the American sector in the Southwest and the French one in the northwest.

[@oalsaker]

Which was good because the french had plans on blowing up the victory column because it commemorated the victory over France in 1870, but since it was in the British zone, they couldn't do it.

[@Lp-army1]

@@oalsaker was that a reason they set the British and French sectors like that?

[@christopherwhite5244]

That isn't a small mistake!

[@tylerbozinovski427]

@@oalsaker That's the kind of crap that can happen when you let your enemies occupy your country. The Soviet War Memorial in the heart of Berlin is another example of that.

[@Dave_Sisson]

@@Lp-army1 Originally American and British sectors were planned for Berlin, Germany and Austria. Then the nationalistic French showed up and demanded that they get sectors as well. Both the Americans and British were tired and short of money after a long war, so they happily gave parts of their sectors to the French which saved the Yanks and Brits money and allowed them to demobilize more troops.

[@harveya1a952]

Because they wanted James Bisonette to own it

[@mattbaker3569]

Not Kelly Moneymaker?

[@harveya1a952]

@@mattbaker3569 Kelly Moneymaker got East Berlin

[@st1ssl214]

@@harveya1a952 but he’s a traitor to the communist people….

[@MomMom4Cubs]

Too bad Skye Chappelle isn't selling her majority stake!

[@nickmacarius3012]

Ah, there it is! The obligatory James Bisonette reference in the comments section. No History Matters video is complete without this!

[@lucianoosorio5942]

“Listen West Berlin is ours, East Berlin is yours that’s just the way it is.” John F Kennedy

[@Imulti]

A man of culture

[@tahamuhammad1814]

Oversimplified

[@slewone4905]

I thought his famous speech about Berlin was that he called himself a Donut.

[@aleksandarvil5718]

*"ICH BIN EIN BERLINER !!!"* ~ JFK

[@tarheel7406]

Seems like Western troops occupied some German territory at the end of hostilities that was already agreed would be Soviet controlled post war. If Stalin had not honored the Berlin agreement, the West may not have left those other territories.

[@hijdiegaapt]

Indeed, should have been in the video

[@eurodoc6343]

True, the US was well into Saxony when the war ended.

[@Osterochse]

I writing this from the city of Leipzig which was liberated by the United states but came under soviet control since those were the agreed borders of the occupation zones. Always funny when you read things like that while beeing in precisely ond of these places in the very moment. PS: if they had actually just drawn the lines along the places tha were liberated then parts of czechoslovakia would have come under allied control as well.

[@eurodoc6343]

@@Osterochse Hey, Leipzig, one of my favorite cities in Germany!

[@Osterochse]

@@eurodoc6343 nice to hear that you liked it here. :) IF they had kept the occupation zones the way they liberated it, i would be crossing that border daily on my way to work. ^^

[@Captain_Happy]

The comedic genius of this channel is just amazing! Subtle jokes easy to miss just kill me every time, while still being educational!

[@finnmoog7187]

Agree 100%!!!

[@The_whales]

1:04 we must capitalize *gun slowly moves to head*

[@Kreze202]

I hope people notice the gun coming from the left at 1:05 when it says "We must capitalise" lmao such a nice touch

[@Apeiron242]

I lived in Berlin in 90 to 92 as an American teen. We rode public transportation for free, our housing was free. It was a super cool time to live there. I have one of those "you are leaving the American sector" signs. The Duty Train between Frankfurt and Berlin was a hoot. Driving through The Corridor was also interesting. My dad did some under the table trades with a Russian guard.

[@supa3ek]

Under the table trades lol. War is war ...but people are people !!!!

[@Apeiron242]

@@supa3ek the Russian guards want Levis, playboy and western booze. They gave us Russian army uniform items like belts and hat brass.

[@questerperipatetic4861]

I'm very curious. Did you watch the American officer with his interpreter trade salutes with the Soviet officer at Marienborn before going in to that little room to get your flag orders stamped? What did it make you think about?

[@thetrueintruder1210]

2:35 the pupil of the soldier contracts when exposed to the flashlight. That's attention to detail.

[@emperornapoleon6204]

The ice pick moving menacingly toward Trosky’s head represents all the little things I love about this channel.

[@CocoHutzpah]

One of my buddies was (and might still be) a pilot for one of the planes that took part in the Berlin airlift. A few years ago, The Spirit of Freedom, a C-54, landed at the airport next to my house and he invited me aboard. It was loudest plane I've ever heard take off from that airport and just about rattled everything off the shelves.

[@indefatigable8193]

This is a question I’ve always had and the rationale for why there was an island of capitalism in a sea of red is still inadequately explained by historians. Thank you!

[@Laucron]

Insane K/D ratio on that japanese rifleman. You make the emperor proud man

[@ChessedGamon]

USSR: "Have you ever tried Lighting Warfare?" US: "You mean Lightning Warfare?" USSR: 2:33

[@galatheumbreon6862]

Stalin to Trotsky: I won't murder you *Ice pick slowly creeps up behind*

[@tremedar]

He never told a lie, stalin did not in fact murder him....one of his hired assassins did.

[@Hellenic_Empire]

He was correct tho... he didn't "murder" him someone else hit his head

[@ashleyoasis7948]

In a Mexican Condo

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

Trotsky didn’t go without a fight. He managed to inflict fatal injuries on his assassin. What tickles me is that he and Frida Kahlo might have had a thing going.

[@zeked4200]

​@@lawrencedoliveiro9104 That's not true. First, Trotsky *did* fight the guy off and live, but it was his bodyguards who almost beat the guy to death...until they were told by Trotsky to keep him alive. Second, "fatal injuries" mean the person died from the injuries...which the guy didn't. After serving 19+ years for the assassination, he returned to the USSR a hero and lived to be almost 70. Should've just let the bodyguards do their thing... And third, it's not they "might have" had a thing...they *did* have a thing, for a while...and it's pretty well known about too 😂

[@exploshaun]

Leaning history at school, they never told us about these tiny obscure details, but they are all very interesting questions that I never knew I had.

[@danreed7889]

Was in East Berlin in '88 as a Young soldier and we were instructed to salute any Russian officers if we saw any as technically in East Berlin we were still "allies".

[@RaggedDan]

I love history for just this kind of content, as I'm watching the more and more I realise the importance of the question and the simplicity of the reasons, as well as their bigger place in the historical period. Thanks again!

[@wcd2848]

The little gun that comes in frame for a second when the Russian guy is saying "we must capitalize" on the situation is amazing

[@realhawaii5o]

1:06 Comrade Molotov, watch out!

[@ethanoffenbacher4829]

I like how you show the White House being renovated under Truman, nice touch.

[@sumansaxena2277]

We should all thank James Bissonette for suggesting Gorbachev to reunite Berlin and Germany. A true hero of our hearts ❤️❤️❤️

[@Phateagle262]

What, no love for Spinning Three Plates? 😄

[@d0rryx274]

Love the little gun pointing out at 1:06

[@natejones902]

One of the funniest stories I heard of a US soldier on the border/Berlin wall area was this. He said I had just arrived at my unit, and the Sgt took me on a tour of our AOR. As we re going along, we stop at this one point, and he pulls a package from the jeep and throws it over the wall. A few mins later, a package comes back over from the other side. Inside was a write-up of east German and soviet units in the area, Intel, from the east Germans. The guy as his sgt, what was in the package he threw over? Sarge said, "Jack Daniel's and playboys"

[@DiarrheaMusketeer]

He forgot the sky existed! That's a line that will linger long in the memory. I love this channel!

[@john98765333]

I like how in the flashlight flicking scene, the soldier's pupil actually gets smaller when the light is flashing on it, like how a real eye would act, lol. It is the little details like that that really make things come together.

[@Rocketsong]

Honestly, the Berlin Air Lift (Berlin Sky Bridge in German) would be a great subject for a 3-4 minute video.

[@seductive_fishstick8961]

"at least they would have had Stalin not made one tactical blunder. He forgot the sky existed" pure gold

[@anthonyrowlands1238]

Gotta love the little details they put into these videos, like the fact that the US soldier's pupils constrict and dilate with the torch being flashed in them. Really shows that they put the effort in, even with the little jokes.

[@tenszuabaki830]

I love your videos man. All great information. Always a good experience especially with your characters. Keep up the good work. I look forward to every upload.... I miss the 10 minute ones though =]

[@masterchinese28]

I still remember my high school German teacher telling us about the hours of delays and stalling they went through before their bus was allowed to get on the highway to visit West Berlin from West Germany. The wall would fall a few years later.

[@westtxtapper]

"Leave Berlin or we'll do...something." That was gold.

[@shadowstorm114]

Forgetting the air wasn’t really a blunder, the Berlin airlift was a logistics miracle.

[@aperson22222]

Think of all the great spy fiction that wouldn’t exist if Berlin hadn’t been divided.

[@flavivsaetivs5738]

>We need to *capitalize* on that NKVD agent: *Missisipi queen starts*

[@anonymousunknown4811]

Repeatedly turning the light on & off while it was pointing at your face is incredibly annoying yet he held firm

[@vostroyanfirstborn]

2:33 “get out of Berlin, or I’ll click this flashlight several more times!”

[@BrammBass]

Another year of many interesting and cool videos! Thanks a lot and I look forward for the many smiles you will put on our faces with your jokes, flashing USSR-soldiers and informative videos!

[@RustyDust101]

There's also that slight gaffe that US forces had advanced much deeper into Thüringen/Thuringia, and even into Sachsen/Saxony than anticipated by the Soviets. Because the Soviets had focussed so much on reaching Berlin first. Again, the future sectors of occupation in Germany had been divied up beforehand, with everybody relying on everybody else to stick to that agreement. It was thus also a choice of having much of what the Soviets considered the Soviet occupation zone being held by the western allies. So they had the choice of giving up a part of a previous symbol of Germany to gain actual territory in the Soviet zone. With the Soviets also partly formulating the future borders of nations like Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and even Yugoslavia, they could then decide to renege on their agreement of Berlin, and also loose their potential 'allied soviet satelite states' in the Eastern Block.

[@willevensen7130]

I thought Yugo was mainly straying away from Moscow dominance as time passed

[@nik65stgt60]

You do such a great job on these history presentations!

[@josephosheavideos3992]

Your attention to detail in your short video is outstanding; particularly, that you changed the cartoon representations of the various leaders as the years passed in the 13 years in the time frame of your video.

[@fusionreactor7179]

0:17 USSR’s occupation zone looks like a map of USSR itself, or Turkey

[@ShasOSwoll]

0:59 Giant Gundam soldier sinks a US battleship with a single shot

[@kamikazekoe96]

Love the small videos we had over the last few years, although I also miss the 10-minute history videos. Any chance that we ever gonna see one again? I can remember the video where he explained why he made the chance, but can't remember if he said that there will never be a other 10 minute video or not. What ever the answer is, keep up the good work in long or short videos, i exactly don't give a fuck

[@Domass96]

I literally woke up with this question this morning, perfect timing for the video!

[@Osterochse]

As a German I have to say that the air bridge to supply western Berlin always has been one the most emotional things in all of german history. Whenever I have visited a place that is commemorating the supply of this starving city it brings tears to my eyes. At that point in history the second world war was only 2 years ago and the united states could have easily decided to let things be the way they were, but they actually stood by the people of west Berlin. The people were supplied by aircrafts that could have dropped bombs just a few years ago. I do not take this for granted and I thank the American people to make such a humanitarian decision. it is not forgotten. Thank you for standing strong with the free world. I hope at least a few Americans read these lines. In this moment you can be really proud of your country.

[@DrJones20]

Ok, but don't start any more world wars.

[@thomaslove6494]

As an American I have to read so much hate aimed at my country on a regular basis... I know we've made many mistakes in our past.... And it's easy to look back from the future and criticize... But anyway... I just wanted to say thank you for this... It's nice to read something nice about America for a change.

[@john98765333]

@@DrJones20 It was Austria's fault for both.

[@onsholo]

There was nothing humanitarian about that. They were supplying their own people in these zones.

[@RevengeOfTheKaizer]

@@onsholo Lol no. They fed and powered all of West Berlin. Pick up a book sometime.

[@CanadaMMA]

Not only this is a great educational channel, it's one of the funniest on youtube

[@WWFanatic0]

I love the attention to detail on the rifles at 2:51 with not just the M14 and L1A1 rifles but also the MAS-49/56 with the clip on its magazine the held it in place.

[@Homer-OJ-Simpson]

0:47 Leon Trotsky with Mexico map and Stalin saying “I won’t murder you” while a weapon slowly emerges behind Trotsky. Peak History Matters!

[@august_ross]

"Do something or I'll do nothing!" - Nikita Khrushchev, 1958.

[@Whynotmini]

the flashlight part at around 2:30 had me dead lmaoo

[@wscamel226]

2:33 - yeah I think that is the perfect representation of what it looked like

[@ianrogerburton1670]

"He forgot that the sky existed". I also forgot that I was holding a beer until I dropped it then.

[@ericauskewneut5598]

Entertaining content as always, the Soviet soldier blinding the American one with a flashlight was hilarious lol

[@funnydad1540]

holy hell that scene with the flickering flashlight had me good video as always man

[@TheSilverCanine_R3D-H]

I love the small details for both assassinations of one with a pick and the other with a revolver

[@lmgutie]

I really liked this chapter. Thanks!

[@Thecrownswill]

The reason Bissonette has all that money is because he outsmarted the red tape.

[@ArthurCSchaper]

I am still waiting for you to do these videos: 1. Why do people drive on different sides of the road in different countries? 2. Why did the revolutions of 1848 fail in Germany and Spain?

[@paritoshd]

I think both are covered already, but the answer to the first one is- Napoleon.

[@metallPAUL]

to answer your second question, after napoleon was defeated there was the congress of Viena where the great powers agreed to aid each other in case of revolution so no other nation could turn into another france and destabilise europe again

[@Tjalve70]

@@paritoshd The answers to most historic questions are "Napoleon". But in this case I can embellish some more. Way back in time, before the French revolution, there was no fixed side of the road to use. When you were alone on the road, you would walk/ride/drive in the middle of it. But when you met someone, you would generally move to the left. In France, the nobles would generally move to the left, but the peasants (i.e. everybody else) would be made to move to the right, so nobles overtaking them could keep moving on the left. When the French revolution came along, the revolutionaries decided that everybody should move on the right side of the road. Basically nobody should be allowed to do what the nobles used to do. And when Napoleon started conquering Europe, this French law became adopted in those countries as well. After the Napoleonic wars, nobody bothered to undo that law. And once the European powers started colonizing the world, this law was adopted in those countries as well. So very basically: Those countries who drive on the right are: France, France's colonies, and France's friends. Those countries who drive on the left, are: Everybody else. Since this, some countries have shifted. Sweden changed some time in the 1960s, I believe. And I don't know too much about when other countries shifted. But basically they did it because their neighbours were driving on the opposite side, and this became a hassle.

[@TheRealSpork.]

@@Tjalve70 it's either "Napoleon" or "The British happened"

[@Eddies_Bra-att-ha-grejer]

@@Tjalve70 Most cars in Sweden had their driver's seat on the left even when we drove on the left side of the road, it was a mess.

[@dzvinkaNadia]

Very charismatic video! thanks a lot, the subject became clear to me

[@MrGermanpiano]

Always love your videos

[@MusixSaros]

Also, I believe west-Berlin had all the airfields in the Berlin-area at the time. So access through the air was always a great option.

[@jynnvynn7562]

“He forgot the sky exists.” Lmao

[@whatsreal7506]

Love these videos!

[@Kuac85]

Great stuff! As always. :)

[@christiand4630]

Hey HM, You accidentially switched the british and french sectors (i live near the former french barracks and my history teacher at high school remembers the storied of puking british soldiers and entourage that he had drive to Gatow the most western part of the city.)

[@andromeda331]

I love the ice pick coming up behind Trosky as Stalin promises not to murder him. Also "He forgot the sky existed". Also love the Soviet soldier flashing a light it in the American soldier's face.

[@ketsuekikumori9145]

I like the slight change in pupil size with the flickering flashlight/torch.

[@lfricmunuc4534]

2:33 I like how the American's pupil changes when the light is turned on and off.

[@KnightSlasher]

Stalin giving up land so the allies would help him defeat Japan was actually smart the enemy of my enemy is my friend as they say

[@mojewjewjew4420]

Nah, only a fool believes that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

[@alabamaal225]

It's dangerous to believe that. You really shouldn't be so quick to discount the judgement of your enemy.

[@micahbush5397]

0:58 Wait, the Japanese could sink whole ships with just one shot from a rifle? How on earth could they have lost?

[@haplon33]

great summary of a rarely discussed event of incredible importance

[@lol_iyoutube]

The small detail of the pupil dilation to the flashlight is hella appreciated

[@jonathanmong4927]

Fun fact, Vienna was also split similarly

[@Kuricang31]

But luckily the West managed to struck a deal with Soviets regarding Austria neutrality, which still stands to this day Sad they couldn't do the exact same thing with whole Germany

[@jonathanmong4927]

@@Kuricang31 Sorry for being pedantic, but I'm going to be clarify here since I happen to have done a significant amount of academic research on the topic: The Soviets feared with Austria that once they left, they would immediately join NATO/the Western bloc, which, in fairness, they were definitely, obviously going to do. This resulted in several problems for the Soviet Union. Austria is uniquely situated pretty much dead center in Europe, bordering four free countries (West Germany, Italy, neutral Switzerland, and tiny Liechtenstein) and three Communist/Soviet-occupied countries (Hungary, both parts of Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia, that part that is now modern-day Slovenia), making it geographically crucial to both the Western bloc, who didn't want a gaping hole in the NATO front lines, and the Soviet Union, which was justifiably worried about the potential for Austria to influence several countries to its east. Neither country wanted to give it up. However, two Austrias was not a feasible solution for several reasons, not in the least because there's no real way for Austria's geography to allow for it. Austria was also not deemed important enough by the Allies, unlike Korea (which both sides wanted to get a foothold on East Asia) or Germany (duh). The West was fairly reasonable in allowing Austria significant leeway in its political affairs, which made a lot of sense given that free elections resulted in a landslide victory for the Christian democrat Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) coalition. Meanwhile, what the Soviets did in their occupation sector of Austria could charitably be described as war reparations, but in reality was simple outright theft of just about anything of value. There was a standoff, largely because the West allowed West Germany to rearm and formed NATO, which frightened the Soviets given the events of a scant ten years ago. At this point, the Soviets refused to allow Austrian independence if they joined NATO. There was, however, an avenue for negotiation. Due to the economic destruction during the occupation, Austria had a roadmap for negotiating its independence. As part of the negotiations for economic reparations for the Soviet occupation, the Austrians conceded permanent Swiss-style neutrality to the Soviets, and they backed off, allowing Austria to be fully independent. That being said, Austria has been neutral in name only, culturally throwing in immediately - prime minister Julius Raab's Minister of the Interior Oskar Helmer outright declared that Austria culturally “[belonged] in the camp of the free Western world” (Stearman, William Lloyd: "The Soviet Union and the Occupation of Austria: An Analysis of Soviet Policy in Austria, 1945-1955") and the Austrians offered aid to fleeing Hungarians during the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1958, threatening to fight the USSR if any of the chaos spilled over into Austria.

[@srcoleccionista2476]

For some reason, I found hilarious the detail of the Soviet soldier flashing the light, and the retina actually shrinking whenever it hit him.

[@samdumaquis2033]

Awesome vid as usual

[@anthonymanderson7671]

Really educative video!

[@JimmyAgent007]

I have to imagine that there were spy-related benefits to letting the allies hold it

[@konstantinosnikolakakis8125]

There were, for the Western Allies. The USSR did actually have an outpost in West Berlin during the Cold War, Spandau Prison. Y’see, after the Nuremberg trials, the defendants who were sentenced to prison terms (Karl Döenitz, Erich Raeder, Rudolf Hess, Albert Speer, among others) were held in Spandau Prison in West Berlin. The job of guarding the prison was rotated between the US, British, French, and Soviet forces every few months, so for about a quarter of a year every year the Soviets had an outpost in West Berlin. This arrangement came to an end in 1987 when the last prisoner still in Spandau, Rudolf Hess, former Deputy Fuhrer, died in 1987. The British and Americans had multiple times proposed to move Hess to a different prison, perhaps in West Germany, but the Soviets refused to give up their outpost in West Berlin. After Hess’ death, the prison was demolished and a shopping centre for British servicemen and their families was built over it to prevent it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine. On a side note, the circumstances of Hess’ death were mysterious, to say the least. The 93 year old Hess allegedly hanged himself inside his reading cabin in the prison garden. Some say he was too old and frail to do such a thing. Some believe he was murdered by British intelligence agents.

[@texaswunderkind]

Fun Fact: Hitler wannabe and all-around party guy Putin was stationed in Berlin when he was a low-level KGB bureaucrat. His job was to destabilize capitalist democracies, a skill he has perfected into using American social media to influence the Brexit vote and the 2016 U.S. Presidential election.