Explain why airlift was used during the Soviet blockade of Berlin rather than the other options available to national leaders?

Answer 1

The obvious other options were: 1. War between the West and the Soviet Union. 2. A negotiated settlement, which would probably have involved swapping West Berlin for a part of the Soviet Zone, say Thuringia. Neither option was attractive.

Answer 2

After WWII, half of Berlin was communist(USSR) and half was allied to the U.S. Berlin was in the middle of communist territoy, but U.S. allies had been able to go through to get supplies to East Berlin. Stalin decided he wanted to control all of Berlin, not just half, so he set up the blockade. U.S. allies were no longer able to get supplies in by train or other ways so they started the Berlin Airlift to get supplies, such as food, to East Berlin. Soon after the Berlin Airlift started, it ended because the blockade ended. The USSR new the blockade wasn't doing anything to they ended it.