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

แชร์
ฝัง
  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ธ.ค. 2022
  • 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.
    A special thanks to my Patreon supporters below:
    Jens Koch-Nommensen
    Øystein Alsaker
    Sergio M. Vela
    khaki enthusiast
    Dennis Vandeban
    Michael Kram
    Hasmuffin
    CharÉTS
    Franco La Bruna
    Ethan
    Don Bonnigan
    Ian Whitcomb
    Southside Mitch
    Adam Barrett
    Justin Kubusch
    Bradley chaulk
    John
    Matthew Literovich
    Heath Robertson
    JakeBak0905
    Person
    Timmy
    Stone
    Korix Riylo
    Jane Sumpter
    Joooooshhhhhh
    Harley Raptopoulos
    Brooks Woolson
    Alex Teplyakov
    Vance Christiaanse
    Shauna K
    Mario Peshev
    Joshua Rackstraw
    sharpie660
    Phoenix Fats
    Travis Mount
    Nathan Mendelsohn
    Martha Grondin
    Philip Yip
    Christopher Godfrey
    ConspiracyPizza
    Aaron Conaway
    Sean D.
    tegsirat
    Piotr Wojnowski
    Joshua Schneider
    Jamie van Brewen
    zockotron
    Konstantin Bredyuk
    Andreas Mosand
    Adrian Marine
    Andrew F
    John Orr
    Jack Nelson
    Zhao Liu
    Dr. Schtnizel
    Erik Hare
    Steven Gibson
    Paul Munro
    Andy McGehee
    Phillip Gathright
    Evan Ellingson
    Nicholas Menghini
    Peter Marino
    Liam Gilleece
    ArthurMorgan
    Nick Macarius
    D. Mahlik
    Arthur Hosey Jr.
    Tony Belmonte
    Tactical_Jackal
    Dana Spurgeon
    William Swiacki
    Angel Aguiñaga
    HelloAgain
    Roman Kynčl
    Nolan Peale
    mgnesium.poetry
    Matthew Toles
    MGS2600
    Manny F
    Ron Johnson
    Contdoko12
    Bernardo Cavalcanti
    Thomas McGraw
    Chris Winther
    Allen Rines
    Clayton Schuman
    Jacob Zachs
    Andrew Patane
    Carl Blanton
    Sahni
    Katie Flinn
    Bradley Backoff
    Matt Reed
    Keith A. Layton
    John Garcia
    Vilena5
    Joe DeVito
    Zachary Pascalar
    Chase Labiste
    Tino
    Zach Rust
    Michael Galloway
    Brian George
    Ciege Engine
    Windischgraetz
    Wilhelm Screamer
    Bernice
    KNSTRKTVST
    Daniel J Miller
    blaZzinG_FurY
    Chris Weisel
    Dullis
    Perry Gagne
    Tim Stone
    William Adderholdt
    Serius_Loyola
    Leena Al-Souki
    Jason Vandeventer
    george tyler
    ARandomPaperClip
    Anthony McCann
    Matthew O'Connor
    Hexapuma
    ThePalestRose
    Christopher S Nelson
    Bartosz Zasada
    Logical Insanity
    Bodo Nuber
    Mickey Landen
    Ben Drums 24
    Joseph Reinsch
    Justin Short
    Patty Culp
    David van Reyk
    Joel Cromwell
    Aaron Larrow
    Curt Helmerich
    Blue Cardinal
    Tyler Jenkins
    Thomas McGill
    Ethan Harlow
    Ahmed Roshdi
    Valentyn
    Liquid Chief
    Chach
    Juan Castillo
    Joseph Hutchins
    Andrew Niedbala
    Colm Byrne
    Burt Clothier
    Tim Sweeney
    Dexter_McAaron
    No way
    Stefan Møller
    Vegard Tønnessen
    Joel Wasserman
    Geoffrey Sparrow
    Matt Busch
    Clay Carroll
    Ryan Lowe
    bas mensink
    Ned Burke
    Emily D
    Bren Ehnebuske
    Jason Gould
    Little Ernu
    Oliver Jenner
    Steve Bonds
    Warren Rudkin
    Colonel Oneill
    BattleGoat Studios
    Nathan Ngumi
    Matthew Ward
    Magdalena Reinberg-Leibel
    luvrhino
    Jonny Minogue
    STEVEN MAGALLANES
    Richard Wolfe
    Alen
    Yared Cristiano
    Sethars
    Tim Stumbaugh
    kevinh
    Brian Giordano
    Andrei Listochkin
    Melissa Prober
    James
    Romney Manassa
    Donald Weaver
    SketerK
    Robin!
    Joseph Kerckhoff
    Mars Project
    Azul Bravestrong
    nullptr
    Emily Glover-Wilson
    anon
    SirAlpaka
    William Clark
    pdswanfleet
    Yosef Waysman
    Tristan Kreller
    Eric Askins
    Hiro P
    David Spellmeyer
    LambOfLeg
    Dr. Howard Dr. Fine Dr. Howard
    Juan Benet
    Jeffrey Schneider
    Rob Rollins
    Yuichiro Kakutani
    Zach Weakland
    James R DeVries
    Aeryn and Lisa Toland
    Hunter Bayliss
    Alex G.
    Scott Oppel
    Thomas Wang
    Anthony Uk
    אורי פרקש
    I'm Not In The Description
    mohd
    Sara Birnbaum
    Ryan Haber
    hefcluba
    Charles Doolittle
    Igor Stavchanskiy
    Mark Ploegstra
    Colm Boyle
    Wolf
    YugiJitsu Games
    Tranier Bocaj
    Ali Sadighian
    Kinfe85
    Mik Scheper
    Kevin Phoenix
    Roko Lisica
    Tom Ebert
    0_DannyBoy
    Zachary Oertel
    Allen
    Dutchball Animations
    Will Sullivan
    Isabel Harrison
    Robert Brockway
    Nathan Snyder
    Stephen Beresford
    Dustin Koellhoffer
    Chasen Le Hara
    Lech Duraj
    Miky Hidalgo Morriss
    Gregory Priebe
    Dan Reiher
    Sean Long
    Riley davidson
    George Caponera
    Ian M
    Sophie Winter
    Dr. Sarno
    Seth Reeves
    Doug MacLean
    Rita Cragwall
    Danny Anstess
    Peter Konieczny
    Shakira Graham
    AltHistoryConjectures
    Heytun
    Andrew Sever
    Barry
    John Gross-Whitaker
    Paul McGee
    Lindorien
    Abdallah Al-Ammari
    João Santos
    Daniel O'Reilly
    Deadlock
    Typhoon2401
    Markus Lindström
    Michael Corson
    blei95
    Jan Bart Verbist
    M Scho
    Olaf
    Kasi
    Robin_Col
    Ploshtinska polyudnica
    Schwarzer Hai
    biohazardgamer
    Rhys Little
    James
    Tarsirrus
    Ben L
    Ash Elford
    Jackarice26
    Harrison Tatem-Wyatt
    Gina Service
    Twinny Hill
    zemnmez
    Roberticus1992
    Tom Pollard
    KingKyumber
    DarkLycan
    Phil Johnston
    Rhys Jackson

ความคิดเห็น • 1.7K

  • @ahistoric_gamer9716
    @ahistoric_gamer9716 ปีที่แล้ว +8919

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

    • @answerman9933
      @answerman9933 ปีที่แล้ว

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

    • @ahistoric_gamer9716
      @ahistoric_gamer9716 ปีที่แล้ว +140

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

    • @victorrenevaldiviasoto9728
      @victorrenevaldiviasoto9728 ปีที่แล้ว +317

      It is very annoying

    • @ahistoric_gamer9716
      @ahistoric_gamer9716 ปีที่แล้ว +88

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

    • @bebedor_de_cafe3272
      @bebedor_de_cafe3272 ปีที่แล้ว +340

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

  • @bzqp2
    @bzqp2 ปีที่แล้ว +6733

    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
      @xymos7807 ปีที่แล้ว +618

      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
      @SILOPshuvambanerjee ปีที่แล้ว +32

      @@xymos7807 Point

    • @MrTJPAS
      @MrTJPAS ปีที่แล้ว +194

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

    • @varana
      @varana ปีที่แล้ว +325

      @@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
      @StonedWidowOnDoom ปีที่แล้ว +90

      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 TH-cam) and conditions were harsh. Western soldiers didn't need to annoy them. They were annoyed and fed up anyway.

  • @samueldesta2151
    @samueldesta2151 ปีที่แล้ว +1578

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

    • @sail2byzantium
      @sail2byzantium ปีที่แล้ว +37

      I laughed out loud!

    • @funguy183
      @funguy183 ปีที่แล้ว +114

      “Sup nerd”

    • @jackturner5117
      @jackturner5117 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@sail2byzantium Me too!

    • @cpob2013
      @cpob2013 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      Tbf it didn't work at stalingrad

    • @fallendown8828
      @fallendown8828 ปีที่แล้ว +9

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

  • @richardfalls1379
    @richardfalls1379 ปีที่แล้ว +3496

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

    • @thunderbird1921
      @thunderbird1921 ปีที่แล้ว +45

      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
      @balabanasireti ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Cringe

    • @luizcsn89
      @luizcsn89 ปีที่แล้ว

      Same here

    • @Bramble451
      @Bramble451 ปีที่แล้ว +4

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

    • @kloothommel6569
      @kloothommel6569 ปีที่แล้ว +2

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

  • @TheNorthie
    @TheNorthie ปีที่แล้ว +2410

    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
      @jacob4920 ปีที่แล้ว +254

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

    • @tankle
      @tankle ปีที่แล้ว +12

      🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵

    • @TheNorthie
      @TheNorthie ปีที่แล้ว +120

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

    • @dimitri6171
      @dimitri6171 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@tankle 🤮🤮

    • @thunderbird1921
      @thunderbird1921 ปีที่แล้ว +94

      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
    @ItsElvisOsceola ปีที่แล้ว +2888

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

    • @DrZirdrz
      @DrZirdrz ปีที่แล้ว +175

      @@alpex2541 and what about boogely woogely

    • @theonetheonlyjoey
      @theonetheonlyjoey ปีที่แล้ว +118

      With legal advice from Spinning three plates

    • @balabanasireti
      @balabanasireti ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Cringe

    • @tankle
      @tankle ปีที่แล้ว +2

      🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵

    • @bigblue6917
      @bigblue6917 ปีที่แล้ว +39

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

  • @TheJhouston
    @TheJhouston ปีที่แล้ว +579

    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
      @rhedosaurus2251 ปีที่แล้ว +56

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

    • @abdullahrizwan592
      @abdullahrizwan592 ปีที่แล้ว +16

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

    • @ar0568
      @ar0568 ปีที่แล้ว +14

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

    • @catfacecat.
      @catfacecat. ปีที่แล้ว +5

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

    • @TheJhouston
      @TheJhouston ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@catfacecat. Why do you find that interesting?

  • @andreass2301
    @andreass2301 ปีที่แล้ว +359

    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_
      @woufff_ ปีที่แล้ว +112

      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
      @texaswunderkind ปีที่แล้ว +44

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

    • @slewone4905
      @slewone4905 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      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
      @hannahk1306 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      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 TH-cam.

    • @lukemarshall1701
      @lukemarshall1701 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      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
    @mybodyisamachine ปีที่แล้ว +1097

    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
      @StonedWidowOnDoom ปีที่แล้ว +27

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

    • @Slaktrax
      @Slaktrax ปีที่แล้ว +22

      @@StonedWidowOnDoom All countries in Africa suffer from that!

    • @Slaktrax
      @Slaktrax ปีที่แล้ว +9

      The US Government has the answer (clue, oil)

    • @2hotflavored666
      @2hotflavored666 ปีที่แล้ว +121

      @@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
      @theforsakeen-9014 ปีที่แล้ว +10

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

  • @grzegorzbrzeczyszczykiewic5937
    @grzegorzbrzeczyszczykiewic5937 ปีที่แล้ว +427

    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
      @anthonymanderson7671 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      😂😂

    • @Peachrocks5
      @Peachrocks5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

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

    • @ek3197
      @ek3197 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@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-.
      @Tony-. ปีที่แล้ว +1

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

  • @r.a.acosta6528
    @r.a.acosta6528 ปีที่แล้ว +419

    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
      @pinkiepain1291 ปีที่แล้ว +30

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

    • @pwnmeisterage
      @pwnmeisterage ปีที่แล้ว +3

      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
      @Tab1300 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      It also actually happened but with searchlights.

    • @llywrch7116
      @llywrch7116 24 วันที่ผ่านมา

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

  • @Levelistchampion
    @Levelistchampion ปีที่แล้ว +136

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

    • @finnmoog7187
      @finnmoog7187 ปีที่แล้ว

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

    • @Tony-.
      @Tony-. ปีที่แล้ว +4

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

    • @ricardokowalski1579
      @ricardokowalski1579 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Pinky promise😅

  • @jayfeather31
    @jayfeather31 ปีที่แล้ว +72

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

  • @Judah132
    @Judah132 ปีที่แล้ว +587

    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
      @andrewbyrne2173 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      Danke for sharing.

    • @hrotha
      @hrotha ปีที่แล้ว +68

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

    • @benoitbvg2888
      @benoitbvg2888 ปีที่แล้ว +18

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

    • @Anis-zc9rw
      @Anis-zc9rw ปีที่แล้ว +28

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

    • @nlpnt
      @nlpnt ปีที่แล้ว +16

      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
    @rostafori ปีที่แล้ว +28

    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
      @goldeagle8051 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

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

    • @christianvirgil
      @christianvirgil หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@goldeagle8051 😆

  • @dondrbeto
    @dondrbeto ปีที่แล้ว +49

    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
      @adamw9021 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Yes and it's kinda funny 😂

  • @BrkCntkn
    @BrkCntkn ปีที่แล้ว +59

    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
      @The_whales 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

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

  • @albens5852
    @albens5852 ปีที่แล้ว +41

    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
      @edwardblair4096 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      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
      @fandemusique4693 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      @@edwardblair4096 That clearly was a joke.

    • @CyrogenicNation
      @CyrogenicNation ปีที่แล้ว +13

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

  • @bcvetkov8534
    @bcvetkov8534 ปีที่แล้ว +46

    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.

  • @Robert53area
    @Robert53area ปีที่แล้ว +21

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

  • @jamesbissonette8002
    @jamesbissonette8002 ปีที่แล้ว +175

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

    • @youtubeadministration8037
      @youtubeadministration8037 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      A blessing from the Lord!

    • @dog811
      @dog811 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Why are you thanking her majesty

    • @Bustycat
      @Bustycat ปีที่แล้ว +8

      So true my king

    • @tremedar
      @tremedar ปีที่แล้ว +8

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

    • @tsarman2182
      @tsarman2182 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I love you

  • @geezlers
    @geezlers ปีที่แล้ว +25

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

  • @michaeltamke8542
    @michaeltamke8542 ปีที่แล้ว +71

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

    • @jackturner5117
      @jackturner5117 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Yes!! The slow moving ice axe! 😂😂😂

  • @Apeiron242
    @Apeiron242 ปีที่แล้ว +61

    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
      @supa3ek ปีที่แล้ว +7

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

    • @Apeiron242
      @Apeiron242 ปีที่แล้ว +5

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

    • @questerperipatetic4861
      @questerperipatetic4861 ปีที่แล้ว

      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?

  • @harveya1a952
    @harveya1a952 ปีที่แล้ว +288

    Because they wanted James Bisonette to own it

    • @mattbaker3569
      @mattbaker3569 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      Not Kelly Moneymaker?

    • @harveya1a952
      @harveya1a952 ปีที่แล้ว +38

      @@mattbaker3569 Kelly Moneymaker got East Berlin

    • @st1ssl214
      @st1ssl214 ปีที่แล้ว

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

    • @MomMom4Cubs
      @MomMom4Cubs ปีที่แล้ว +11

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

    • @nickmacarius3012
      @nickmacarius3012 ปีที่แล้ว +10

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

  • @ChessedGamon
    @ChessedGamon ปีที่แล้ว +58

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

  • @lucianoosorio5942
    @lucianoosorio5942 ปีที่แล้ว +45

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

    • @Imulti
      @Imulti ปีที่แล้ว +4

      A man of culture

    • @tahamuhammad1814
      @tahamuhammad1814 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Oversimplified

    • @slewone4905
      @slewone4905 ปีที่แล้ว +7

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

    • @aleksandarvil5718
      @aleksandarvil5718 ปีที่แล้ว +1

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

  • @Kreze202
    @Kreze202 ปีที่แล้ว +6

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

  • @Guilhem74
    @Guilhem74 ปีที่แล้ว +315

    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
      @oalsaker ปีที่แล้ว +101

      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
      @Lp-army1 ปีที่แล้ว +13

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

    • @christopherwhite5244
      @christopherwhite5244 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      That isn't a small mistake!

    • @tylerbozinovski427
      @tylerbozinovski427 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@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
      @Dave_Sisson ปีที่แล้ว +15

      @@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.

  • @thetrueintruder1210
    @thetrueintruder1210 ปีที่แล้ว +12

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

  • @Captain_Happy
    @Captain_Happy ปีที่แล้ว +59

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

    • @finnmoog7187
      @finnmoog7187 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Agree 100%!!!

    • @The_whales
      @The_whales 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

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

  • @Laucron
    @Laucron ปีที่แล้ว +14

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

  • @galatheumbreon6862
    @galatheumbreon6862 ปีที่แล้ว +67

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

    • @tremedar
      @tremedar ปีที่แล้ว

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

    • @Hellenic_Empire
      @Hellenic_Empire ปีที่แล้ว

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

    • @ashleyoasis7948
      @ashleyoasis7948 ปีที่แล้ว

      In a Mexican Condo

    • @lawrencedoliveiro9104
      @lawrencedoliveiro9104 ปีที่แล้ว

      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
      @zeked4200 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@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 😂

  • @emperornapoleon6204
    @emperornapoleon6204 ปีที่แล้ว +6

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

  • @indefatigable8193
    @indefatigable8193 ปีที่แล้ว +48

    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!

  • @CocoHutzpah
    @CocoHutzpah ปีที่แล้ว +12

    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.

  • @tarheel7406
    @tarheel7406 ปีที่แล้ว +41

    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
      @hijdiegaapt ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Indeed, should have been in the video

    • @eurodoc6343
      @eurodoc6343 ปีที่แล้ว +4

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

    • @Osterochse
      @Osterochse ปีที่แล้ว +7

      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
      @eurodoc6343 ปีที่แล้ว

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

    • @Osterochse
      @Osterochse ปีที่แล้ว

      @@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. ^^

  • @RaggedDan
    @RaggedDan ปีที่แล้ว +46

    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!

  • @exploshaun
    @exploshaun ปีที่แล้ว +16

    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.

  • @tenszuabaki830
    @tenszuabaki830 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    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 =]

  • @wcd2848
    @wcd2848 ปีที่แล้ว +6

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

  • @BrammBass
    @BrammBass ปีที่แล้ว +6

    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!

  • @nik65stgt60
    @nik65stgt60 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    You do such a great job on these history presentations!

  • @danreed7889
    @danreed7889 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    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".

  • @sumansaxena2277
    @sumansaxena2277 ปีที่แล้ว +128

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

    • @Phateagle262
      @Phateagle262 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      What, no love for Spinning Three Plates? 😄

  • @ethanoffenbacher4829
    @ethanoffenbacher4829 ปีที่แล้ว +14

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

  • @Domass96
    @Domass96 ปีที่แล้ว +1

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

  • @seductive_fishstick8961
    @seductive_fishstick8961 ปีที่แล้ว +6

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

  • @CanadaMMA
    @CanadaMMA ปีที่แล้ว +5

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

  • @natejones902
    @natejones902 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    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"

  • @westtxtapper
    @westtxtapper ปีที่แล้ว +8

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

  • @flavivsaetivs5738
    @flavivsaetivs5738 ปีที่แล้ว +4

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

  • @john98765333
    @john98765333 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    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.

  • @anthonyrowlands1238
    @anthonyrowlands1238 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    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.

  • @Kuac85
    @Kuac85 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great stuff! As always. :)

  • @Rocketsong
    @Rocketsong ปีที่แล้ว +5

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

  • @DiarrheaMusketeer
    @DiarrheaMusketeer ปีที่แล้ว +5

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

  • @vostroyanfirstborn
    @vostroyanfirstborn ปีที่แล้ว +12

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

  • @josephosheavideos3992
    @josephosheavideos3992 หลายเดือนก่อน

    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.

  • @MrGermanpiano
    @MrGermanpiano ปีที่แล้ว

    Always love your videos

  • @aperson22222
    @aperson22222 ปีที่แล้ว +12

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

  • @shadowstorm114
    @shadowstorm114 ปีที่แล้ว +4

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

  • @whatsreal7506
    @whatsreal7506 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Love these videos!

  • @lmgutie
    @lmgutie ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I really liked this chapter. Thanks!

  • @realhawaii5o
    @realhawaii5o ปีที่แล้ว +8

    1:06 Comrade Molotov, watch out!

  • @d0rryx274
    @d0rryx274 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Love the little gun pointing out at 1:06

  • @WWFanatic0
    @WWFanatic0 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    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.

  • @samdumaquis2033
    @samdumaquis2033 ปีที่แล้ว

    Awesome vid as usual

  • @kamikazekoe96
    @kamikazekoe96 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    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

  • @masterchinese28
    @masterchinese28 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    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.

  • @dzvinkaNadia
    @dzvinkaNadia 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

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

  • @anthonymanderson7671
    @anthonymanderson7671 ปีที่แล้ว

    Really educative video!

  • @Homer-OJ-Simpson
    @Homer-OJ-Simpson ปีที่แล้ว +3

    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!

  • @nasis18
    @nasis18 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    History Matters always answering questions I never really thought about, but still very interesting nonetheless.

  • @TheSilverCanine_R3D-H
    @TheSilverCanine_R3D-H ปีที่แล้ว +2

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

  • @RustyDust101
    @RustyDust101 ปีที่แล้ว +29

    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
      @willevensen7130 ปีที่แล้ว

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

  • @ianrogerburton1670
    @ianrogerburton1670 ปีที่แล้ว +6

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

  • @haplon33
    @haplon33 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    great summary of a rarely discussed event of incredible importance

  • @karinwolf3645
    @karinwolf3645 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love you guys!! ❤❤❤ Happy Solstice! 🎀🎄💋🎉😁

  • @Osterochse
    @Osterochse ปีที่แล้ว +168

    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
      @DrJones20 ปีที่แล้ว +14

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

    • @thomaslove6494
      @thomaslove6494 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      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
      @john98765333 ปีที่แล้ว +7

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

    • @onsholo
      @onsholo ปีที่แล้ว +9

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

    • @RevengeOfTheKaizer
      @RevengeOfTheKaizer ปีที่แล้ว +28

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

  • @fusionreactor7179
    @fusionreactor7179 ปีที่แล้ว +8

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

  • @jeanvonestling7408
    @jeanvonestling7408 ปีที่แล้ว

    Another great one.

  • @lol_iyoutube
    @lol_iyoutube ปีที่แล้ว

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

  • @ericauskewneut5598
    @ericauskewneut5598 ปีที่แล้ว +7

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

  • @ShasOSwoll
    @ShasOSwoll ปีที่แล้ว +12

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

  • @anonymousunknown4811
    @anonymousunknown4811 ปีที่แล้ว +2

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

  • @robbabcock_
    @robbabcock_ ปีที่แล้ว

    Great topic!

  • @jynnvynn7562
    @jynnvynn7562 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    “He forgot the sky exists.” Lmao

  • @constantineceasar
    @constantineceasar ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I really love your videos they are informative and really interesting. Keep making content and never stop. I love your channel. Much love from Russia. ❤️❤️❤️

  • @ketsuekikumori9145
    @ketsuekikumori9145 ปีที่แล้ว

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

  • @HarvestStore
    @HarvestStore ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video.

  • @patr3d33
    @patr3d33 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    One of the most interesting episodes - for a german.
    Thank you for solving this question, it really is something interesting to know!

  • @august_ross
    @august_ross ปีที่แล้ว +5

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

  • @bennywestside15
    @bennywestside15 ปีที่แล้ว

    commenting for the algorithm because man, you deserve it

  • @markusskram4181
    @markusskram4181 ปีที่แล้ว

    Cool vid

  • @thatoneguy8146
    @thatoneguy8146 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Yes this was always a question i had about the USSR. Thankyou for making this

  • @andromeda331
    @andromeda331 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    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.

  • @garethfairclough8715
    @garethfairclough8715 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love the attention to detail at @2:51!

  • @Numba003
    @Numba003 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thank you for another excellent video! I suppose I just sorta assumed it was split because it was the capital and the Cold War tensions in Germany lol. Thanks again!
    Merry Christmas out there everybody! ✝️🎄

  • @Thecrownswill
    @Thecrownswill ปีที่แล้ว +6

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