How were Barriers Broken?
Physically?
The Berlin Airlift was significant overall during this particular time in history, however the physical barrier that caused an airlift to be put into action initially was the Berlin Blockade established by the Soviet Union. The Soviet’s foreshadowed the first step in the process of the blockade by making a public announcement that Autobahn, the highway connecting western Germany to Berlin would be shut down “indefinitely” for "repair reasons". They stopped all rail, road, and water communications from entering West Berlin. This forced any source of products to be brought over by plane since all surface travel was unavailable.
The blockade caused problems, however not ones large enough that the newly formed group of allies couldn’t figure out. The shutdown of Autobahn not only halted all supplies from entering the city but also reduced industrial exports which would in turn continue to bring Germany’s economy down. To avoid this, the U.S. and Britain put together a smaller airlift that would go in the opposite direction towards West Germany to be exported from there. Since the blockade was overcome by allying countries, the Soviet’s took the blockade down $244 million and 2,323,738 tons of supplies later.
Source: Newspaper.com
Ideologically?
An ideology refers to "a set of normative beliefs" one may have for numerous reasons. Throughout the course of the Berlin Airlift, various ideologies became more apparent and influential over Berliners and other countries as well.
One of the most ideological divisions resided over what should be done with Germany, which in turn would tear the ‘Big Four’ apart. The Big Four was a set of former allies that developed during World War I and consisted of France, Italy, Great Britain, and the United States. Together they decided keeping Germany separated would not help its economy; France, Great Britain, and the United States decided to consolidate their zones of Germany.
Source: Air force Historical Support Division
In response to this decision, the Soviet’s chose to create their blockade. However, little did they know these countries came together and collectively decided to arrange for a “massive support system” to supply West Berlin with all they needed. The relationship formed between these countries as they helped out Germany in a major time of need, despite previous situations, proved they overcame the battle of ideologies that was raging throughout the Cold War.
Source: DW.com