Why did Stalin want West Berlin?
1. Because West Berlin was in the middle of the Soviet Zone of occupation and Stalin didn’t like Western troops traveling through or flying over territory under his control. Stalin was quite paranoid and didn’t want anyone to gain intelligence on the placement of his forces. 2. West Berlin gave Western intelligence a bridghead from which to gather intelligence about the Soviets. 3. Before the Berlin Wall was built, German citizens utilized West Berlin to escape the Soviet Zone and flee to the comparative freedom of the West. All those Germans escaping his control were not only an embarassment to him, but they tended to take their riches with them, thus further impoverishing his Zone. 4. Stalin was a control freak.
