What was the impact and significance of the berlin blockade and airlift and what went into the event?

In many ways the blockade was a challenge from Stalin to
Western Europe and the allied powers of the United States and England and the other
Western European governments.  Stalin felt that the Allies would not be interested in
spending the enormous amounts of resources necessary to maintain their presence in West
Berlin and would simply cede the city over to their
control.

Of course the allies felt differently and embarked
on an enormous effort to bring everything necessary to Berlin by air, generally loads of
up to 1500 tons a day.  This included food, heating fuel or coal, even materials to
build a larger runway.  The effort was a great morale booster for the allies and also
helped to cement the ties with the new German government by showing that the allies
would go to great lengths to maintain the integrity of their new borders and keep them
safe from what they saw as the Soviet threat.