4.2 Flashcards
What happened on the 13th of August 1961?
Khrushchev closed the border between East and West Berlin
East German troops erectes a barbed wire wall
43km around West Berlin
What were features of the fnished Berlin wall?
- Trip wire machine guns
- Patrolling soldiers and dogs
- Floodlights
- 3.6m wall
- Minefields
What happened in October 1961?
As serious stand off between the US and the USSR
The US disputed the right of Soviet troops to patrol and guard the checkpoints
And to check the passports of American officials who passed through these checkpoints
Describe the buildup of the standoff:
Americans stationed their own troops and tanks on the Western side
This provoked the Soviets to place tanks on the East German side
Happened at Checkpoint Charlie
How did the standoff come to an end?
JFK worked behind the scenes to avoid any such conflict, promising Khrushchev that if the USSR removed their troops, so would the USA
What was the impact of the Berlin Wall on Germans?
- Families were split as some lived in the East and some in the West
- Travel restricitions made it very difficult for relatives to see one another
Germans also felt betrayes
- The USSR had broken their 1949 agreement about the running of Berlin
Berlin Crisis consequences for the USSR:
- Refugee problem solved
- Economic crisis of East Germany slowly evaporated
- Khrushchev felt he had beaten Kennedy
Tensions were eased
When did Kennedy visit Berlin?
1963
What was the Kennedy’s reception in Berlin?
He was met by huge, cheering crowds
He was applauded by some East Germans on the other side of the wall too
