Berlin 1958-63 Flashcards
Why were the people of Berlin unhappy?
There was secret police everywhere
In 1953 riots were violently supressed by the armed forces
Why did East Germans go to west berlin?
For a better wuality of life
Higher salarys
It was easy to cross the borders
Once they were there they could freely travel to the Western Europe
In 1958 how many East Germans fleed to the west?
What type of people left?
3 million (over 1/6 of the population. Many of these were factory workers, teachers, engineers and skilled workers. Just the sort of people East Germnay needed to rebuild it’s economy
Why was West Germany more desirable than East Germany?
West Germany recieved Marshall Aid whulst the East didn’t
The west therefore had a higher standard of life
East Germnay recived little aid from Comecon and it was spent badly.
The East therefore had a low standard of living
The East German government was becoming increasingly unpopular also because there were a lot more restrictions
Why was the Berlin Crisis bad?
It showed communism in a bad way
It was a propaganda disaster for the Soviet Union
How did Khrushchev try and solve the Berlin Crisis?
He made the Belin ultimatum
What happened just before the Berlin ultimatum?
In November 1958 Khrushchev demanded that the Western countrys should officaly recognise West Berlin
What was the Berlin ultimatum?
After the west denied
On 27th November Khrushchev demanded that Berlin should be demilitarised and western troops withdrawn (basicly giving up Berlin). Berlin should become a free city.
How long did the west have to get out of Berlin?
6 months or Khrushchev would hand all routes to West Berlin to East German forces
Why was the Berlin ultimatum clever?
If the west refused they would need to enter into talks with East Germany therefore forcing them inte recognising East Germany as a country
What effects did the Berlin ultimatium have?
Worsened relations as the west saw it as the Soviets trying to spread communism
Who was the Chancellor of West Germnay during the Berlin Crisis?
What did he believe?
Chancellor Adenauer. He didn’t want to give East Germany official recognision but didn’t want to go to war over it.
Why did no one want war over Berlin?
By 1958 both superpowers had massive nuclear arsenals
When was the Geneva summit? (Berlin Crisis)
May 1959
What happened at the Geneva Summit in 1959
Both sides put forwards of how Berlin should be governed.
No agreements made
Where is Geneva?
Switzerland
When was the Camp David summit?
September 1959
What happened in the Camp David summit?
Eisenhower and Khrushchev met face to face for the first time.
Still no agreements about Berlin
Khrushchev withdrew the berlin ultimatum.
Better relations were established
When was the Paris summit meeting?
MY 1960
What happened at the Paris summit meeting
U2 spy plane incident overshadowed it
Khrushchev walked out after Eisenhower wouldn’t appologise for spying.
No decisions made
Complete Desaster
When was the U2 spy plane incident?
May 1st 1960
Who was the piot of the U2 plane that was shot down?
What did he do?
Gary Powers
Under interigation he admitted that it was a spying mission
What did the American’s claim the U2 spy plane was doing?
He was a weather plane that had blown off course
When was the first ever visit to the USA by a Soviet leader?
Who?
1959
Khrushchev
What did the US Air Force and CIA often do in the cold war?
Use U2 Spy planes for spying. They often flew from friendly nations such as Pakistan.
When did JFK become president?
January 1961
How did the new president Kennedy effect the Vienna summit?
He followed a policy of building up the US’s military but tryed to resolve difficulties with the USSR throuh talks.
He was inexperienced
His reputation has suffered from the bay of pigs incident
This caused Khrushchev to be very tough with Kennedy
When was the Vienna summit?
June 1961
What happened at the Vienna summit?
Khrushchev was very though with Kennedy as he thought he was inexperienced
He renewed the Berlin ultimatum
Kennedy refused to make any concesions
Nothing agreed in the end
The relationship between Kennedy and Khrushchev was very strained
What did Kennedy do after Vienna?
What did this seem to imply?
He increased spending in armed forces by $2 billion
It seemed like theUS was ready to go to war over Berlin
How old was JFK?
Whenwas he born?
43 (youngest president ever)
Born in 1917. He fought in WW2 before becoming president
What were the effects of the dispute of Berlin?
Increased military spending in the US
Worsened relations
Berlin wall built
One night in August 1961hiw many people traveled to West Berlin?
40,000
Who was the East German leader in 1961?
Walter Ulbricht
What did Walter Ulbricht want?
The boarderbetween East Germany and West Germnay to be closed
When was the Berlin wall built?
The night of the 12th August 1961
What was the begginign of the Berlin wall?
Barbed wited fences
How long was the Berlin wall?
165 Km
What was the Berlin wall’s main intention?
To solve the refugee crisis
What was the Berlin wall made of in the end?
Concreate. However there were actually 2 walls with a “no man’s zone” in the middle packed with booby-traps barbed wire, minefields and car barriers. It was guarded by lookout towers with machine guns who would shoot on sight
Give an example of an escape attemp over the berlin wall
One women through a matress out of the window and jumped over the wall
She escaped but died of her injurys latter
How did West Berlin help people cross the wall?
The fire department would hold blanckets for people to jump into
How many people died trying to cross the Berlin wall?
It is estimated that it is around 130
Give one of the saddest attemps to cross the wall?
In August 1962. 2 building workers made a dash for it
1 reached west berlin but the other (Peter Fechter) was shot
He layed in east berlin dying pf 45 minutes as thoisands of West Berliners shouted “murderers” across the wall
Negative impacts of the Berlin wall for the USSR?
Khrushchev had to abandon plans to unite Germnay under Soviet rule
Wall clearly showed that communsim was unliked as the Soviets had to lock people in
Positive impacts of the Berlin wall for the USSR?
Stopped the Berlin refugee crisis
It sent a message of how far the USSR was willing to go to preserve communsim
Negative impacts of the Berlin Wall for the USA?
Soviets had closed boarders without consolting with the USA
People who wanted to escape communism couldn’t anymore
They didn’t really “win”
Positive impacts of the Berlin wall for the USA?
It clearly showed that Khrushchev agnolaged West Berlin and in extencion West Germany
Berlin became a symbol of freedom and how people wanted to fight communism
What happened when Kennedy visoted Berlin in 1963?
He was welcomed by thousands of West Berliners
He was showed in flowers, rice, crouds chanted his name
He made the Ich bin ein Berliner
What were the effect of the Berlin wall on the relations of the Superpowers?
It made them more tence as:
It clearly remined people of the Iron Curtian speach
It became a powerful symbol of how people disliked communsim
However
The probelem of Berlin was solved and kennedy said that a wall was better than war
In some ways it reduced tention
When was the Cuban Revolution?
January 1959
Who lead the Cuban Revolution?
Che Guevara
Fidel Castro
Why were americans concerned about the Cuban Revolution?
US businesses had invested heavely in Cuba
Much of the land was owned by Cuba
Cuba’s oil refinerys, electriclty, phone and railways were controlled by the US
The US invested in Cubas main export sugar
Castro was a nationalist and didn)t want his country ander the rule of the USA
How did the Cuban revolution effect relations between the US and Cuba
Tention grew in 3 main areas
1) America reluctantly recognised the new government but wouldn’t economicly support them unless they met certian criterias
2) Cuba took the land owned by foreign nationals (who were conpensated) however the US refused to recognise this
3) Castro was appointing communists in his government and the USSR was buying Sugar from them and providing wconomic aid. In the contract there was a secret clause that Cuba would recieve weapons from the Soviet Union
When did the US say they would economicly assist Cuba?
When they met guidlines set put by the International Monetary Fund
When did Cuba take the foreign owned land in Cuba?
May 1959
