Berlin Wall Flashcards
Why and when was the Berlin Wall erected?
First erected 13th august 1961 it hoped to stop people from crossing the border between east and west Germany because it was damaging their economy but it was also put up so people couldn’t see the success of the west.
What was the west’s response to the Berlin Wall?
In June 1963 Kennedy made a speech to West Berlin to make clear his - and the USAs commitment to fighting communism.
It was a propaganda victory for the USA as it showed people wanted to live in capitalist west Germany but they had to be forced in east Germany in order for them to stay
What was the impact on the east in response to the wall?
It halted the economic loss and loss of skilled workers
It showed soviets had given up on unifying Berlin under communist rule as kruschev had originally demanded in 1958
Kruschev thought that Kennedy was weak by allowing him to build the wall this encouraged him to think about deploying missiles in Cuba
What did the Berlin Wall lead to?
Checkpoint charlie standoff 1961. Arguably was one of the climaxes for events that caused tension, as it was a physical standoff between East and West.
