Berlin Wall 1961

Question 1

Berlin Wall

Answer 1

The Berlin Wall was a guarded concrete barrier that divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989.
The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area that contained anti-vehicle trenches, and other defenses.

Question 2

Causes

Answer 2

The failure to come up with a long-term solution after the Berlin Blockade meant that inevitably tensions would continue over what to do with Berlin.
• USSR was losing the Arms Race so couldn’t use force to threaten USA
• To prevent East Berliners from spending money, working and viewing propaganda in the West.

Question 3

Consequences

Answer 3

People couldn’t visit families.
Couldn’t get to their jobs.
West Berliners demonstrated against the wall and led the criticism against the US who they felt had failed to respond.
People died trying to cross.

Question 4

Fall of the Berlin wall 1992

Answer 4

In 1981, a series of revolutions in Poland and Hungary caused a chain reaction in east Germany. After several weeks of civil unrest the East German government announced on 9 November 1989, all citizens could visit west Germany and West Berlin. The Wall officially fell in 1992.

Question 5

Negotiations

Answer 5

The Geneva Summit – May 1959
• No solution agreed but laid groundwork for future talks

Camp David Summit - September 1959
• Khrushchev withdraws his 6 month ultimatum, no solution made but agreed to talks the following year

The Paris Summit – May 1960
American U2 Spy Plane was shot down whilst spying over Russia.

The Vienna Conference – June 1961
• Khrushchev thought he could take advantage of the young US president JFK.