Berlin Wall Flashcards
What was the standard of living like in East Germany?
Poor
Why did skilled workers particularly want to leave East Germany?
For better pay and greater freedoms
Why were older and more vulnerable people happy to stay in East Germany?
They were supported by the state. They knew they would have an apartment etc.
What was Khrushchev’s ultimatum over the city of Berlin, issued on the 27th November 1958?
That the allies should leave the city to make it a neutral free city.
Due to the fact no side, the east or the west wanted a war, what took place to try to sort out the issue of Berlin?
The Paris and Vienna Summits
What major event led to a breakdown in relations during talks in Paris in May 1960?
An American spy plane was shot down in the USSR
How did US President Kennedy appear tough and determined over Berlin at talks with Khrushchev in Vienna in 1961?
He refused to withdraw western forces from Berlin and increased defence spending.
What did East German troops begin doing on the night of August 12th 1961?
Building a wall in Berlin
How long was the eventual concrete wall?
43km (27 miles)
How did people try to escape East Berlin while the wall was being built?
Jumping the barriers, jumping out of windows, running through checkpoints
How did the wall help the USSR but also show them to be the “bad guys”?
It stopped migration to the West but made East Germany like a prison
How was the West able to use the Wall as a propaganda victory?
It made East Germany and Communism seem like a prison
What was the theme of the speech that President Kennedy gave in front of the wall in the June of 1963?
That freedom was better than communism, that the USA would defend West Berlin and that the Berlin Wall was wrong
