Berlin Wall

Question 1

Causes of the Berlin Wall - Soviet Repression

Answer 1

• Migration from East to West Germany had increased in the first half of the 1950s
• more fled following the brutal put down of the Hungarian Uprising by Soviet troops in 1956
• Many East German’s feared the Soviet Union’s fierce repression

Question 2

Causes of the Berlin Wall - West German prosperity

Answer 2

• in the 1950s the FRG’s economy was thriving
• many East Germans were aware of the disparity in the standard of living between the two Germanys
• Many emigrated to the west, which damaged East Germany’s economy
• a lot of qualified, skilled workers left the East for jobs with better pay in the west

Question 3

Causes of the Berlin Wall - a history of divided Berlin

Answer 3

• divided Berlin has been a touchy subject ever since the Berlin Blockade

Question 4

Causes of the Berlin Wall - the demands of Khrushchev

Answer 4

• Soviet Union leader, Khrushchev gave an ultimatum to the West in 1958
• he wanted them to leave West Berlin and hand over control of access routes to the USSR
• this was part of his policy to get East Germany officially recognised as a state
• however, the western powers refused and the issue fizzled out

Question 5

Causes of the Berlin Wall - collectivisation within East Germany

Answer 5

• collectivisation was introduced by the East German government in 1961
• this is the merging of individual farms unto a bigger and, in theory, more efficient farm
• this resulted in more East Germans going west

Question 6

Causes of the Berlin Wall - Vienna Summit

Answer 6

• Khrushchev met with President Kennedy in 1961
• he presented his ultimatum from 1958 but Kennedy refused
• Kennedy declared his commitment to protecting the FRG and increasing military spending

Question 7

Construction of the Berlin Wall - barbed wire

Answer 7

• restrictions of travel were put in place by the East German government after the Vienna Summit
• shortly after, on the 12th of August, a barbed wire barrier was erected

Question 8

Construction of the Berlin Wall - the wall

Answer 8

• it was said by the soviets that wall was a barrier to protect the East from fascism
• a few days after the barbed wire, construction was started on the all
• it was 140km in length
• the only official checkpoint between the West and the East was Checkpoint Charlie

Question 9

West’s response to the wall

Answer 9

• West German troops were sent into Eastern Berlin on the 27th of October
• soviet tanks faced the troops at Charlie
• a stalemate developed
• protest was made against the wall but it was accepted that it was built within the soviet sector
• it also confirmed that the USSR didn’t want to seize Berlin

Question 10

ideological impact of the wall on the west

Answer 10

• used as Western propaganda

- the wall was argued to be a reflection of the USSR’s acknowledgement of the failings of communism in East Germany

Question 11

Criticising Kennedy

Answer 11

• hardliners criticised Kennedy

- they argued that he should have torn down the wall

Question 12

Criticising Khrushchev

Answer 12

• some claimed that Khrushchev wasn’t strong enough to drive out Western powers from West Berlin

Question 13

ideological impact of the wall on the east

Answer 13

• Ulbricht was able to consolidate his dictatorship over East Germany thanks to the wall
• repression and terror were used to govern the totalitarian state

Question 14

economic impact of the wall on East Germany

Answer 14

• the walls stopped the emigration from east to west
• families were split up
• mass workers exodus was stoped, which meant that economic progress could take place