The Berlin Wall Flashcards
When did Berlin become an island? Why?
-1945->due to the division of Germany
What proved the vulnerability of Berlin?
the Berlin Blockade
What was Berlin like after the Blockade in 1949?
-after the Berlin Blockade all air corridors, transport links and free movement around the City was allowed->you could live in the East and work in the West
What made the division of East and West Berlin worse?
-the division of East and West Berlin was made worse by the creation of the FRG and DDR
What did the DDR recognise Berlin as but what did the FRG insist?
-the DDR recognised Berlin as the capital of East Germany, however, the FRG still insisted it was under occupation by the 4 powers
What were the 1961 crisis’?
-Khrushchev’s ultimatum
-GDR Seven Year Plan
-breakdown of the USSR and USA relations:
What was Khrushchev’s ultimatum? When?
-1961
-he demanded that the 3 Western powers withdraw from Berlin with 6 months to create a demilitarised free city state
-the USA appeared to negotiate so the issue was dropped
-the 1960 U2 crisis exacerbated relations (a US spy plane was shot down in Soviet airspace)
-Khrushchev remained committed to protect Berlin
Who was Khrushchev?
Soviet leader
What was the GDR Seven Year Plan?
-Ulbricht decided to abort the 5 Year Plan which upped expected levels of productivity and accelerate the process of collectivisation of farms->led to a sharp increase in refugees from DDR to the FRG (1959=143.9->1961=207)
What led to the breakdown of the USSR and USA relations?
-JFK met Khrushchev but the meeting went badly->Khrushchev threatened war if there was no settlement over Berlin->JFK stated that he would guarantee the status of West Berlin and would protect access (but didn’t threaten the USSR)
What made the DDR government feel threatened their fragile state?
-more than 3 million East Germans had migrated to the FRG
Why is it unclear whether Khrushchev or Ulbricht gave the direct order to build the wall?
-all negotiations were concluded in secret until Operation Rose was launched
What was the East German government’s official reason for the Berlin Walls construction?
-pure propaganda
When was the wall built?
August 13th 1961
How was the wall built?
-while the world slept, East German officials shut down the border between East Germany and West Berlin, in effect circling the city
-bulldozers rolled in, workers quickly erected a wire fence barrier and in a 24 hour period East German authorities blocked nearly 100 miles of border
What was the FRG’s response to the wall being built?
-couldn’t legally challenge the building of the wall because it was built on the DDR side
-it was obvious that no side was willing to seriously escalate the situation which could lead to full-scale war
What did the Berlin Wall underline and allow?
-the creation of the Berlin Wall underlined the iron curtain which had been established in the wake of WW2->it allowed both superpowers to co-exist with clear boundaries established
What was the original wall like?
-no more than a wire fence patrolled 24/7 by armed guards and watchdogs
How was the wall improved in 1962?
-an improved wire fence was established
How long did the improved wire fence last?
1965
What change was made to the wall in 1965?
-a concrete wall was erected->that stood guard for 10 years
When was a reinforced concrete wall build and how long did the structure stand?
-1975
-stood until 1989
What was built in 1962 and how was the wall improved?
-during construction of the improved wire fence in 1962, a second fence was built 110 yards in from the first->powerful spotlights lit the area between the 2 fences and it was layered with sand and fine gravel so that footprints would be easily seen->this area became known as the ‘Death Strip’ because so many who tried to defect and made it through the first fence found themselves in an impossible situation and were often shot for their efforts
What did the area between the 2 fences became known as?
-‘Death Strip’ because so many who tried to defect and made it through the first fence found themselves in an impossible situation and were often shot for their efforts
What was the final version of the wall?
-it measured 103 miles in length and stood 12 feet tall and at its peak, help 302 watchtowers and 20 bunkers
How many people tried to cross the wall?
-around 5,000
How many people were killed trying to escape?
100-200
Why is it hard to have accurate figured of the escape attempts and deaths?
-the secretive nature of the East German government and it’s reluctance to share news that would obviously hurt the country’s political image
How many border guards escaped in the first 2 years?
1,300
How did people escape early on? What was a result of this?
-there were residential buildings along 23 miles of the wall and people attempted to simply jump over the wall from upstairs windows and roofs->many were successful->bulldozers eventually levelled those residential areas so more inventive means of escape were devised
How did people escape after bulldozers levelled the residential areas?
-ultra-lights and hot air balloons being flown over the wall while other would be refugees slide along aerial wires strung between the 2 areas
-tunnels were popular until bulldozers dug them up and some people crawled through the sewer system to escape->several drove cars through the barrier prompting the construction of the reinforced concrete wall
What was life like for families who were separated by the wall?
-West Berliners initially could not visit East Berlin or East Germany at all->all crossing points were closed to them between August 1961-December 1963
-in 1963 negotiations between East and West resulted in a limited possibility for visits during the Christmas season that year
-similarly very limited arrangements were made in 1964-1966
Why could this be considered a turning point in DDR/FRG relations?
-it would’ve further separated them and resulted in little to no communication between the different zones
What were the effects of building the wall?
-it kept people in East Berlin but many (~5,000) still tried to escape and it would have reminded them of the control of Nazi Germany but to a more extreme level
Do you think the Berlin Wall achieved what it intended to?
-they intended to prevent Brain Drain which was somewhat successful because people couldn’t leave and they gained more control
-people would’ve been unhappy and reminded of Nazi control to a more
extreme level ->more opposition
