The Berlin Wall 1958-63 Flashcards
Cause 1 - The refugee problem/brain drain from 1958
Following the division of Germany into FRG and GDR in 1949, there were a growing number of people fleeing the East via Berlin. By 1958, 3m East Germans had crossed to the West. These were the educated professionals needed to run the economy so this was a major problem for the GDR and Soviet economy.
Cause 2 - Political problems backed Krushchev into a corner
As a direct result of the refugee problem, Krushchev wanted Berlin to become a part of the GDR. So, on 27th November, 1958, Krushchev issued a 6-month ultimatum for the Western powers to leave Berlin. However, in order to try and resolve this tension over Berlin, the two superpowers met at Geneva and Camp David. Unfortunately, any progress made at Camp David was lost when the USSR shot down an American spy plane and so, after another conference at Vienna, Krushchev decided to put up a barbed wire fence on 13th August, 1961.
Event 1 - The early construction of a barbed wire fence
On 13th August, the border with West Berlin was closed and East German troops built a barbed wire fence around Berlin and between East and West Berlin.
Event 2 - The Wall is made more permanent
This was only the beginning and on the 17th August, construction began on a concrete wall which would stretch 165 kilometres. By the end of the summer the wall was finished, including ‘no-man’s land’ packed with booby traps, barbed wire, minefields and car-barriers, all guarded by hundreds of lookout towers with machine gun nests and powerful searchlights.
Consequence 1 - The wall made the Soviet Union look weak
Krushchev had to abandon plans to unite Germany under Soviet control and the wall showed that the Soviet Union had to ‘lock’ people into East Germany to stop them from leaving. Given a choice, they seemed to prefer capitalism over communism.
Consequence 2 - The wall became a symbol of freedom and defiance against communism.
The positive results for JFK’s reputation were shown when he visited Berlin in 1963. He was treated like a rock star and he made a famous speech in which he said “Ich bin ein Berliner” to show his solidarity with West Berlin.
However, the wall also had one positive effect on international relations: it made any ‘hot’ conflict over Berlin much less likely. As JFK also said: A wall was better than a war.
