The Refugee Problem In Berlin

Question 1

What was going in between 1949-61 ?

Answer 1

4 million East Germans had fled to Western Germany through Berlin as they where dissatisfied with the economic and political conditions of eastern Berlin

Question 2

What was one stand out reason for the Soviet Unions unpopularity ?

Answer 2

The forced collectivization of agriculture and the end of private trading
Both where not popular among East Germany
Moreover there where shortages of consumer goods

Question 3

When did the amount of refugees increase ?

Answer 3

January 1961
- the amount of refugees from East to West Berlin republish increased to 20,000+ a month
- many being professionals such as the entire maths department of Leipzig university and skilled crasftsmen

Question 4

What did the sudden increase of refugees mean for East Berlin ?

Answer 4

It threatened to bring economic collapse to East Germany

Question 5

What did Krushchev need to do ?

Answer 5

He needed to solve the problem as Berlin was becoming a gap in the iron curtain and the Soviet Union needed to stitch this gap shut