Topic 2 - 1957-69 Flashcards
Why were people escaping E Germany to go to West Germany ?
The EastGerman government was extremely unpopular and there was much more freedom in East Germany - Berlin was the centre of East Germany’s refugee problem
Why was the refugee problem in Germany a propaganda disaster for Khrushchev ?
It proved that many people preferred the capitalist West t the communist East
What did Khrushchev do in response to the refugee problem in 1958 ?
In November 1958 he declared the whole city of Berlin officially belonged to the East and he also issued an ultimatum, giving US troops 6 months to withdraw from Berlin
What was Eisenhower’s response to to Khrushchev’s ultimatum ?
It was agreed that an international meeting would be held to discuss the future of Berlin
When did the Geneva Summit take place ?
May 1959
What happened at the Geneva summit ?
Foreign representatives from the USA and USSR met but no solution was agreed to the issue in Berlin - however it laid the groundwork for Khrushchev to visit the USA and talk face-to-face with Eisenhower
Where did Eisenhower and Krushchev meet for a second summit meeting and when ?
September 1959 in Camp David
What was agreed at Camp David ?
No solution was agreed however a further summit in the following year was agreed to be held. Khrushchev also agreed to withdraw his 6 month ultimatum
How many East German refugees escaped to West Germany between 1949 and 1961?
2.7 million
When did Kennedy become president ?
January 1961
Paris summit
Took place in May 1960 but was a DISASTER :
- before the meeting the USSR had shot down an American spy plane over Russia and captured the pilot. Khrushchev walked out of the conference when Eisenhower refused to apologise.
Vienna Conference
January 1961 between Khrushchev and Kennedy;
Neither side was willing to back down over the U.S. presence in Berlin
Khrushchev saw Kennedy’s inexperience as a weakness to be exploited and so reissued the 6 month ultimatum,confident Kennedy would back down
Kennedy’s response to the ultimatum
Declared he would not remove troops and started preparing America for war - committing $3.2 billion on defence spending
An extra $207 million spent on building nuclear fallout shelters - stalemate had been reached
What happened at the Paris summit in May 1960 ?
Just before the conference the USSR shot down a US spy plane over Russia and captured the pilot
Khrushchev walked out of the meeting in protest when Eisenhower refused to apologise
When was the vienna Conference
June 1961
When did John.F. Kennedy become president ?
January 1961
What happened at the Vienna conference ?
Neither side was willing to back down to over US presence in Berlin
Khrushchev saw Kennedy’s inexperience as a weakness to be exploited and confident that he would back down, he reissued the ultimatum
What was Kennedy’s response to the ultimatum ?
He refused to back down and declared he would not remove troops
He also started preparing America for war by committing $3.2 billion on defence spending and an extra $207 million on building nuclear fallout shelters - stalemate was reached
What was Khrushchev’s solution to the refugee problem ?
To build a wall separating East and West Berlin - making it impossible for E.Germans to escape to the West
When did East German troops secretly erect a barbed wire fence around the whole of West Berlin? - what would become the Berlin wall
12 August 1961 ?
What happened on the 27th October 1961 ?
Soviet tanks were deployed to block further Western access to the East, causing a day-long stand-off with US tanks
After 18 hours the tanks began to pull back and the crisis had passed
Impacts of the Berlin wall
- it stopped E.Germans escaping to the West and stopped refugee crisis
- allowed Khrushchev to avoid war with US while still appearing strong
- became a powerful symbol of the division of Germany and the division of Europe
When did Kennedy tour West Berlin and what did it allow West Berlin to become the symbol of ?
1963 - West Berlin became a symbol of freedom
Arms race 1945-61
USA had nuclear weapons in Italy, U.K., France, and Turkey that could accurately hit Moscow. USSR did not have any nuclear weapons close enough to the USA to be accurately fired.
