19. The Berlin Wall Flashcards
How long was the Berlin Wall to keep the city divided for?
30 years
How was Berlin Wall split at first?
No east Berliners were allowed to pass. Barbed wire fences were put up and trains could no longer cross the border
When /what was the Berlin wall
13th august 1961
East German troops lined the border between east and West Berlin
How long did it take for the Berlin Wall to be built?
Seven days while troops blocked the border
Who carried out the building of the wall?
East Germans did officially but A few miles outside the city soviet tanks waited ready to intervene should there be any resistance
How did the wall split families?
Became illegal to cross the border to visit relatives
What lengths did people go to get between the wall?
A group built a tunnel from one side of Berlin to another
Give political reasons the Berlin Wall was constructed
- Khrushchev wanted complete removal of allied troops
- The U2 crisis triggered a fear of Allied spies in East Berlin
- as Khrushchev was angry the Americans refuse to apologise for the U2 incident
Give Economic reasons the Berlin Wall happened
- To stop high skilled workers from leaving East Berlin
- as west Germany became more prosperous due to the deutschmark
- as Berliners were working long hours and suffering food shortages so they may leave
What happened in the Vienna summit?
It was the first time Kennedy met Khrushchev and the first summit since the failed Paris summit. Khrushchev have ended up over powering Kennedy as he did not want West Berlin capitalist despite Kennedy’s interests.
Give a score of how successful Kennedy was in the Vienna summit and the effect it had in its reputation
2/10 as he didn’t actually do anything and he looked weak and unreliable
What was Kennedy’s initial response to the building of the Berlin Wall?
He didn’t do anything as West Berlin was still free and travel between West Berlin and west Germany was allowed. The USA only sent a complaint to Moscow about the east as it wasn’t worth a war
What effect did Kennedy’s initial response to the Berlin Wall have on his reputation and give his actions a score.
4/10 as he seemed defeated, it made Kennedy seem somewhat wise but still undetermined
What was the crisis at checkpoint Charlie?
In October 1961, American diplomat was refused entry to east Berlin to go to a theatre. This led to a standoff at the border including tanks. The crisis was averted when Kennedy and Khrushchev agreed to withdraw. The two sides took turns reversing the tanks 5 m at a time and the slightest error could’ve led to war
When was Kennedy’s speech and what was it called
June 1963He visited the Berlin Wall in West Berlin and made a speech to 120,000 west berliners telling them he will protect them against communism through the USA’s commitment to fight and famously said ‘Ich bin ein berliner’ sending the SU a clear message
