2.1 - Berlin 1958-63 : Increased Tension and The Impact of The Berlin Wall

Question 1

Why was there a refugee problem in Berlin?

Answer 1

• East Germany received far less aid from the Soviet Union and the government’s economic policies in the 1950s were largely unsuccessful.
• East Germans suffered a low standard of living and shortages of basic goods.
• East Germans were constantly monitored by the secret police.

Question 2

Why was the refugee problem such a disaster for Khrushchev?

Answer 2

• By 1958, three million East Germans had crossed to the West, which included many skilled workers (engineers, technicians, teachers), were vital for East Germany’s economy.
• As so many East Germans were fleeing to capitalist West Germany it was obvious that they preferred the West - this was a great propaganda disaster.

Question 3

What was Khrushchev’s Berlin ultimatium? When was it?

Answer 3

• Khrushchev’s response to the refugee crisus was the Berlin ultimatium - if the West left Berlin it would be more difficult for the East Germans to get into West Germany.
• So, on November 1958, Khrushchev issued his Berlin Ultimatum and demanded that : Berlin should be demilitarised and Western troops withdrawn; Berlin should become a free city.

Question 4

What was Khrushchev’s threat if the West did not make the changes stated in his ultimatum?

Answer 4

The West had six months to make these changes or else Khrushchev threatened to hand over control of transport to the East Berlin government. If this happened, it would force the Western powers to talk to the East German authorities and so force them to acknowledge East Germany as a legitimate country.

Question 5

What was the West’s reaction to the Berlin ultimatum?

Answer 5

• The West was outraged by Khrushchev’s demands and saw his actions as another example of the Soviet Union trying to spread communism.
• However, they opted for a series of talks between 1959 and 1961 to solve the “Berlin problem”.

Question 6

When were the summit meetings which took place to solve the “Berlin problem”? What were they each called?

Answer 6

Geneva - May 1959
Camp David - September 1959
Paris - May 1960
Vienna - June 1961

Question 7

Explain what happened at the Geneva summit meeting.

Answer 7

• Both sides proposed for how Berlin should be governed - no agreement was reached.
• Eisenhower invited Khrushchev for further talks.
• Took place in May 1959.

Question 8

Explain what happened in the Camp David summit meeting.

Answer 8

• Took place in September 1959.
• Soviets agreed to withdraw the Berlin Ultimatum.
• No agreements about the way forward for Berlin.
• Further talks to be held in Paris.

Question 9

Describe what occured in the Paris summit meeting.

Answer 9

• Took place in May 1960.
• Soviet Union annoucned that an Americsn U-2 spyplane had been shotdown on May 1st which destroyed any chance of the talks to be successful.
• Eisenhower refused to apologise and Khrushchev walked out of the meeting; ending with no decisions being made.

Question 10

Describe what happened in the Vienna summit meeting.

Answer 10

• Took place in June 1961.
• John F. Kennedy became president of the USA in Jan 1961.
• Khrushchev believed Kennedy was inexperienced in foreign affairs and he knew Kennedy’s reputation had suffered when the Americsn invasion of Cuba at the “Bay of Pigs” in April 1961 failed. So, he renewed the Berlin Ultimatum of 1958.
• Kennedy did not want to seem weak and did not give way over control of Berlin; meeting ended with no final decision on Berlin.

Question 11

What did Kennedy do after the summit meeting in Vienna?

Answer 11

Kennedy decided to increase spending on American armed forces by over $2 billion; this showed that the USA was prepared to fight over Berlin.

Question 12

What was the impact of the Berlin Wall initially?

Answer 12

• Families, friends and neighbours were parted for years
• People tried to cross the border and were killed

Question 13

When was the Berlin Wall built?

Answer 13

1961 till it was destroyed in 1989.

Question 14

What were the negative outcomes of the Berlin Wall for the Soviet Union?

Answer 14

• Khrushchev had to abandon plans to unite Germany under Soviet control
• The Wall showed that the Soviet Union had to ‘lock’ people into East Germany to stop them leaving; this shows us they preferred capitalism over communism

Question 15

What were the positive outcomes of the Berlin Wall for the Soviet Union?

Answer 15

• The Wall stopped refugees leaving for the West through East Berlin
• The Wall sent the West a message that communism would survive in Berlin and that any attempt to reunite Germany under Western control would fall

Question 16

What were the negative outcomes of the Berlin Wall for the USA.

Answer 16

• Soviet Union had closed the border without consulting the USA.
• Those people who wanted to escape from communism were no longer able to.

Question 17

What were the positive outcomes of the Berlin Wall for the USA.

Answer 17

• The wall showed Khrushchev had been forced to accept Western control in West Berlin.
• West Berlin became an emblem of freedom and defiance against communism.

Question 18

What were the negative outcomes of the Berlin Wall on international relations?

Answer 18

• Both sides had been arguing about Germany since WW2 and the numerous meetings had failed to resolve this. Shows that things were so bad the Soviets had to divide Germany with a concrete wall.
• The Berlin Wall became a powerful symbol of differences between the East and West for almost 30 years.

Question 19

What were the positive outcomes of the Berlin Wall on international relations?

Answer 19

• Berlin was divided and the borders between East and West Germany were closed therefore there was less likelihood that the US and Soviet Union would fight over Berlin.
• In some ways the building of the Wall may have reduced the tension slightly
• However, any improvements to relations were soon destroyed by the events, which occurred in Cuba 1962