The Berlin Wall Flashcards
(8 cards)
1
Q
What was East Berlin like? (5)
A
- Harsh communist regime of Walter Ulbricht
- Tolerable living conditions but pales in comparison to west berlin few hundred meters away
- Western powers invested lots into west berlin
- 1950s East Germans still allowed to go freely to West Berlin
- 1950s thousands leaving East Berlin to live in West Berlin
2
Q
Who was USSR leader during berlin wall?
A
Nikita Khruschev
3
Q
Actions by USSR (2)
A
- 1961 Khruschev demanded JFK to withdraw troops from West Berlin but JFK refused
- 13 August 1961 East German soldiers erected barbed wire along border (quickly replaced by concrete wall)
4
Q
Long term defenses of Berlin wall (4)
A
- Double walled inner and outer
- Watch tower with electric shock device
- Beds of needles
- Bunker with soldiers to shoot on sight
5
Q
Negatives of wall (for Berliners) (3)
A
- Families and friends divided
- Commuters lost jobs
- 140 died trying to cross wall and shot
6
Q
When was the wall torn down?
A
1989
7
Q
Advantages for USSR (3)
A
- People stopped leaving to west
- Communists consolidated their control over eastern Germany
- Berlin was microcosm/high tensions (Berlin wall reduced it and possibility of war from 1948-1961)
8
Q
Disadvantaged for USSR
A
- Made communism look bad
