the legacy of crises over Berlin and relations with Khrushchev Flashcards
(28 cards)
What was the Berlin Wall ?
A concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 - 1989
What was the non-aligned movement ?
not aligned with the USA or USSR
What was the Stasi ?
East German secret Police
Who was Dean Rusk ?
Secretary of State under JFK and LBJ
Who was Robert McNamara ?
Secretary of State for defense under JFK and LBJ
Who was Erich Mielke ?
leader of the Stasi
Who was Walter Ulbricht ?
Leader of East Germany (GDR = German Democratic Republic)
What was the ‘Brain drain’ ?
large scale emigration of East Germans to West Germany, with West Berlin being the main transit point.
What did Khrushchev demand from Eisenhower in 1958 regarding Western influence in Berlin ?
That all Western influence needed to leave berlin
How did the division of Berlin and Germany after WW2 increase Cold War tensions ?
It created an environment of Paranoia, Political difference, and economic uncertainty
What was agreed at the foreign Ministers’ conference at Geneva in 1959 between Eisenhower and Khrushchev over the issue of Berlin ?
that there would be no deadline to solve the ‘question of Berlin’ - the problem remained and the crisis loomed
At what event did Kennedy and Khrushchev meet for the first time ? what date ?
The Vienna Summit - June 1961
What 3 things were discussed between Eisenhower and Khrushchev at the Vienna summit in June 1961 ?
1) Ongoing problem in Berlin
2) A deteriorating situation in Cuba where the communist Fidel Castro had taken Power
3) America’s support of a right wing party in Laos, which aimed to stop the communist Pathet Lao taking control
Who was Fidel Castro ?
Leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008
Kennedy stood firm on all 3 issues discussed at the Vienna Summit in ______ 1961, but privately confided that Khrushchev had ‘____________’ him.
June, savaged
What was Khrushchev’s initial impression of Kennedy after their meeting together at the Vienna Summit in June 1961 ?
He felt confident that Kennedy was likeable but naïve
How many East Germans had escaped to the West of Germany in July 1961 alone ?
30,000
In response to Khrushchev’s problem in Berlin, What action did he take on the 13th August 1961 to help end the problem ?
He supported the implementation by Walter Ulbricht of a barbed wire along the border between East and West Berlin, followed by a wall, which was built over the subsequent days
hat would happen to any East German caught trying to cross the Berlin Wall that started to be built from the 13th August 1961 ?
without a permit = imprisonment
illegally = shot
By the 1980s, how many persons were there for every one Stasi officer ?
62 (very effective/ densely populated)
What was Kennedy’s response to the construction of the Berlin wall ?
1) calm about the construction
2) instructed Dean Rusk to exploit the situation for propaganda as far as possible
How did Khrushchev view Kennedy’s lack of a response to the construction of the Berlin Wall that took place from 13th August 1961 ?
as proof of the impression that he had got at Vienna; that Kennedy was a coward when it came to international issues and could be pushed around by the USSR.
what was the speech that Kennedy gave in West Berlin in June 1963 called ?
“Ich bin ein Berliner” (I am a Berliner)
What was Kennedy’s “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech in West Berlin in June 1963 about ?
a reiteration of the US commitment to the city, stressing the cause of freedom across the world.
