THE BERLIN WALL

Another Cold War crisis  Background  East – West rivalry  Berlin divided – contrast the two halves. WEST: Prosperous, helped by US, attracted people from the East. Seen by USSR as infection in the heart of Communist East Germany. EAST: Much less prosperous and under Communist control. Policies of forced collectivization.

Flow of refugees from East Germany or East Berlin to West , , , , , , , , , ,876

What they wanted The West  Prevent USSR from gaining control of East Germany  To see a united, democratic Germany The East  Maintain control over East Germany  Make the West recognise it as an independent state  Stop the flood of refugees especially the skilled and professional ones – much needed in E Germany

1958-Soviet demands NATO should:  Recognise GDR  Withdraw troops from West Berlin  Hand their access routes over to the East German government. Khrushchev bluffed that he would hand East Berlin over to the GDR. West refused and Khrushchev backed down.

The Crisis of 1961  June-Vienna Summit  Khrushchev pressured new American President John F Kennedy  Demanded withdrawal of Western forces from West Berlin – Kennedy refused  July – Western powers reject Khrushchev’s Vienna demands  July 23 – Flow of refugees from East to West = 1000 a day  July 25 – Kennedy repeats support for West Berlin and announced increase in arms spending.

Berlin, Berlin Wall at Zimmerstrasse. West Berliners watching over the Wall to the East.

Berlin Wall being built – separation.

Events cont’d  August – Khrushchev and East German government under Walter Ulbricht orders barbed wire barrier across Berlin, followed by a wall of concrete blocks  All of West Berlin encircled apart from a few access points  This was against the Four Power agreement reached in Paris on 20 June 1949.

 Standoff between US and Soviet tanks at Checkpoint Charlie, 1961.

Did Kennedy really mind the wall? He had protected West Berlin and he never promised to protect East Berlin? He had stood up to Khruschev A PR victory for capitalism.

Results  Important results for Berlin, Germany and the Cold War  Berlin  Berlin was divided, free access ended between East and West, many families split, many attempted to escape to the West-between 1961 and 1989, 86 people died trying to cross the Berlin Wall

In the last phase of the wall's development, the "death strip" between fence and concrete wall.

Berlin, John F. Kennedy visiting Berlin on June 26, 1963.

Results cont’d  Kennedy accepted the Soviet action. He refused to use US troops to pull down the wall to avoid war.  Kennedy looked weak but West turned it into propaganda – why if Communism was so attractive was a wall needed?  1963 – Kennedy visited West Berlin – pledged continued support – ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’ (I am a Berliner) – famous speech  Khrushchev lost face by failing to remove the West from Berlin