Global History 12

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Global History 12

• Berlin Wall

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What they wanted

• The West
• Prevent USSR from gaining control of East Germany
• To see a united, democratic Germany

• The East
• Maintain control over E 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

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Events 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 Khrushchevs 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

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Events contd

• 13-22 August Khrushchev and East German govt.
  orders barbed wire barrier across Berlin,
  followed by a wall of concrete blocks
• All of West Berlin encircled apart from access
  points
• This was against the Four Power agreement reached
  in Paris on 20 June 1949.

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Did Kennedy really mind the wall? He had
protected West Berlin and he never promised to
protect East Berlin?
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Results

• Important results for Berlin, Germany and the
  Cold War
• Berlin was divided, free access ended between
  East and West, many families split, many
  attempted to escape to the West-between 1961 and
  1989, anywhere from 100-200 people died trying to
  cross the Berlin Wall

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Results contd

• 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
• YouTube - The Berlin Wall (extract from BBC and
  CNN Series Cold War)