Berlin Crisis, 1958-61

What was the Berlin Crisis?

The Berlin Crisis concerned the occupational status of the city and the numbers of East Germans fleeing to West Berlin, said to be some 2.7 million people. Khrushchev delivered an ultimatum, demanding foreign troops withdraw within a period of 6 months.

When did the Berlin Crisis happen?

The Berlin Crisis took place between 1957 and 1961.

Why did people move to West Berlin during the Berlin Crisis?

For many East Germans, life in the West seemed more attractive for 3 key reasons:

• ❖ Wages were higher in West Berlin.
• ❖ West Berliners had more freedom and more variety in the goods they could buy.
• ❖ The Allies poured money into West Berlin, so the contrast between the affluence of the city's two sides was more obvious.

What problems did migration cause for East Germany by the Berlin Crisis?

The migration to West Germany caused 4 main problems for East Berlin:

• ❖ Economically, East Germany was losing too many skilled workers such as engineers, teachers and lawyers.
• ❖ The proportion of the population that was of working age dropped from 70% in 1939 to 61% by 1960.
• ❖ The migration made the communist government look politically unpopular and created negative propaganda.
• ❖ The migrants tended to be well-educated and young, which affected East German society.

How was the economy affected during the Berlin Crisis?

The West German economy benefited from skilled labourers, while the East suffered a skills shortage.

What were the key events of the Berlin Crisis?

There were 8 key events during the Berlin Crisis:

• ❖ In 1958 the leader of East Germany, Walter Ulbricht, asked Khrushchev, the leader of the USSR, to help stop East Germans from fleeing to the west.
• ❖ In November 1958, Khrushchev issued his ultimatum demanding Western troops withdraw from West Berlin.
• ❖ In 1959, Khrushchev and President Eisenhower met in Geneva to discuss the Berlin Crisis, which resulted in Khrushchev withdrawing his ultimatum.
• ❖ A second summit, at Camp David in America in 1959, did not result in a solution.
• ❖ In 1960, a US spy plane was shot down by the Soviets.
• ❖ President Eisenhower refused to apologise for the U2 spy plane so Khrushchev left the Paris Conference of 1960. Again, this meant no solution was found to the Berlin Crisis.
• ❖ In 1961, the USA and the USSR met again in Vienna. Khrushchev reissued his ultimatum for Western powers to withdraw their troops from Berlin within 6 months.
• ❖ President Kennedy began to prepare for war, increasing American defence spending by $3.5 billion. The USSR did the same.

How did the USSR react to the Berlin Crisis?

The USSR reacted to the migration from East Berlin by putting pressure on the USA in 3 ways:

• ❖ In 1961, Khrushchev insisted that the new, inexperienced US President, John F Kennedy, withdraw American troops from Berlin. Kennedy refused.
• ❖ At 2am on Sunday, 13th August, 1961, East German soldiers began to place barbed wire fences between East and West Germany.
• ❖ This was replaced by a concrete wall.

What were the results of the Berlin Crisis?

There were 6 key results:

• ❖ East German troops began to build the Berlin Wall on 13th August, 1961.
• ❖ By October 1961 West Berlin was entirely shut off from East Germany. Initially, foreigners could cross into East Berlin through a US Army checkpoint, known as Checkpoint Charlie.
• ❖ It reduced tension as the crisis was solved without going to war.
• ❖ French, British and American troops remained in West Berlin.
• ❖ It was a propaganda victory for the West and a humiliation for the USSR, because the East had to build a wall to prevent its people fleeing.
• ❖ As the USSR had been humiliated, Khrushchev became more determined to win the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.