The Berlin Wall, 1961-62

What was the Berlin Wall?

The Berlin Wall, built by East Germany, divided East and West Berlin. It was constructed of concrete slabs in the city centre and barbed wire fences around the outer edges.

When was the Berlin Wall built?

The building of the Berlin Wall began on the 12th-13th August, 1961.

Why was the Berlin Wall built?

There were 2 main reasons for the building of the Berlin Wall:

• ❖ To prevent East German people defecting to West Berlin.
• ❖ To keep capitalism and spies from the West out, according to the Soviets and the East German government.

What were the consequences of the Berlin Wall being built?

There were 7 key consequences of the building of the Berlin Wall:

• ❖ It solved the refugee crisis for East Germany, which now controlled who could leave and enter East Berlin.
• ❖ West Berlin remained under Allied control, making it harder for the Soviets to control the whole of East Germany.
• ❖ The number of military alerts in Berlin decreased as the situation there became less tense.
• ❖ It was a humiliation for the USSR and a propaganda victory for the West, as it appeared a wall was needed to prevent people fleeing.
• ❖ It divided West Berliners from East Berliners. Families and friends were separated for years.
• ❖ At least 140 people died between 1961 and 1989 as they attempted to cross the Berlin Wall from the east to the west. Some reports say the figure was higher.
• ❖ It became an iconic symbol of the Cold War.

What was President Kennedy's response to the building of the Berlin Wall?

President Kennedy's responded in 2 main ways:

• ❖ He said: 'It's not a very nice solution but a wall is a hell of a lot better than a war.'.
• ❖ He visited West Berlin in June 1963, where he gave the 'Ich bin ein Berliner' speech to show his support for West Berliners.

What was the impact of the Berlin Wall on the relationship between the USA and the USSR?

There were both positive and negative effects on the relationship between the USA and the USSR:

• ❖ It solved the crisis over Berlin so reduced tension.
• ❖ There were fewer military alerts in Berlin as the situation had stabilised.
• ❖ Germany had been a source of conflict between the USSR and the USA since 1945. Their relationship had deteriorated so much a wall had to be built.
• ❖ It created a long-lasting symbol of the Cold War which signified the divide between the two sides.
• ❖ Khrushchev had suffered a humiliating defeat, so decided to place missiles in Cuba to show he could stand up to the USA.
• ❖ Khrushchev saw Kennedy as weak as he had not stopped the wall from being built.

What happened at Checkpoint Charlie after the Berlin Wall was built?

Two main points should be noted about what happened at Checkpoint Charlie:

• ❖ There was an 18-hour standoff when Soviet tanks stopped Americans crossing the border on 27th-28th October, 1961.
• ❖ It was a high point of tension between East and West until an agreement between the USA and USSR ended the incident.