6 : the berlin wall

describe how the berlin wall was built

• west berlin was receiving huge investment from the west, attracting large numbers to move to the west

• on 13th august 1961 east german soldiers put up barbed wire separating east berlin from west berlin

• this would be gradually replaced by a wall

what were krushchev’s initial demands & how did the west respond?

• he demanded western powers withdraw from west berlin within 6 months & hand over the access routes

• the west refused the demands

what was the impact of collectivisation & what happened at kennedy’s & krushchevs’s meeting?

• increased the number of people fleeing to the west

• at the vienna summit, krushchev demanded that western forces withdraw from berlin within 6 months, kennedy refused promising to protect freedom in west berlin

how did the east react to the wall?

• limiting migration did stabilise the workforce, improving economic progress

• this meant some economic liberalisation & decentralisation could be introduced, helping to win support of the population

how did the west respond to the wall?

• the response of the west was minimal, they could not do as much as the wall was located in the soviet sector

was was the impact of the wall on the east?

• further allowed ulbricht & the party to establish a totalitarian dictatorship

• krushchev’s failure to remove the west from berlin made him look weak

what was the impact of the wall on the west?

• wall was a propaganda opportunity for the west, as it showed that the east had to force people to stay

• kennedy refusing to take action to pull down the wall made him look weak

• the building of the wall increased international tensions overall