KQ6 - Berlin Wall

What were East Germans doing in the 1950s

Defecting to the West

When was the peak year for east to west emigration; how many defectors

1953; 300,000+ defectors

Who was the hardline Comm leader of East Germany

Walter Ulbricht

Name of the East German Secret Police; how many informants hired

Stasi; 150,000+ informants

What were the East Germans suffering from

Repression and poor living standards

Why did West Germany have better economic recovery

Received Marshall Aid

Skilled workers were lost through mass emigration - this was called…

Brain drain

Working age population change from pre-war to 1960 =

70% → 61%

Why did the West seemed ‘richer’ to the East Germans

Consumer goods were sold; Bright lights syndrome

How much money did the GDR lose per year to mass emigration (according to themselves)

3500 million marks / year

Why did Khrushchev think the wall wouldn’t be opposed

JFK was young and inexperienced so he thought he could bully him

What was the solution to mass emigration

The Berlin Wall

When was the wall first raised; how long was it

13/8/1961; 87 mile long barbed wire

What did the Berlin Wall end

freedom of movement; mass emigration

What happened on 27/8/1962

US tanks denied access through Checkpoint Charlie; 18 hour standoff before tanks retreated

What did Dean Rusk (US Sec of State) call the wall

‘flagrant violation of the 4-power agreement’