Berlin Crisis

Berlin Crisis 1961

• Khruschev tries to pressure Kennedy into removing troops from West Berlin
• Kennedy won't and neither will other powers

• Flow of refugees from East to West Berlin increases
• Travel restrictions imposed
• August 13-22 - Khruschev orders barbed wire fence and later a wall of concrete

Consequences/Results

• Berlin physically divided
• Free ccess to East and West ended
• Families split
• flow of refugees almost ceased

• Kennedy accepted action
  • refused US proposal to tear down wall
    • made him look weak

• Khruschev lost face - didn't remove Western powers
• he believed Kennedy was weak
• East/West tension increased

• Division of Germany looked more and more permanant

Why was the wall built?

• A crisis occurred in GDR due to:
  • Khruschev's Berlin ultimatum
  • New labour laws- no strikes/factory discipline increased
  • complete collectivism of farms
• Janurary 1960 - Police forces went into countryside to enforce farm collectivism
  • caused so much chaos, there was lack of food etc.
  • Prices rose
  • Therefore people fled
• West Berlin was more prosperous than East. (People wanted to go there)

Khruschev had to allow Ulbricht to seal off East Berlin, or see the collapse of the GDR

Known as the anti-facist protective wall, built on the 13th of August 1961

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