The Refugee Problem
The Refugee Problem
- Berlin Blockade 1948 - 1949 was a failure for the USSR
- Germany had been officially divided into FDR West Germany and GDR East Germany
- 1952 The inner German border between the two Germany’s was sealed
- However, the border between West and East Berlin remained open
- West Berlin developed rapidly with high standards of living and freedom
- East Germany lacked jobs, poor wages, no consumer goods, forced collectivisation and no political freedom
- 1949 - 1961 2.7 million people escaped to West Berlin - Most people were highly skilled doctors, engineers, managers and scientists
Khrushchev’s First Ultimatum
- November 1958 Khrushchev acted out and declared that the whole of Berlin officially belonged to East Germany and demanded the US withdraw its troops to make Berlin a ‘free city’ administered by East Germany
- Eisenhower refused to withdraw troops but didn’t want to start a war
- It was decided than an international meeting would be held to decide Berlin’s future
- 1959 The Geneva (Switzerland) and Camp David (USA) meetings - No solution appeared
- 1960 Future talks
- 1960 Paris Conference on Berlin was doomed to fail - Khrushchev was very angry about the U2 incident and demanded that Eisenhower punish that leaders of the U2 program - Eisenhower refused and Khrushchev walked out
Khrushchev’s Second Ultimatum
- 1961 At the Vienna (Austria) Conference Khrushchev challenged the new US President John F. Kennedy (JFK) to withdraw US troops from Berlin within six months or declare war
- JFK refused to remove troops and started to prepare for war - Committed the US government to an additional $3.2 billion of defence spending and $207 million on nuclear fallout shelters
- The US also had more nuclear weapons than the USSR
- Khrushchev was forced with the decision to either declare war or back down
- Khrushchev decided to backdown but he still needed to solve the refugee problem
- Khrushchev’s solution was to build a wall separating East and West Berlin to solve the refugee problem
- 12th August 1961 East German troops formed a barbed wire fence around the whole of West Berlin
- Eventually a brick wall was built
Propaganda
Propaganda Victory for USA
- Khrushchev was able to avoid war and was still able to appear strong
Propaganda Victory for USA
- 1963 JFK visited West Berlin and showed to solidarity with the people