Tensions in Berlin involving The Berlin Wall

1
Tensions in Berlin involving The Berlin Wall

• Morgan Anthony
• Maximilian Amendy

http//news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/a
ugust/13/newsid_3054000/3054060.stm (Couple)
http//www.berlin.de/mauergedenken/luftbild/checkp
oint_charlie.de.html (Check. Charlie)
2
The Divided City

• After the war, Germany was split into 4 sectors,
  among France, Britain, the United States, and the
  Soviet Union.
• Germany was divided in two major parts when the
  western nations joined together. These parts were
  called the German Democratic Republic, or East
  Germany, and the Federal Republic of Germany, or
  West Germany.
• Berlin was also split into four and became
  divided in two when the western nations joined
  together to create West Berlin. The Soviet Union
  occupied East Berlin.
• Berlin was in the middle of the Soviet sector of
  Germany, so it was easy for Stalin to cut off
  West Berlin from West Germany.

3
The Economic Tensions leading to the Berlin Wall

• 1952-1953
• New quotas were put in place and workers' wages
  were lowered
• As demonstrations, some supervisory workers were
  put on trial for sabotage for failing to meet the
  new production goals
• There was also pressure exerted in order to bring
  private farmers to turn their land over to
  collective farms
• These methods were viewed as very harsh by the
  citizens, and caused an accerlerated exodus to
  the West further methods include
• withdrew ration cards from those who earned their
  living independently
• the prices were greatly increased, so this caused
  much suffering
• raised prices of goods and increased a number of
  taxes
• new secret police and purges of jews from the
  police ranks
• pressure was exerted in on to farmers in order to
  bring private farmers to turn their land over to
  collective farms
• the loss of farmers left 13 percent of arable
  land unattended causing food shortages to develop
• The number of East Germans leaving to go to the
  West grew to nearly 2 percent of the total
  population because of the hard line the
  government took
• the loss of manpower led to a decline in tax
  (adding to "the woes of the economy")
• the regime fell behind its schedule for
  industrial growth

http//www.17juni53.de/chronik/530617.html Germany
from Partition to Reunification by Henry Ashby
Turner Jr.
4
The Economic Tensions leading to the Berlin Wall

• The Uprising of June
• The hard-line policy was hardened after Stalin's
  death, and the plight of the economy was blamed
  on certain classes
• the government's method of fixing the economy was
  by raising the already high work quota by 10
  percent and a wage cut of the same extent
• workers went on strike on June 16th when the
  realization that the work quotas were not going
  to be changed hit
• a general stike and protests took place on June
  17th - the numbers grew and people from all over
  East Germany went on stike in protest of the
  policies
• the demands grew from abolishing the harsh
  economic policies to the stepping down of the
  government
• The Soviet troops and tanks were called in
  because of the lack of capability of the East
  Berlin police to controlt the protestors - live
  ammunition was used
• 50 were killed and hundreds were injured

5
The Economic Tensions leading to the Berlin Wall

• 1954-1956
• a new course was put in place
• more attention was given to consumer goods
• measured of forced collectivization of farms was
  supressed
• many goals of the five year plan were abandoned
• 1956-1960
• a new five year plan was put in place and the new
  course was abandoned - the economic priorites
  were placed back on rapid industrialization
• pressure was again placed on collective farming
  and independent artizens were forced to join with
  the government or abandoned their businesses to
  leave for the West
• In late 1959, there was a massive drive to
  collectivize the remainder of privately owned
  farmland
• By mid-1960, at least 15,000 independent farmers
  had deserted their farms.
• they fled to the West rather than submit to
  collectivization
• led to further food shortage

Picture http//www.siebzehnter-juni.de/ausstellun
g/mv/index.html http//libcom.org/history/1953-the
-east-german-uprising http//www.dw-world.de/dw/ar
ticle/0,,894998,00.html Germany from Partition to
Reunification by Henry Ashby Turner Jr.
6
The Economy resulting from the Berlin Wall

• the government of east germany could now make any
  labor allocations and work quotas without the
  risk of loss of the work force
• the new economic system caused East Germany to
  have the strongest industrial productivity in the
  Eastern Bloc
• the goals set in the plans set up for the economy
  by the government were mostly not met, but with
  the entrapment of the work force, a reasonable
  industrial economy was set up
• the economy was not as advanced as West Germany,
  but it was better than before

http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/de/thumb/5/5
a/DDR_Mark_Rueckseite_1Mark.jpg/200px-DDR_Mark_Rue
ckseite_1Mark.jpg
7
Political tensions

• - In June 1961, Kennedy met with Chairman Nikita
  Khrushchev in Vienna.
• - The Soviets articulated their fears over the
  continued political cooperation of the German
  Democratic Republic (DDR) as it was their own
  occupation zone in Germany.
• - The Soviets were concerned that the GDR would
  become belligerent, and that through capitalist
  influence, it would present an ideological threat
  to the Soviet Union.
• - The Soviet Union gave the West an ultimatum
  entailing
• The establishment of a peace treaty between East
  and West Germany.
• A free city or politically neutral status of
  the city of West Berlin.
• The compliance with the above 2 points by
  December.
• - Tensions heated up as Krushchev Ultimatum gave
  the allies 6 months to get out of Berlin.
• - When the Soviet Union built a wall between East
  and West Berlin in August 1961, East-West
  tensions rose further.
• - The Americans wanted to avoid a military
  confrontation under all circumstances.
• http//www.gwu.edu/nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB56/
• http//usa.usembassy.de/etexts/ga5-hemsing.htm

8
In Berlin

• On June 15th, 1961, the East German Head of Party
  and State declared to his citizens that No one
  intends to erect a wall.
• At dawn, on August 13th, 1961, East German troops
  begin erecting a wall along the border of the
  East and West Berlin.
• The walls erection violated the four-power
  agreements over Berlin.
• The East German government justified the building
  of the wall for the purpose of stopping the
  hostile activities of the revanchist and
  militaristic forces of West Germany.
• For 1 week, Kennedy made no public comments on
  this violation, much to the anger of the West
  German chancellor, Willy Brandt who exclaimed
  Berlin expects more than words. Berlin expects
  political action!
• 1 http//www.die-berliner-mauer.de/en/61.html
  1 http//homepages.stmartin.edu/Fac_Staff/rlang
  ill/PLS20310/The20Wall,201958-1963.htm

http//www.hanisauland.de/zoom/berlinermauer
9
Checkpoint Charlie

• The following period saw an increase in travel
  restrictions for both East and West Berliners.
• Public transit was shut down between the two
  sectors.
• Only one train station at the Friedrichstrasse
  (Checkpoint Charlie) remained open. As its
  entrance hall was often filled with Western
  visitors returning to West Berlin, it became
  known as the Palace of Tears.
• The US military also opened two additional
  checkpoints at Helmstedt and Dreilinden.
• Together, the three checkpoints were known as
  phonetic letters of the alphabet Alpha, Bravo
  and Charlie.
• The checkpoints main purpose was to register
  members of the Western Military Forces before
  entering East Berlin.
• http//www.die-berliner-mauer.de/en/61.html,
  http//www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/history/checkp
  oint-charlie.htm

10
Diplomatic Incident

• In October 1961, an American diplomat and his
  wife had to show their passports, against all
  diplomatic regulations, to go to a theatre in
  East Berlin.
• The American General Clay sent a military escort
  with the diplomat in his car.
• The following days witnessed a culmination in
  pointless excursions by Western civilians, all
  escorted by heavily-armed military.
• 10 American M-48 tanks were stationed at
  Checkpoint Charlie.
• On October 27th, 1961, 33 Soviet tanks entered
  East Berlin and stationed themselves at the
  Brandenburg gate.
• This was significant, as there had been no such
  military presence in East Berlin since the
  uprising of 1953.
• Soon later, 10 tanks moved towards Checkpoint
  Charlie facing the American tanks several yards
  away.
• The American tanks loaded their guns and awaited
  orders. For the first time in the Cold War,
  Soviet and American military stood opposite each
  other on a hostile basis.

11
Diplomatic Incident (contd)

• The tension became unbearable, as Clay was on the
  phone to the White House, and the Soviet Military
  commander had a direct line to the Kremlin.
• The leaders both instructed their military to
  fire, but only in response to the opponents
  eliciting a reaction.
• Naturally, commanders were sweating, while
  dreading that, given all the tension, some
  soldier would lose his composure and fire.
• All leaders realized that the Cold War had got
  out of hand.
• Luckily, after an agonizing 16 hour wait, the
  first Soviet tank began to withdraw.
• The US. Advised its citizens not to unnecessarily
  go into East Berlin for the time being.
• Kennedy said, "It's not a very nice solution, but
  a wall is a hell of a lot better than a war."
• http//homepages.stmartin.edu/Fac_Staff/rlangill/P
  LS20310/The20Wall,201958-1963.htm

http//mcadams.posc.mu.edu/jfkberlin.jpg