Cold War Germany

COLD WAR GERMANY

By Jessica Flynn

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West Germany: Pre-wall

Joined NATO (1955) A place of economic growth

Wirtschaftswunder (1955)Joined the European Economic

Community (1957)

East Germany: Pre-wall

The Soviet Union had seized most of their industrial equipment so their economic conditions were dire

1953 Uprising: 40,000 construction workers revolted but were suppressed by Soviet troopsJune 17 became a national holiday in

remembrance in FDR Joined the Warsaw Pact (1955)

THE BERLIN CRISIS

1958: Nikita Khrushchev demanded all Western troops leave West Berlin within 6 months. Unlike

the Blockade in 1948, the city was too large to be supported via air shipments, so it became a

concern how it was to be dealt with. They came to a temporary agreement in Geneva, but

tensions rose again after the U2 incident in 1960. Eisenhower refused to give in and met with Khrushchev in Austria (1961) for discussion

which did not lead to any resolutions. Instead, a wall was erected and Soviet and American troops

stood on either side of the wall in a stand-off manner.

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The Berlin Wall (August 31, 1961)

Despite Ulbricht’s claims that there was “no intention to build a wall”, an “anti-fascist protection barrier” is erected regardless

1961

Life in East Germany Farmers were forced to divide their land between

each other equally and give up their harvests to the people

Monetary award system for having children Stasi (1950)

Secret police force similar to the Gestapo Youth Groups

Thälmann Pionier Frei Deutsche JugendMilitary training one month each year

CultureSocialist realismGerman-centric

Party Opposition

West Germany RAF

Guerilla army force that caused 289 bombings

KBWA Maoist

organisation

East Germany Barely any

opposition as fear was prevalentTowards the end,

Monday Demonstrations were common

“Ich bin ein Berliner!”

Kennedy’s speech to West Berlin to address the US’s standpoint in regards to the Wall and their unchanging support to the FDR

1963

“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

Ronald Reagan stood in the same place as Kennedy had and demanded for the completion of the arms race and called for the fall of the Berlin Wall

1980

Fall of the Berlin Wall 9 November,1989

Günter Schabowski was late to a press conference in which he was supposed to announce that East Germans were now able to apply for a travel visa into West Germany, but he made it seem like every East German could leave immediately, hence reuniting the two halves of Germany.

1989

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8GzptqhT68