Transcript Document 7749979

The Question of Berlin
Cold War Berlin
Present Day
Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” Speech
• “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the
Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across
the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of
the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe.
Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade,
Bucharest and Sofia, all these famous cities and the
populations around them lie in what I must call the
Soviet sphere, and all are subject in one form or
another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high
and, in some cases, increasing measure of control
from Moscow. Athens alone -- Greece with its
immortal glories -- is free to decide its future at an
election under British, American and French
observation. The Russian-dominated Polish
Government has been encouraged to make enormous
and wrongful inroads upon Germany, and mass
expulsions of millions of Germans on a scale grievous
and undreamed-of are now taking place. The
Communist parties, which were very small in all these
Eastern States of Europe, have been raised to preeminence and power far beyond their numbers and
are seeking everywhere to obtain totalitarian control.
Police governments are prevailing in nearly every case,
and so far, except in Czechoslovakia, there is no true
democracy.”
East and West Germany
A Country Divides the World
• Following the war,
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Germany is divided into
four sections.
These regions are
controlled by The United
States, France, Great
Britain and the Soviet
Union
Why division?
The Division of Berlin
• Berlin was also divided
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into sectors
These sectors were
controlled by The United
States, Britain, The Soviet
Union and France
Berlin, however, was
located in East Germany,
deep inside Soviet
territory
West Germany Under the Allies
• In 1948, the three western
controlled zones of Germany
(US,France, UK) were united,
and grew in prosperity due to
Marshal Aid.
• The west quickly moved to get
W. Germany back on its feet
and restored much of its
sovereignty through self
government
• Citizens in the West Germany
could travel freely in the west,
those in the east could not
East Germany Under Soviet Control
• Over time the western zones and the
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Soviet zone start drift apart
economically, not least because of
the Soviets' much greater use of
disassembly of German industry
under its control as a form of
reparations.
Military industries and those owned
by the state, by Nazi activists, and by
war criminals were confiscated.
These industries amounted to
approximately 60% of total industrial
production in the Soviet zone.
Most heavy industry (constituting
20% of total production) was
claimed by the Soviet Union as
reparations
The remaining confiscated industrial
property was nationalized, leaving
40% of total industrial production to
private enterprise.
Why the Tension?
The Truman Doctrine
• In 1947 the British were
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helping the Greek government
fight against communist
guerrillas and they appealed
to America for aid
America promised it would
support free countries to help
fight communism – this
became known as the Truman
Doctrine
Greece received large
amounts of arms and supplies,
and by 1949 had defeated the
communists.
The Truman Doctrine was
significant because it showed
that America, the most
powerful western country,
was prepared to resist the
spread of communism
throughout the world.
The Marshall Plan
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In 1947 Europe, still devastated by the
war had nothing to sell for hard currency
The United States recognized something
had to be done both for humanitarian
reasons and also to stop the potential
spread of communism westward.
In 1947, US Secretary of State George
Marshall announced the Marshall Plan.
This was a massive economic aid plan
for Europe which saw the United States
offer up to $20 billion for relief, but only if
the European nations could get together
and draw up a rational plan on how they
would use the aid.
The Marshall Plan, it should be noted,
benefited the American economy as well
as the money would be used to buy
goods from the United States, and they
had to be shipped across the Atlantic on
American merchant vessels.
By 1953 the United States had pumped
in $13 billion, and Europe was standing
on its feet again. Moreover, the Plan
included West Germany, which was thus
reintegrated into the European
community.
Tensions Rise – Stalin Takes Action
• The west wanted the east
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to rejoin, but Stalin feared
it would hurt Soviet
security.
In June 1948, Stalin
decided to try to gain
control of West Berlin
which was deep inside
the eastern sector.
He cut road, rail and
canal links with West
Berlin, hoping to starve
them into submission.
This has become known
as the Berlin Blockade
The west ‘s response has
become legendary
The Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift
• On June 25, General Lucius D.
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Clay, commander of the
American Occupation Zone gave
the order to launch a massive
airlift using both civil and
military aircraft
The lift lasted 462 days
Civilian and military aircraft flew
supplies into the Western-held
sectors of Berlin over the
blockade during 1948–1949.
The first plane flew on June 26th,
and the first British airplane flew
on the 28th.
This aerial supplying of West
Berlin became known as the
Berlin Airlift.
The Airlift Continued
• Military confrontation loomed
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while Truman embarked on a
highly visible move which would
publicly humiliate the Soviets.
The American Operation became
known as Operation Vittles
Hundreds of aircraft, nicknamed
Rosinenbomber ("raisin bombers")
by the local population, were used
to fly in a wide variety of cargo,
ranging from large containers to
small packets of candy with tiny
individual parachutes intended for
the children of Berlin
Sick children were evacuated on
return flights. The aircraft were
supplied and flown by the United
States, United Kingdom and
France, but pilots and crew also
came from Australia, Canada,
South Africa and New Zealand in
order to assist the supply of
Berlin.
The Airlift Continued
• Ultimately 278,228 flights
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were made and 2,326,406
tons of food and supplies,
including more than 1.5
million tons of coal, were
delivered to Berlin.
At the height of the
operation, on April 16,
1949, an allied aircraft
landed in Berlin every
minute
There were 1,398 flights in
24 hours carrying 12,940
tons of goods, coal and
machinery, beating the
record of 8,246 set only
days earlier.
Why did the Americans feel they
had to respond to the Soviet
Blockade?
The Berlin Wall
• The Berlin Wall was the
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iconic symbol of the Cold War
It was initially constructed
starting on August 13, 1961
and dismantled in the weeks
following November 9, 1989.
The Berlin Wall was the most
prominent part of the GDR
border system.
The wall was a long
separation barrier between
West Berlin and East
Germany (the German
Democratic Republic), which
closed the border between
East and West Berlin for a
period of 28 years.
The Reasons for the Wall
• West Germany prospered
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through assistance from
the west
East Germany was
hindered by reparations
paid to the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union also
liquidated many of their
industries further
hindering their progress
Why a Wall?
• The wall was built in an effort
to stop the drain of labour and
economic output associated
with the daily migration of
huge numbers of professionals
and skilled workers from East
to West Berlin
• There were also many
defections, which had political
and economic consequences
for the Communist bloc.
• The Wall itself effectively
decreased emigration from 2.5
million between 1949 and
1962 to 5,000 between 1962
and 1989.
Escapes!
• The creation of the Wall
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was a propaganda
disaster for East Germany
and for the communist
bloc
It became a key symbol
of what Western powers
regarded as Communist
tyranny, particularly after
the high-profile shootings
of would-be defectors.
Many dies trying to
escape East Germany and
many more went to
prison if they were
caught
Modifications to the Wall
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The Wall was over 155 km (96 miles) long.
In June 1962, work started on a second
parallel fence up to 91 meters (100 yards)
further in, with houses in between the
fences torn down and their inhabitants
relocated.
A no man's land was created between the
two barriers, which became widely known
as the "death strip". It was paved with
raked gravel, making it easy to spot
footprints left by escapees; it offered no
cover; it was mined and booby-trapped with
tripwires; and, most importantly, it offered a
clear field of fire to the watching guards.
Over the years, the Wall went through four
distinct phases:
- Basic wire fence (1961)
- Improved wire fence (1962-1965)
- Concrete wall (1965-1975)
- Grenzmauer 75 (Border Wall 75) (19751989)
Life Behind the Wall
• Life changed dramatically
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for the people of Berlin
Entire families were cut
off from one another
Many died trying to
escape to the west
Travel between the two
side was very difficult
Images- Yesterday and Today
Guard Posts
Checkpoint Charlie
The Berlin Wall
Questions!
Why would the United States take this
approach regarding Europe following the
conclusion of WWII?
Why would the Soviet Union decide to
make their stand in Berlin?
Are these moves aggressive?
Is this where the Cold War began?