The Berlin Wall 2017

1. The Berlin Wall
By: Federika Marty, Gonzalo Criniti, Rosario Vago, Francisco Lusso
and Lola Villegas

2. Background
● Germany was divided in four territories. It was divided between: Britain, France,
USSR and USA.
● The Western Allies combined their territories and Trizonia was created.
● Khrushchev ruled USSR after the death of Stalin, the territories under communist
control were in a very poor situation, that’s why East Germans decided to move to
the West.
● Kennedy ruled the USA, he was an inexperienced young president.
● NATO and Warsaw Pact.

3. How did the country became communist?
● At the Potsdam Conference, The Allies decided to give Stalin
a part of Germany, and a part of Berlin itself, she was also
divided in four parts.
● That gave Stalin the power to make those parts of Germany
communist.

4. The conflict
● East Berliners wanted to move to the west for a better economic situation or for
political reasons.
● Khrushchev wanted to persuade Kennedy to withdraw Us soldiers from West
Berlin for the communist to have full control over the territory.
● The Communist leaders decided to create a barrier along West and East Berlin,
that later on became a concrete wall. All crossing points were cut off except for
one, the Checkpoint Charlie.
● East people were forbidden to go to work in the West and some of them were
separated of their families.

5. ● Border guards had to shoot everyone who wanted to pass through the barrier,
hundred of citizens died.
● Us diplomats crossed the Checkpoint Charlie to see Soviets reactions.
● On the 27th the Soviets pulled up tanks and restricted the access to the West,
which caused another crisis.
● Ulbricht was told to avoid any action that would increase tension between the
Allies.
● The wall was a symbol of division.

6. Outcomes
● October 27: Soviet tanks pulled up to checkpoint Charlie and forbid any further
access to the US towards the East. Both armies stayed there for the rest of the day
and then retreated.
● War was avoided “It’s not a very nice solution, but a wall is a hell of a lot better
than a war” - President Kennedy
● The wall became a symbol of division
● The communists considered the wall as a protective shell around East Berlin, the
West thought of it as a prison wall.

7. Sources

10. Testimony of a witness
http://www.the-berlin-wall.com/videos/berlin-contemporary-witnesses-eyes-of-a-border
-guard-808/