Reasons for Building the Berlin Wall Flashcards

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What was the main reason East Germany and the USSR built the Berlin Wall in 1961?

To stop large numbers of people escaping from communist East Berlin and East Germany to capitalist West Berlin and West Germany.

Why did East German leaders worry about the number of people leaving through Berlin before 1961?

Because about 2.7 million people had left since 1949, which was a huge loss of workers and made the country weaker.

What is meant by a “brain drain” from East Germany, and how did this lead to the Wall?

Many of the people who left were young, well-educated or skilled workers. This “brain drain” hurt the East German economy, so leaders built the Wall to keep them in.

Why was Berlin, rather than the inner German border, the main escape route for East Germans?

The inner German border was heavily guarded, but Berlin was a divided city where people could still move from East to West sectors quite easily, so many used it to escape.

How did the flow of refugees from East to West Berlin damage the image of communism?

It showed that many people preferred life in the West, which made communism look unpopular and weak in the Cold War propaganda battle.

Why was the success and wealth of West Berlin a problem for East German and Soviet leaders?

West Berlin acted as a ‘shop window’ for capitalism. People in the East could see that life and goods were better in the West, which encouraged more to leave.

Why did East German leader Walter Ulbricht push strongly for a wall to be built?

He feared East Germany would collapse if so many people kept leaving, so he urged Khrushchev to close the border in Berlin with a wall.

How did the refugee crisis in Berlin increase tension between the USA and the USSR before 1961?

The USSR blamed the West for encouraging escapes, while the USA used the refugees as proof that communism had failed, so the crisis made talks harder and tension higher.

Why did Khrushchev choose to build a wall instead of trying to force Western troops out of Berlin by force?

Forcing Western troops out might start a war, possibly nuclear. A wall was a way to stop refugees without directly attacking Western soldiers.

Why was the Berlin Wall finally built in August 1961, after years of tension?

Refugee numbers had risen sharply, summit talks had failed, and Kennedy had refused to leave Berlin, so Khrushchev decided to act alone and close the border suddenly in August 1961.

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