1. “How serious were the problems facing the Soviet Union in controlling Eastern Europe in the 1950s and 1960s?” Warm Up Which of these incidents was the most serious problem for the Soviet Union? 1.The East German Uprising, 1953 2.The Hungarian Uprising, 1956 3.The Prague Spring, 1968 Be ready to tell me what the person next to you thinks about this, as I go through the register.

2. Assess the reasons why Berlin was a major source of tension in the Cold War from 1948 to 1961. Berlin - Iron Curtains become Brick Walls Objectives 1)All of you will be able to describe the key events in Berlin which preceded the building of the Berlin Wall 2)Most of you will be able to successfully explain why the USSR built the Berlin Wall 3)Some of you will be able to evaluate the significance of the Berlin Wall’s erection

3. Why do you think a Berlin Wall was built? Think for yourself first (SIMS) Possible theories: Because so many people were leaving East Germany To prevent another major European war To save the GDR’s economy Which do you think?

4. What do you think is going on here? 27 th October 1961 – Checkpoint Charlie

5. One of the following statements about the Berlin Wall is false. Which one? More than 2 million East Germans, most of them skilled laborers and professionals, fled to the West between 1949 and 1961. The GDR has originally requested for a wall to be built in 1953 but the Soviets denied them. More than 100 people died trying to cross the Berlin Wall. More than 5,000 escaped by going over and under the Berlin Wall. John F. Kennedy expressed relief when the Berlin Wall was erected. Kennedy did not tell Berliners he was a “jelly doughnut.” Kennedy attempted nuclear diplomacy to convince Khrushchev to remove the wall. East Germany called the wall the “Antifascist Protection Barrier.” A piece of the wall stands in the bathroom of a Las Vegas casino.

6. One of the following statements about the Berlin Wall is false. Which one? More than 2 million East Germans, most of them skilled laborers and professionals, fled to the West between 1949 and 1961. The GDR has originally requested for a wall to be built in 1953 but the Soviets denied them. More than 100 people died trying to cross the Berlin Wall. More than 5,000 escaped by going over and under the Berlin Wall. John F. Kennedy expressed relief when the Berlin Wall was erected. Kennedy did not tell Berliners he was a “jelly doughnut.” Kennedy attempted nuclear diplomacy to convince Khrushchev to remove the wall. FALSE! East Germany called the wall the “Antifascist Protection Barrier.” A piece of the wall stands in the bathroom of a Las Vegas casino.

7. Cool Escape Story 5. More than 5,000 escaped by going over and under the Berlin Wall. The first defector to escape across the Berlin Wall was 19-year-old East German border guard Corporal Conrad Schumann, who was immortalized on film as he leapt over a 3-foot-high roll of barbed wire just two days after East Germany sealed the border. As the Berlin Wall grew more elaborate, so did escape plans. Fugitives hid in secret compartments of cars driven by visiting West Berliners, dug secret tunnels and crawled through sewers. The three Bethke brothers pulled off the most spectacular escapes. Eldest brother Ingo escaped by floating on an inflatable mattress across the Elbe River in 1975, and eight years later brother Holger soared over the wall on a steel cable he fired with a bow and arrow to a rooftop in West Berlin. In 1989 the pair flew an ultra-light plane over the wall and back to pick up youngest brother Egbert. Rather than keeping its citizens in, the East German government claimed it erected the Berlin Wall to keep Western fascists, spies and ideas out. Two weeks after ordering the construction of the “Antifaschistischer Schutzwall,” East German leader Walter Ulbricht claimed, “We have sealed the cracks in the fabric of our house and closed the holes through which the worst enemies of the German people could creep.”

8. Fact West Berliners used the Berlin Wall as an ideal way of getting rid of rubbish. If they had anything that needed throwing away, they threw it over the wall. After all, it wasn't as if they would be made to go over it to fetch it back. If we have time we can look on pinterest for images

9. Assess the reasons why Berlin was a major source of tension in the Cold War from 1948 to 1961. Key Facts/Context 1.GDR a member of the Warsaw Pact from 1956. 2.Many citizens of the GDR had been defecting to prosperous West Germany through the open border of Berlin. 3.East Germans were encouraged to defect by both Adenauer and US propaganda. 4.Between 1945 and 1961, nearly one sixth of the population of East Germany had fled to the West (2.7 million people).

10. Assess the reasons why Berlin was a major source of tension in the Cold War from 1948 to 1961. What Khruschev did... The refugee problem was a propaganda disaster for Khrushchev because it proved that many people preferred the capitalist West to the communist East. For this reason, in November 1958, Khrushchev declared that the whole of the city of Berlin officially belonged to East Germany and gave American troops six months to withdraw their troops. “ Berlin is the testicles of the West...every time I want to make the West scream I squeeze on Berlin.” Nikita Khrushchev, 1962

11. Assess the reasons why Berlin was a major source of tension in the Cold War from 1948 to 1961. Khrushchev’s Aims 1.Strengthening the GDR. 2.Showing his critics in the USSR (and China) that he was not soft on the Western ‘imperialists’. 3.To divide the Western powers (some would call for action, others would call for peaceful resolution). 4.For the West to fully withdraw from East Berlin, thereby granting the USSR much more power. 5.Removing an issue that had been dividing the East and the West for many years.

12. The Response – lots of meetings Paris, May 1960: Khrushchev walked out of the conference just after it had started, after the discovery and shooting down of a US spy plane (the U2 spy plane) that had been flying over Russia to spy on Russian nuclear bases. Vienna, June 1961: Kennedy refused to back down. He declared that he would not remove American troops for war, committing the US government to an additional $3.2 billion of defence spending. More worrying still was Kennedy’s decision to spend an extra $207 billion on building nuclear fallout shelters. Eisenhower rejected the ultimatum, but agreed to meet with Khrushchev in Geneva in 1959 to discuss the issues with Germany, with the Geneva Conference in May-August 1959 and a further meeting at Camp David in September 1959. No agreements were made. Eisenhower’s replacement, John F Kennedy, continued his predecessor's work with two further summits.

13. The Berlin Wall is built... Khrushchev knew that the USSR could not win a nuclear war. In 1961, America had almost 20 times more nuclear weapons than the USSR, whereas Soviet weapons could not reach America. Kennedy’s refusal to remove American troops called Khrushchev’s bluff, forcing him to back down from his ultimatum. Khrushchev could not force the Americans to leave West Berlin but he still had to solve the refugee problem. His solution was to build a wall separating East and West Berlin, making it impossible for East Germans to escape to the West. On the night of 12 August 1961, East German troops secretly erected a barbed wire fence around the whole of West Berlin. The next morning, Berliners awoke to a divided city. In the coming months the fence was reinforced and eventually became a heavily guarded wall. Kennedy commented that ‘it’s not a very nice solution, but a wall is a hell of a lot better than a war’.

14. Here is how I would set out my work today What caused the Berlin crisis 1958-61? What happened during it? What were the consequences? How well did the Soviets deal with it?

15. Assess the reasons why Berlin was a major source of tension in the Cold War from 1948 to 1961. Task - Choices You need to know: What caused the Berlin crisis 1958-61? What happened during it? What were the consequences? How well did the Soviets deal with it? You may use: The textbook (A level or GCSE) Me live around the tables near the door Me on podcasts The internet - http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir2/berlinwallrev1.shtml http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir2/berlinwallrev1.shtml

16. Assess the reasons why Berlin was a major source of tension in the Cold War from 1948 to 1961. Plenary 1 Write a fact about the Berlin Wall on the classroom Berlin Wall. Prize for the best unique fact.

17. Assess the reasons why Berlin was a major source of tension in the Cold War from 1948 to 1961. Plenary 2 – GCSE textbook Which cards are causes and which are consequences?

18. Video The causes of the crisis The key events The significance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU2PQQ XR5YQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU2PQQ XR5YQ