Berlin 1958-62

• while west Germany underwent an economic miracle in the 1950s, east Germany struggled to present itself as a meaningful, independent state
• the failure of the east German government to win over its own people was shwon by the growing amount of people crossing the iron curtain from east to the prosperous west
• by 1958, Khrushchev had decided firmer action was required to tighten the eastern bloc
• he issued an ultimatum to the west that called for the removal of all occupying forces in Berlin
• Khrushchev wanted Berlin to become a free city
• the west however were unwilling to give up west Berlin because of the immense propaganda value in undermining the Socialist Bloc
• therefore Khrushchev's ultimatum resulted in another crisis over Berlin
• it was only after Eisenhower had invited Khrushchev to the USA that he released the ultimatum
• it was renewed in June 1961 when he met Kennedy at the Vienna Summit
• when Kennedy made it obvious that he wasn't going to hand over Berlin, Khrushchev gave his approval to the East German governments request to build the Berlin Wall

BERLIN WALL 1961:

• Khrushchev had been using east Germany as a bargaining tool with the west
• whether Khrushchev would have really relinquished his hold over Berlin in order…