The Berlin Wall 1961
- People had been fleeing to the west through Berlin for many years "Brain Drain" (3 mil.)
- Krushchev wants Kennedy to pull out of Berlin and make it to a free city
- Kennedy increases US strength
- Krushchev responds by building a wall around West Berlin
- Both leaders were accused of being soft in Berlin and fixed this by ordering more tests of nuclear weapons
Summary: For many years, people had been fleeing to the west to avoid communism (brain drain). In order to stop this, a wall was put uparound West Berlin, dividing the city. President Kennedy made a speech to show the Soviets that he wasn't going to back down, "ich bin ein Berliner."
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Quote: The Berlin Wall wasn't the only barrier to fall after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. Traditional barriers to the flow of money, trade, people and ideas also fell.
- Fareed Zakaria |
Subjunctive question: If Kennedy did not increase US strength would Krushchev still have built the Berlin Wall?
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