berlin wall

• 1948


  Berlin blockade due to formation of Trizonia
• 1949


  USSR had to back down from Berlin aircraft
• 1949


  formation of east and west Germany and USSR develop nuclear weapon
• 1950 


  trying to expand communism: Korean war
• 1953 


  Stalin dies, end of Korean war, June uprising, Eisenhour becomes president
• 1954 


  French left Vitenam, Vietnam divided, communists moving
• 1956 


  communists put down in Hungarian uprising, west does nothing to help Germans
• 1957 


  Sputnik, winning space race
• 1953-9 


  Cuban revolution where USA does not help
• Jan 1961 


  JF Kennedy becomes president, Khrushchev thinks he will not do anything and is soft
• April 1961

  JF Kennedy confirms he is soft (bay of pig crisis)
• The soviets demands 


  west should recognise GDR, withdraw troops from West Berlin and hand in access routes to east German government
• Khrushchev ultimatum

  Nov 1958 demanded 3 western powers withdraw from city in 6 months to create demilitarised state; USA did not accept . spy plane to take images of east in 1960, and US spy plane shot down by Soviets
• April 1961 30,000 people left the GDR
• June 1961

  • Vienna Summit
  • K pressurised US Kennedy to withdraw western forces from west berlin within 6 months
  • Kennedy promised to protect West Berlin
• July 17th 1961

  • west rejcted K's demands
• July 23rd 1961

  • East imposed strict travel restrictions
  • up to 1000 refugees had been leaving a day
• July 25th 1961

  • Kennedy gave further garuntees to west berlin and announced increased arms spending
• August 13th 1961

  • barbed wire went along border of east and west
• august 22nd 1961

  • all routes to west closed except checkpoint charlie
• October 1961

  • US diplomats crossed into east to test soviet reaction
  • 27th oct Soviet tanks arrived at checkpoint Charlie to refuse access to east berlin