The refugee problem in Berlin

• In 1949, Germany had divided into West German and East Germany. West Germany received Marshall Aid and so living standards and salaries became much higher than in East Germany
• The government in East Germany was unpopular and there were riots against it in 1953
• East Germans could easily travel to Berlin, cross from East Berlin to West Berlin, and then travel freely from West Berlin to West Germany
• By 1958, three million East Germans had crossed to the West. This was over a sixth of the population
• Consequently, lots of problems were caused for East Germany, as a lot of the people were leaving were engineers, technicians and teachers, who they needed to help rebuild the economy
• Consequently, Khrushchev issued the Berlin Ultimatum and eventually built the Berlin Wall