Cold War Flashpoints - Berlin wall: why was it built?

Cold War Flashpoints - Berlin wall: why was it built?

1. The Berlin Wall: why was it built? The Cold War 1945-1990

2. The Cold War 1945-1990 In August 1961 , the East German government divided Berlin with a wall that stood for almost four decades. There were many reasons for doing this.

3. The Cold War 1945-1990 East Germany suffered from a major loss of population . Between 1949 and 1961 , one sixth of the population of East Germany moved away, often travelling through Berlin to do so.

4. The Cold War 1945-1990 As a result of this, there were fewer skilled workers in Berlin and East Germany (known as the ‘brain drain’ . People such as engineers and scientists were attracted to the West by the chance of earning much higher wages .

5. The Cold War 1945-1990 There were many stories about people choosing to leave East Germany and build new lives abroad. One report suggests the entire Maths department of Leipzig University defected to the West on the same day.

6. The Cold War 1945-1990 For many people living under Soviet control, Berlin was their route out of Communism. The East German government (and USSR) built the wall to try and stop so many people leaving.

7. The Cold War 1945-1990 Officially the East German government claimed the wall was built to protect Communism. They called the wall the ‘anti-fascist bulwark’ , meaning its role was to stop fascists from taking over Germany.

8. The Cold War 1945-1990 The Soviets also worried that large numbers of people leaving East Germany implied that Capitalism was a better ideology than Communism . Of course building the Wall also reinforced this view.

9. The Cold War 1945-1990 Spies are a major part of the Cold War story – and they were also a reason for building the Wall. The East Germans and Soviets worried that Berlin was used by Western spies to access the East.

10. The Cold War 1945-1990 Western countries had many informers in East Berlin (estimates suggest around 10,000 ). Often countries like the USA persuaded East Germans who defected to the West to go home and spy and inform on the Communists.

11. The Cold War 1945-1990 The Soviets also believed that Western spies were involved in sabotage in East Germany and the USSR. The East German government claimed such actions included killing cows , burning down buildings and damaging trains .

12. The Cold War 1945-1990 The wall also aimed to make Western countries leave Berlin and Germany. The Soviets were still angry that Berlin – which was in East Germany – was partly controlled by the USA , UK and France .

13. The Cold War 1945-1990 The USSR was concerned that West Germany was building a strong military (and had been allowed to join NATO ). Building the wall aimed to remind people of Soviet strength and control in East Germany.