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HIS CW-9 BERLIN WALL

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Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
 
 
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Divided Germany. Notice the city of Berlin divided into Eastern (Soviet) areas and Western areas.
If you remember from a previous lesson, Germany was divided into sectors after World War II. The city of Berlin was in the Soviet sector (East Germany) and it too was divided into sectors. Look at the map on the left.

The British, American and French areas of Germany became known as
“West” Germany. The Soviet area of Germany became known as “East” Germany

The Soviets did not like having the Western powers inside the city of Berlin which was in East Germany.  By 1960 the West areas of Germany and the West areas of Berlin were rich and prosperous. Business was thriving, the cities were remodeled and life was good for the citizens of West Germany. In East Germany the Soviet areas of Germany were still in ruins, as they were at the end of World War II.
 

 1. 

The American, French and British areas of Berlin were known as _____ Berlin, while the Soviet area of Berlin was known as _____ Berlin.
a.
Eastern - Western
c.
Communist - Soviet
b.
Western - Eastern
d.
Communist - Capitalist
 

 2. 

Life in East Berlin was an example of the _____ of the communist system
a.
failure
c.
technology
b.
success
d.
power
 
 
nar002-1.jpgFor years, West Berlin was an escape route for East Germans seeking to flee communism. But growing Cold War tensions forced the Soviet bloc to erect a deadly blockade across the city -- a Wall that divided Berlin for nearly three decades.
 

 3. 

How long did the Berlin Wall stay in place?
a.
300 years
c.
30 years
b.
30 months
d.
3 years
 

 4. 

Who used the wall as an escape route?
a.
Soviets trying to escape to East Germany
c.
East Germans trying to escape to the Soviet Sector
b.
West Germans trying to escape to the Eastern Sector
d.
East Germans fleeing to the West
 
 
BERLIN
After World War II the Soviets kept their vast armies and even increased their numbers. They were a powerful military machine. In order to defend against Soviet aggression, the Western countries joined together and formed a joint military force called, “NATO.” By 1958, West Germany was NATO's front line along the Iron Curtain.
Berlin, meanwhile, was creating a different kind of nightmare for the Soviet bloc. The city was still under the joint occupation of France, Britain, the U.S.S.R. and the United States -- an arrangement that began when the four powers were wartime allies. Berliners could move freely between the city's Eastern and Western sectors, allowing the East Germans to see how well the West Germans were living..
West Berlin was considered a danger to the existence of East Germany. Nikita Khrushchev proposed Berlin become a "free city," with its own foreign policy. But the West rejected Khrushchev's idea because they realized that Khrushchev really wanted to control the entire city of Berlin..
 

 5. 

The Western allies joined together to form a military organization to defend against Soviet aggression. This army was called _____
a.
WEST SETO
c.
NATO
b.
THE MACHINE
d.
EAST NATO
 

 6. 

Why did the Soviet bloc not  want the Berliners moving back and forth between the East and West sectors?
a.
they did not want the West Berliners to see how good the East Berliners were living.
c.
they did not want the East Berliners to see how good the West Berliners were living.
b.
they did not want the East Berliners to become communist
d.
they did not care if Berliners moved back and forth
 
 
KHRUSHCHEV
Khrushchev issued a new demand, calling on the Western powers to withdraw from Berlin or the Soviet bloc might take military action to throw the West out. Ensuing talks between the West and the U.S.S.R. got nowhere. But the talks persuaded Khrushchev to put aside  his Berlin ultimatum. In September 1959, he became the first Soviet leader to visit the United States, where he met with President Eisenhower.
A second Eisenhower-Khrushchev summit collapsed before it had even begun -- following the shoot-down of an American U-2 spy plane, which had been flying over Soviet airspace
nar004-1.jpg
 

 7. 

What did Khrushchev want the West to do about Berlin?
a.
get out
c.
share power
b.
stay
d.
bring NATO in
 

 8. 

Who was President of the United States in 1959
a.
Franklin Roosevelt
c.
Truman
b.
John F. Kennedy
d.
Eisenhower
 
 
nar005-1.jpgEAST GERMANY
By the end of the 1950s, East Germany portrayed itself as a socialist paradise. But the reality was far different. Dependence on heavy industry created shortages of essential goods and consumer items. East Germany knew it could not compete with the swelling prosperity of West Germany.
Every month, thousands of East Germans fled across the open Berlin border and took refuge in the West. Most of the refugees were young and skilled. Their departure was bleeding the East German economy to death. East German leader Walter Ulbricht urged Khrushchev to recognize East Germany as a sovereign state.
 

 9. 

By the end of the 1950’s _____ Germany was prosperous, in contrast to _____ Germany
a.
East - Soviet
c.
Soviet - East
b.
West - East
d.
West - American Sector
 

 10. 

How did the escape of East Germans into West Germany through Berlin hurt the East German economy?
a.
Many of the people escaping were German spies.
c.
Most of the people escaping were young people with skills that East Germany needed for its economy.
b.
Most of the people escaping were young people with educations that West Germany needed for its economy
d.
Most of the people escaping were unskilled labor that the East needed for manual labor.
 

 11. 

East German leader Walter Ulbricht urged Khrushchev to recognize East Germany as a sovereign state. What does this tell you about the relationship of East Germany to the Soviet Union?
a.
the Soviets were dictators over East Germany
c.
the Soviets were inferior to the East Germans
b.
the East Germans were afraid of the West
d.
West Germany was inferior to East Germany
 
 
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Khrushchev and Kennedy at the Vienna Summit in 1961

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German Refugees Trying to Escape Communism
THE WALL
John F. Kennedy became U.S. president in January 1961.  He agreed to meet Khrushchev and other world leaders in June of that year. The other world leaders at the Summit were “Giants” of world history and had led their countries through World War II.  Kennedy was young and inexperienced and the other leaders did not respect him. Shortly before the summit in Vienna, Kennedy attempted to invade Castro's Cuba, at the Bay of Pigs, and failed miserably. Khrushchev attempted to bully Kennedy at the summit, warning him that Soviet bloc forces could invade West Berlin at any time.
By that time, the flow of refugees from East to West Berlin had become a torrent. East German officials begged Moscow to let them stem the flow. On the morning of August 13, 1961, East German and Soviet troops sealed the East Berlin side of the border, closing crossing points and erecting barricades. The Berlin wall was erected and Berlin was divided.
 

 12. 

Why did Khrushchev believe that he could bully and threaten President Kennedy?
a.
Kennedy was also a dictator
c.
Kennedy was perceived to be tough because he tried to invade Cuba
b.
Khrushchev was mentally unbalanced
d.
Kennedy was inexperienced in world affairs
 

 13. 

Most experts agree that Khrushchev would never have agreed to build a wall between East and West Berlin if Eisenhower were still in office. Why did Khrushchev think he could erect a wall with Kennedy in office?
a.
Kennedy was busy in Korea and Cuba
c.
The experts were wrong
b.
Khrushchev thought Kennedy would not respond to Soviet aggression
d.
Kennedy also wanted a wall
 

 14. 

Khrushchev was to Kennedy as a teacher is to _____
a.
a misbehaving student
c.
the principal of a school
b.
the parent of a student
d.
the police
 

 15. 

The flow of refugees from East to West Berlin showed that ...
a.
there were too many people in East Berlin
c.
Communism was a failure
b.
there were too many people in West Berlin
d.
Communism was a success
 
 
DIVIDED
Angry West Berliners demonstrated against the division of their city, a divide that separated many families. The allies were unsure how to react -- their rights within Berlin had not been challenged by the Soviets. But a border crossing confrontation prompted U.S. Gen. Lucius Clay to bring up tanks. The Soviets responded with their own show of force. Both sides later withdrew their armor.
Many in the East, meanwhile, risked death to flee across the Wall. Within the first year, 50 Germans died trying to cross to the West. One of them, 18-year-old Peter Fechter, bled to death in the no-man's land between East and West, in front of outraged West Berliners.
In 1963, Kennedy visited West Berlin -- telling its residents that all free people were citizens of Berlin and "therefore as a free man, I take pride in the words, 'Ich bin ein Berliner.'"
Yet for the next three decades, the Wall remained a symbol of the Cold War's cruelty and Europe's division. Its message was a bitter one: Whatever happened beyond that line, the West might lament, but would not interfere.
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Demonstrations against the Berlin Wall

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 16. 

How did Germans react to the building of a wall that divided the city
a.
with fear of the East Berlin government
c.
with anger and protestations
b.
with fear of the West Berlin government
d.
with anger at the weak American President
 

 17. 

How did the Allied Powers react to the erection of the Berlin wall?
a.
They were not sure what to do
c.
Calling a special session of Congress
b.
They were sure and resolute
d.
They threatened to declare war on the Soviet Union
 

 18. 

By finally accepting the Berlin wall, the West was really saying that ...
a.
it was most likely a good thing to have a wall between East and West Berlin
c.
it would not interfere in the affairs of West Germany
b.
the Berlin Airlift was a failure
d.
it would not interfere with the affairs of East Germany and the Soviet occupation
 

 19. 

When President Kennedy told the people of Berlin, 'Ich bin ein Berliner,” he was showing ___ for the Soviet Union and _____ with the people of Berlin
a.
joy - anger
c.
contempt - unity
b.
fear - unity
d.
dislike - frustration
 

 20. 

How did the people of Berlin react to President Kennedy’s speech?
a.
hatred and contempt for the President
c.
anger at President Kennedy
b.
joy and affection for President Kennedy
d.
fear of the Soviet Union
 



 
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