The Berlin Wall

Origins of the Berlin Wall 

 

Berlin Wall

At the end of World War II, the main Allied powers (the United States, France, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union) divided Germany into two zones. 

The Soviet Union occupied East Germany and installed a communist state while the three others Allies shared the West Germany. Berlin, which is located 200 miles inside East Germany, was also divided in two parts. The other half of the city was part of West Germany. The life in East Germany was very hard because of the Communist Party so a lot of people crossed the wall to pass into West Berlin. 

 Kennedy and Khrushchev

Kennedy and Khrushchev

In 1961, Kennedy met Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna. But the meeting was unsuccessful and it increased tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. During the meeting, Khrushchev threatened to cut off the access to West Berlin to the Allies. After that, Kennedy announced that the United States might need to defend its rights in Berlin. He ordered substantial increases in American intercontinental ballistic missile forces, he also added five new army divisions and he increased the nation's air power and military reserves. 

Kennedy in Berlin 

In 1963, Kennedy visited Berlin. He gave one of his most memorable spitch : "There are many people in the World who really don't understand, or say they don't, what is the great issue between the free world and the Communist World. Let them come to Berlin. There are some who say that communism is the wave of the future. Let them come to Berlin. And there are some who say in Europe and elsewhere we can work with the Communists. Let them come to Berlin. And there are even a few who say that it is true that communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress. Lass'sie nach Berlin kommen. Let them come to Berlin."