Berlin and the Cold War

Berlin and the Cold War

To gain more knowledge about the Cold War we will look at the city of Berlin and the role it played in the Cold War.

Americans have felt close ties to the citizens of Berlin. http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/JFK+in+History/The+Cold+War+in+Berlin.htm

In the words of President Kennedy "All freemen, wherever they may live, are citizensof Berlin, and therefore,as a free man, I take pride in the words 'Ich bin ein Berliner.' (I am a Berliner)." http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/JFK+in+History/The+Cold+War+in+Berlin.htm

President Reagan at Checkpoint Charlie – 1983. http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/photographs/trips.html

President Reagan at Berlin Wall – 1987. http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/photographs/trips.html

Writing: What do you know about the following events? the Berlin Airlift and the Berlin Wall

The following slides include the photos and questions used in this activity.

Question for Photos 1 & 2 What about these pictures suggests the immensity and urgency of the Berlin Airlift?

(1) http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/fta/bapg.htm

Questions for Photo 3: How does delivering milk change the role of these airmen?

Question for Photo 4: How can milk be a weapon of democracy?

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/fta/bapg.htm (4)

Question for photos on slides 5 & 6: How do you think the next four pictures are connected?

http://www.konnections.com/airlift/airpic.htm http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/BERLIN_A/BAPIC_52.HTM (5)

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/BERLIN_A/BAPIC_55.HTMhttp://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/BERLIN_A/BAPIC_55.HTM (6) http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/BERLIN_A/BAPIC_56.HTM

Questions for Photo 7: What are vittles? What does this photo tells us about the success of the Berlin Airlift?

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/fta/bapg.htm (7)

Briefly describe the events that you see in Photo 8: Who is represented on the right of the photo? Who is represented on the left of the photo?

http://www.cs.utah.edu/~hatch/images/europe/berlin.buildwall.jpghttp://www.cs.utah.edu/~hatch/images/europe/berlin.buildwall.jpg (8)

Question for Photo 9: In this East German diagram of the Berlin Wall, what “image” of the wall do you think the author/artist is trying to portray?

Question for Photo 10: Why is there a soldier with the brick layer?

http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_imagegalleryimage/0,2180,1023752_gid_1023708_lang_2_page_1,00.htmlhttp://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_imagegalleryimage/0,2180,1023752_gid_1023708_lang_2_page_1,00.html (10)

Questions for Photo 11: What does this “eerie” photo tell us? What nations are represented at the “Allied Checkpoint?” What might be the responsibility of the soldier in the checkpoint building? What do you think the nationality is of the soldier?

Question for Photo 12: What could have been done to prevent the escape of East Germany soldiers assigned to guard the wall?

http://www.cs.utah.edu/~hatch/berlin_wall.html (12)

Description of Photo 12: “A defecting East German soldier, Conrad Schuman, leaps over a barbed wire barricade at the Bernauer Street sector into West Berlin on Aug. 15, 1961. Schuman made his break for freedom to join his family, which had fled earlier to West Berlin”

Questions for Photo 13: Other than tunnels, what other means of escape might have been attempted? What fears would you have crawling in a tunnel to the West?

(13) http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_imagegalleryimage/0,2180,1023767_gid_1023708_lang_2_page_1,00.html

Description of Photo 13 “Klaus-Michael von Keussler of West Berlin prepares to dig a tunnel underneath the Wall in Nov. 1963. Almost a year later Keussler and others completed the tunnel, allowing 57 East Germans to crawl into West Berlin.”

Question for Photos 14 & 15: What would motivate you to risk everything?

Description of Photo 14 “East German border guards carry away Peter Fechter, after they shot him down as he tried to flee to the west. Fechter laid for 50 minutes in no-man's land before he was taken to a hospital. He died shortly after arriving. Fechter became the first of 192 people who would die while trying to escape East Germany by climbing over the Wall.”

Questions for Photo 16: Aside from the wall being a large canvas, what would draw an artist to the wall?

(16) http://www.cia.gov/cia/information/tour/wall.html

Question for Photo 17: Briefly describe the emotions/crowd tones that are evident in this photo?

http://www.mala.bc.ca/~soules/media205/berlin_wall.jpg (17)

Question for Photo 18: What side of the wall are these gentlemen standing on? Explain your answer.

(18) http://www.wall-berlin.org/gb/expodb13.htm

Question for Photo 19: Why would parents bring their children to this event?

(30) (19) http://www.defence.gov.au/news/raafnews/editions/4711/letters.htm

Question for Photo 20: What is pictured in this photo?

(20) http://www.cs.utah.edu/~hatch/berlin_wall.html

Journal Writing How is Berlin a symbol or metaphor for the entire Cold War period? Consider the economic, cultural and political implications of the separation and eventual reunification of this important city?

Berlin and the Cold War