  See how postwar Europe evolved. Scenes of Nuremberg Trials, the Czechoslovakian and Hungaran uprisings, and the crowning of Queen Elizabeth. (15 min) |
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| Teacher's Guide Objectives • Introduces students to the study of Europe after World War II. • Stimulates discussion of an important events in modern history. • Provides eyewitness accounts of key and individuals in Europe at the end of World War II. • Provides primary source material and encourages students to study this subject in greater depth. Introduction In May, 1945, Germany’s domination of Europe came to an end. The Third Reich, which Hitler said would last for a thousand years, crumbled as the Allied armies of Britain, France, the United States and Russia moved into the Fatherland. Now the Allies set about rebuilding what Hitler had destroyed. But the unity that had led the Allies to victory wouldn’t survive the peace. New lines soon would be draw. On one side: the Western powers—the United States, Britain and France. On the other: the Soviets. Still, in 1945, outward signs of unity persisted. As the people celebrated the end of the war in Europe, their leaders prepared to deal with the future. The Potsdam Conference Two months after the German surrender, in July, the Allied leaders—President Harry Truman, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin—met a t Potsdam near Berlin. Truman had only become President three months earlier following the death of Franklin Roosevelt. And midway through the Conference Churchill was replace by Clement Attlee when his party was defeated in a British election. Despite outward signs of harmony, there was deep division among the leaders. The British and Americans distrusted Stalin. They wanted western observers to have free access to several eastern European countries the Soviets had taken over from the retreating German Army. Stalin would only agree if the West acceeded to his demand that Poland be allowed to occupy a large portion of German territory on its western border. Since the Russians had already annexed much of eastern Poland, all of the territory would fall under Soviet control. Truman later called the trade-off “a high handed outrage.” But the leaders couldn’t reach any permanent agreements about the countries Germany had occupied during the war. So a Council of Foreign Ministers was created to deal with that problem after the conference ended. By 1946 the Council had drawn up treaties which kept Italy in western hands, but gave the Soviets Finland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. The status of Austria remained unresolved. The major center of discord between the Western powers and the Soviets was Germany. Even before Potsdam the Allies agreed to joint occupation of Germany and the capitol city of Berlin. At Potsdam there was a general understanding that at sometime in the future the occupation would end and the country would be unified. But it quickly became clear that the Soviets had no intention of withdrawing from their zone. And the first postwar confrontation between Russia and the West took place there. The Berlin Airlift The Commission that set up the occupation of Germany put the British in control of the west; the Soviets in control of the east; and the Americans and French in the south. The capitol city of Berlin was also divided into four zones. But Berlin is in the eastern part of Germany and so all ground approaches to the city pass through Russian controlled territory. No formal arrangement had ever been made to keep access roads to the city open. As Russia set up puppet governments across eastern Europe it became clear that an economically secure, independent German state would be a buffer against Russian encroachment in western Europe. In June, 1948, the United States, Britain and France announced plans for the creation of a democratic, independent federal government in West Germany. The Russians retaliated by clamping a tight blockade against all traffic into Berlin. They would isolate the city and keep its citizens—and the 10,000 British, American and French troops stationed there—from receiving any supplies from the West. But they were wrong. If the Russians blocked the roads, canals and rails, American and British fliers would bring in supplies by air. Day after day planes loaded with every imaginable supply were flown into Berlin. Flour and soap and milk and coal—even candy. It was the most massive undertaking of its kind. In the end, over 277,000 flights brought in over 2 1/2 million tons of goods to the people of Berlin—more than had ever been transported by train. And the airlift was even more remarkable considering that the planes had to fly in one of three narrow corridors, each only 20 miles wide and 10,000 feet high. And almost all of the flights landed at one airport. After nearly a year the airlift ended when the Russian’s agreed to open up the roads to Berlin. In May, 1949, the German Federal Republic was born. Five months later the Russians announced the creation of the German Democratic Republic. From then on there would be two Germanies—one in the east and one in the west. The Hungarian Revolution It wasn’t long before all of eastern Europe was behind the Iron Curtain. In 1956 the Hungarian people made a valiant effort to free themselves from Soviet domination. In October a riot broke out between students and the Russian controlled Police in Budapest, the capital. In no time, the riot developed into a full fledged anti-Soviet uprising. Students and workers took to the streets to the streets demanding independence and the withdrawal of Russian troops from their country. On October 23rd, and independent government was set up under Premier Imre Nagy. Russian troops retaliated, but soldiers from the Hungarian Army sided with the rebels. After four days of fighting the Russians agreed to withdraw. The revolution was successful! It seemed impossible. And it was. On November 4th, as Hungary celebrated, the Russians staged a massive attack. The Freedom Fighter—overwhelmingly outnumbered—were hopelessly crushed. Within hours Premier Nagy and most of his government were in Russian hands. The Soviets set up a new puppet government and rounded up the rebels as thousands of others rushed to flee the country. The Revolution was over and the Iron curtain slammed shut. The Berlin Crisis West Berlin remained a thorn in Russia’s side. The continued occupation of a city deep inside their territory was not only an embarrassment to the Soviets, but a source of real concern. West Berlin became a haven for all East Germans who wanted to escape Russian domination. By the summer of 1961 some 3 1/2 million East Germans had escaped to freedom just by crossing into West Berlin. The exodus cost the economically depressed East badly needed manpower and was a slap in the face to Russian pride. Soviet leaders continually threatened to end the right of access to the city. The situation came to a head in June, 1961 when President John F. Kennedy met Soviet Premier Nikita Kruschchev at the Summit in Vienna. Kruschchev threatened to seal off the divided city and isolate it, unless the Western powers agreed to end their occupation. But Kennedy was too determined to keep the troops in Berlin. President John F. Kennedy: “We must meet our often stated pledge to the free peoples of West Berlin. It would be a mistake for others to look upon Berlin because of its location as tempting target. The United States is there. The United Kingdom and France are there. The pledge of NATO is there, and the people of Berlin are there.” The President responded to Kruschchev;s threat by sending a large contingent of soldiers to central Europe to show the Russians that America would not be intimidated. As tensions built the number of refugees crossing the border into West Berlin soared from hundreds a day to thousands. In August, 1961, the Russians put an end to the defections. They built a Wall along the border—physically dividing the city in two. If they couldn’t isolate the West, the Russians would isolate their own people behind concrete and barbed wire. The Wall essentially ended the crisis in Berlin and Kruschchev dropped his demands. In June, 1963, President Kennedy visited Berlin and spoke at the Wall, which by then had become a symbol of the cold war between East and West. He was greeted as a hero, as the man who had had the courage to stand up to the Russians and face them down. President John F. Kennedy: “And there are even a few who say that it’s true that Communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress. All three men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin and , therefore, as a free man I take pride in the words “Ich bin ein Berliner.” Questions for Review and Discussion 1. In 1945 Winston Churchill said that an Iron Curtain had descended across Europe. Name the countries behind the Iron Curtain today. Find them on a map. 2. Hungary was not the only country to try and throw off Russian rule. What other Communist controlled countries have experienced anti-Soviet uprisings? 3. What is the status of Berlin today? Is it still a divided city? Are foreign troops still stationed there?. 4. Identify: a. the Warsaw Pact; b. NATO. When were they formed? For what purpose? What are their roles in Europe today? 5. Yugoslavia occupies a special place in the Communist world. What is that country’s relationship to Russia? To the west? 6. There have been many other summit meetings since President Kennedy and Premier Kruschchev met in Vienna. Make a list of all the summit meetings held since 1961. Who were the participants? What did each meeting accomplish? |
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