The Berlin Crisis of 1958-1961: Escalating Tensions Between the United States and Soviet Union
TITLE
Evaluate the extent to which the Berlin Crisis of 1958–61 led to increased tension between the United States and Soviet Union.
ESSAY
The Berlin Crisis of 1958–61 significantly increased tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, leading to various points of escalation and brinkmanship between the two superpowers. The crisis highlighted the underlying suspicion and competition that existed even before the events in Berlin unfolded.
The announcement by Khrushchev in November 1958 that the agreement on the status of Berlin would be declared null and void and placed under Soviet control set off a chain of events that raised the stakes for both sides. Khrushchev's ultimatum and threat of war if the West resisted further fueled the atmosphere of distrust and confrontation.
The shooting down of the U-2 spy plane and the capture of pilot Gary Powers by the Soviets in 1960 served as a flashpoint in the crisis. The incident revealed the extent of espionage activities and increased mutual suspicions. Eisenhower's initial denial and subsequent admission of the U-2 mission further deepened the mistrust between the two nations.
The failed summit between Khrushchev and Kennedy in Vienna in 1961 failed to provide a resolution to the Berlin issue, and Khrushchev's decision to erect a barbed wire fence separating East and West Berlin further symbolized the division caused by the Cold War. The subsequent standoff between US and Soviet troops at the Berlin Wall checkpoint highlighted the potential for direct military confrontation in Europe.
Moreover, the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, which followed the Berlin Crisis, underscored the recurring pattern of brinkmanship and the dangerous escalation of tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Despite moments of potential resolution, such as Khrushchev's disarmament proposals and negotiations for summits, the fundamental ideological and strategic differences between the two superpowers continued to drive a cycle of confrontation and competition.
In conclusion, the Berlin Crisis of 1958–61 significantly intensified the Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, highlighting the fragility of the post-war order and the potential for direct conflict between the two superpowers. The crisis underscored the deep-seated mistrust and competition that defined the era and set the stage for further escalations in the years that followed.
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HISTORY
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Evaluate the extent to which the Berlin Crisis of 1958–61 led to increased tension between the United States and Soviet Union.
Indicative content:
It seemed that Khrushchev never intended peaceful coexistence to end competition between the two superpowers, merely that it would be peaceful competition. Suspicion existed between both sides even before the Berlin crisis. Eisenhower’s ‘New Course’ foreign policy included the use of greater nuclear weapons, a policy of massive retaliation and brinkmanship. In 1955 Khrushchev set up the Warsaw Pact with plans of how to wage nuclear war against NATO. However, the Berlin crises exacerbated the tension as both sides came close to war. Just ten years after the agreement on the ending of the Berlin Blockade, on 10 November 1958, Khrushchev announced that within six months he would declare this agreement ‘null and void’ and place all of Berlin under Soviet control. He maintained that there would be war if the West resisted.
By the autumn of 1958 East Germany had lost 2 million people who were using East Berlin as an escape route and Khrushchev was determined to stop this. Hopes of an agreement between the United States and Soviet Union were soon dashed when the Soviets shot down a U-2 spy plane capturing the pilot, Gary Powers. Democrats in the United States spread reports that the Soviets were ahead of the United States in ICBMs. Eisenhower believed this to be false based on the evidence produced by U-2 spy planes but he ordered one more flight to take place in May 1960. The plane was shot down by the Soviets and Eisenhower, assuming that Powers was dead, lied and said that the plane must have veered off course but the Soviets learnt the truth from Powers. Thus, suspicion and distrust were exacerbated by Eisenhower’s actions.
Khrushchev cut off talks with Eisenhower hoping that the new administration in the United States might achieve a resolution. In the summer of 1961, he met Kennedy in Vienna but no solution was found to the Berlin problem and Khrushchev again gave the United States 6 months to withdraw from Berlin. Kennedy responded by preparing for a potential conflict. Khrushchev’s own response was seen on 13 August 1961 when a barbed wire fence was erected on the order of Walter Ulbricht separating East and West Berlin making the city the heart of the Cold War.
It can be argued that Khrushchev was only bluffing in 1958 and that he was in no position to alienate the United States. The fact that the two sides agreed to talks suggests they wanted to avert war. Khrushchev returned from his talks at Camp David with an agreement from Eisenhower to a summit in Paris the following year. Berlin and disarmament would be discussed. In January 1960, he gave a public speech to the Supreme Soviet, laying out a disarmament plan in which the Soviets would unilaterally withdraw 1 million troops from Eastern Europe and invite NATO to respond in kind. He would also destroy all Soviet missiles and discuss on-site inspection to verify that the United States did the same. Kennedy did not agree to a resolution as he was prepared to defend the interests of capitalism. A standoff between US and Soviet troops on either side of the diplomatic checkpoint led to one of the tensest moments of the Cold War in Europe. The United States stationed tanks on its side of the checkpoint, pointing towards the East German troops just beyond the wall.
Concerns that US forces would either attempt to take down the wall or force their way through the checkpoint led the Soviet Union to station its own tanks on the East German side. However, Kennedy suggested that Khrushchev remove his tanks and the US Army would reciprocate. The standoff ended peacefully but the Cuban Crisis of 1962 saw the two sides on the brink of nuclear war.