Checkpoint Charlie

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/checkpoint-charlie

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location?Intersection of Friedrichstraße, Zimmerstraße, and Mauerstraße, Berlin, Germany
2. What is the operational period?August 1961 - October 1990
3. Why was Checkpoint Charlie built?It was built in August 1961 to stop many people from leaving East Germany for the West, because the East German government was losing skilled workers.
4. What happened at Checkpoint Charlie in October 1961?In October 1961, American and Soviet tanks stood very close to each other at the checkpoint, creating a tense standoff that almost led to war.

German Democratic Republic (GDR): The official name for East Germany, a communist state that existed from 1949 to 1990.
Iron Curtain: A metaphorical and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991.
Brain Drain: The emigration of highly trained or qualified people from a particular country.