L.O: Can I explain why Churchill and Truman hated the Iron Curtain? Do Now: What, in your opinion, was the most important decision made at theYalta Conference? Explain fully. L.O: Can I explain why Churchill and Truman hated the Iron Curtain?

Soviet Expansion in the East At the Yalta conference, the big three had decided that all states which had been freed from Nazi control would be allowed to elect their own governments. This didn’t happen. The USSR and Communism continued to expand after 1945, as Stalin became more obsessed with spreading his ideologies and wanting to create a ‘buffer’ between the USSR and the democratic states in the west. What do you think was more important to Stalin; spreading Communism, or creating a buffer between the USSR and the west?

Explain what is meant by the Iron Curtain.

Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech Churchill feared the Soviet expansion in the East straight away, and wrote to president Truman expressing his fears. In 1946 he made his famous iron curtain speech, where he asked for the west to become allies with one another, in order to prevent soviet expansion in the east. ‘ A shadow has fallen upon the scenes so lately blighted by the Allied victory. Nobody knows what soviet Russia intends to do in the immediate future or what are the limits to their expansive tendencies. From Stetin on the Baltic to Trieste on the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of central and eastern Europe… and all are subject to a very high measure of control from Moscow.’ Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech, which he made to an American audience in Fulton, USA, that included President Truman

Stalin’s response ‘ Mr Churchill now stands as a firebrand of war. As a result of the German invasion the Soviet union has lost about 7 million people. In other words, several times more than Britain and the United States together. The Germans made their invasion of the USSR through Finland, Poland and Romania. What can there be surprising about the fact that the Soviet Union, anxious for its future safety, is trying to see to it that governments loyal to the soviet union should exist in these countries?’

So, what happened to these Communist countries in Eastern Europe? In the countries that the Red Army "liberated", communist-dominated governments took power. The Communists made sure that they controlled the army, set up a secret police force, and began to arrest their opponents. Non-Communists were gradually beaten, murdered, executed and terrified out of power. By 1949, all the governments of Eastern Europe, except Yugoslavia, were hard line Stalinist regimes.

Home Learning Using the chart you’ve been given, to help you remember the Soviet takeover of power, find and label the countries where... Non-Communists were arrested. The Communists used the radio. The Communists took part in a coalition government at first, but plotted to take over. Non-Communists were executed. The Communists used the secret police to gain power. Communists won power in an election. The Catholic Church was attacked. 2) Read up on the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan for next lesson.

Printing follows

‘ A shadow has fallen upon the scenes so lately blighted by the Allied victory. Nobody knows what soviet Russia intends to do in the immediate future or what are the limits to their expansive tendencies. From Stetin on the Baltic to Trieste on the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of central and eastern Europe… and all are subject to a very high measure of control from Moscow.’ Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech, which he made to an American audience in Fulton, USA that included President Truman ‘ A shadow has fallen upon the scenes so lately blighted by the Allied victory. Nobody knows what soviet Russia intends to do in the immediate future or what are the limits to their expansive tendencies. From Stetin on the Baltic to Trieste on the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of central and eastern Europe… and all are subject to a very high measure of control from Moscow.’ Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech, which he made to an American audience, in Fulton USA that included President Truman ‘ A shadow has fallen upon the scenes so lately blighted by the Allied victory. Nobody knows what soviet Russia intends to do in the immediate future or what are the limits to their expansive tendencies. From Stetin on the Baltic to Trieste on the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of central and eastern Europe… and all are subject to a very high measure of control from Moscow.’ Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech, which he made to an American audience, in Fulton USA, that included President Truman ‘ A shadow has fallen upon the scenes so lately blighted by the Allied victory. Nobody knows what soviet Russia intends to do in the immediate future or what are the limits to their expansive tendencies. From Stetin on the Baltic to Trieste on the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of central and eastern Europe… and all are subject to a very high measure of control from Moscow.’ Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech, which he made to an American audience. In Fulton USA that included President Truman

‘ Mr Churchill now stands as a firebrand of war ‘ Mr Churchill now stands as a firebrand of war. As a result of the German invasion the Soviet union has lost about 7 million people. In other words, several times more than Britain and the United States together. The Germans made their invasion of the USSR through Finland, Poland and Romania. What can there be surprising about the fact that the Soviet Union, anxious for its future safety, is trying to see to it that governments loyal to the soviet union should exist in these countries?’ Stalin’s reply to Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech What’s the main message of this extract? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you trust what Stalin is saying? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________.________________ If you don’t trust it, what do you think his real intentions were? _________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. What was the purpose of Stalin’s reply? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ‘ Mr Churchill now stands as a firebrand of war. As a result of the German invasion the Soviet union has lost about 7 million people. In other words, several times more than Britain and the United States together. The Germans made their invasion of the USSR through Finland, Poland and Romania. What can there be surprising about the fact that the Soviet Union, anxious for its future safety, is trying to see to it that governments loyal to the soviet union should exist in these countries?’ Stalin’s reply to Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech What’s the main message of this extract? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you trust what Stalin is saying? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________.________________ If you don’t trust it, what do you think his real intentions were? _________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. What was the purpose of Stalin’s reply? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Using the chart you’ve been given, to help you remember the Soviet takeover of power, find and label the countries where... Non-Communists were arrested. The Communists used the radio. The Communists took part in a coalition government at first, but plotted to take over. Non-Communists were executed. The Communists used the secret police to gain power. Communists won power in an election. The Catholic Church was attacked. 2) Read up on the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan for next lesson. Using the chart you’ve been given, to help you remember the Soviet takeover of power, find and label the countries where... Non-Communists were arrested. The Communists used the radio. The Communists took part in a coalition government at first, but plotted to take over. Non-Communists were executed. The Communists used the secret police to gain power. Communists won power in an election. The Catholic Church was attacked. 2) Read up on the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan for next lesson. Using the chart you’ve been given, to help you remember the Soviet takeover of power, find and label the countries where... Non-Communists were arrested. The Communists used the radio. The Communists took part in a coalition government at first, but plotted to take over. Non-Communists were executed. The Communists used the secret police to gain power. Communists won power in an election. The Catholic Church was attacked. 2) Read up on the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan for next lesson. Using the chart you’ve been given, to help you remember the Soviet takeover of power, find and label the countries where... Non-Communists were arrested. The Communists used the radio. The Communists took part in a coalition government at first, but plotted to take over. Non-Communists were executed. The Communists used the secret police to gain power. Communists won power in an election. The Catholic Church was attacked. 2) Read up on the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan for next lesson.

Country Date Method Albania 1945 The Communists immediately took power. Bulgaria In the 1945 elections, a Communist-led coalition was elected, but the Communists executed the non-Communists. East Germany East Germany was the Soviet zone of Germany. In 1949, they set up a Communist-controlled state called the German Democratic Republic. Romania 1947 In the 1945 elections, a Communist-led coalition was elected to power. The Communists gradually took over and in 1947 they abolished the monarchy. Poland Stalin had promised to set up a joint Communist/non-Communist government at Yalta, but then he invited 16 non-Communist leaders to Moscow and arrested them. Thousands of non-Communists were arrested, and the Communists won the 1947 election. Hungary The non-communists won the 1945 elections with Zoltan Tildy as president. However, the Communists' leader, Rakosi, took control of the secret police (the AVO), and executed and arrested his opponents. Tildy was forced to resign and Cardinal Mindzenty, head of the Catholic Church, was imprisoned. By 1948, Rakosi had complete control of Hungary. Czechoslovakia 1948 A coalition government was set up and led by the non-Communist Benes. However, the Communists' leader Gottwald made sure they controlled the radio, the army and the police. Gottwald became prime minister and set up a secret police force. Non-Communists were arrested. In 1948, Communist workers went on strike, the non-Communist minister Masaryk committed suicide and Gottwald took over the government.