Iron Curtain,
the political, military, and ideological barrier erected by the Soviet Union after World War II
to seal off itself and its dependent eastern and central European allies from open contact with the West and other noncommunist areas.
What was the Iron Curtain GCSE history?
The Iron Curtain was
a line separating Eastern Europe from Western Europe (Capitalists and Communists)
. In 1946 Winston Churchill held a speech in the United States warning there was a Iron Curtain dividing Europe. … Most countries in Eastern Europe were dominated by the USSR.
What did Winston mean by Iron Curtain?
Iron Curtain speech, speech delivered by former British prime minister Winston Churchill in Fulton, Missouri, on March 5, 1946, in which he
stressed the necessity for the United States and Britain to act as the guardians of peace and stability against the menace of Soviet communism
, which had lowered an “iron curtain” …
How did the Iron Curtain affect the Cold War?
The Iron Curtain and the Cold War surrounding it had
disastrously negative effects on the post war economy
, especially in Eastern Europe. The people there faced food shortages, economic stagnation and large-scale political upheaval.
How did the Iron Curtain get its name?
Churchill meant that the Soviet Union had separated the eastern European countries from the west so that no one knew what was going on behind the “curtain.” He
used the word “iron” to signify that it was impenetrable
. …
Why was the iron curtain a problem?
Why was the Iron Curtain a problem?
It prevented the Allies from knowing what the Soviets were up to
. … The Soviets honored their promise to declare war on Japan.
Is the iron curtain the Berlin Wall?
For the next 28 years, the heavily fortified Berlin Wall stood as the most tangible symbol of the Cold War—a
literal “iron curtain” dividing Europe
. The end of World War II in 1945 saw Germany divided into four Allied occupation zones.
Why did Stalin not like the Iron Curtain speech?
In the Soviet Union, Russian leader Joseph Stalin denounced the speech
as “war mongering
,” and referred to Churchill's comments about the “English-speaking world” as imperialist “racism.” The British, Americans, and Russians—allies against Hitler less than a year before the speech—were drawing the battle lines of the …
Why did the Iron Curtain cause tension?
The antagonism between the Soviet Union and the West that came to be described as the “iron curtain” had various origins. … People in the West expressed opposition to Soviet domination over the buffer states, leading to
growing fear that the Soviets were building an empire
that might threaten them and their interests.
How did the United States feel about the Iron Curtain?
The United
States offered economic aid
so western European countries could become strong enough to oppose Soviet aggression.
Why was the Iron Curtain Speech important?
It helped bolster American and Western European opposition to communism and the Soviet Union. In his speech, Churchill went on to argue that
strong American-British relations were essential to stopping the spread of communism and maintaining peace in Europe
. His speech was largely effective.
What was the Iron Curtain quizlet?
The Iron Curtain was
the 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
. The curtain was lifted during 1989-91, when Communist governments fell in Eastern Europe and the USSR.
When did the Iron Curtain fall?
The Fall of the Berlin Wall on
9 November 1989
paved the way for the reunification of Germany and reunification of Europe after more than 40 years of political and economic division between the West and the East.
What countries were involved in the Iron Curtain?
The Europan countries which were considered to be “behind the Iron Curtain” included:
Poland, Estearn Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania and the Soviet Union
. From North Korea to Cuba more countries were separated from the West in the same sense.
Who built the Berlin Wall?
On August 13, 1961,
the Communist government of the German Democratic Republic (GDR, or East Germany)
began to build a barbed wire and concrete “Antifascistischer Schutzwall,” or “antifascist bulwark,” between East and West Berlin.
Was the Iron Curtain a real wall?
The Iron Curtain was
a figurative and ideological wall
— and eventually a physical one — that separated the Soviet Union from western Europe after World War II.