In one of the most famous orations of the Cold War period, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill condemns the Soviet Union's policies in Europe and declares, “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” Churchill's speech is considered one of the ...
Who first referred to an iron curtain that had fallen across Europe?
The term Iron Curtain had been in occasional and varied use as a metaphor since the 19th century, but it came to prominence only after it was used by former British prime minister Winston Churchill in a speech at Fulton, Missouri, U.S., on March 5, 1946, when he said of the communist states, “From Stettin in the Baltic ...
Why did Churchill call it the iron curtain?
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 . ...
Who made the iron curtain?
Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech—March 5, 1946. Churchill's famed “Iron Curtain” speech ushered in the Cold War and made the term a household phrase. Top image courtesy of America's National Churchill Museum.
Who first spoke of the iron curtain?
On March 5, 1946, Sir Winston Churchill visited Westminster College as the Green Lecturer and delivered “Sinews of Peace,” a message heard round the world that went down in history as the “Iron Curtain Speech.” “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an “iron curtain” has descended across the continent.
What caused the fall of the Iron Curtain?
The events that demolished the Iron Curtain started with peaceful opposition in Poland , and continued into Hungary, East Germany, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia. Romania became the only socialist state in Europe to overthrow its government with violence.
What caused the Iron Curtain?
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.
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.
How is the Iron Curtain a dividing line?
The “iron curtain” was a dividing line because it was an imaginary line that separated Eastern and Western Europe . The countries that lied behind the line were called the Soviet sphere. NATO, which is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was signed by the U.S., Canada, and ten nations of Western Europe in 1949.
Did Churchill coin the term Iron Curtain?
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivers a speech at Westminster College that addressed the Communist threat, and in which he uttered the now-famous phrase ‘Iron Curtain,' Fulton, Mo., Mar. 5, 1946.
How did the Iron Curtain increase tension?
During the speech, Churchill pointed to the Soviet Union as the greatest threat to peace. He declared that an Iron Curtain had descended across the continent of Europe. ... Secondly, the speech significantly increased tension between the US and the Soviet Union .
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.
How did the Iron Curtain affect Europe?
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.
Why did the Soviet Union crush Hungary's revolt but not Poland's?
Why did the Soviet Union crush Hungary's revolt but not Poland's? The Polish people did not actively riot against Soviet rule . The Polish government did not attempt to leave the Warsaw Pact. ... Poland's revolt did not seek greater control of the government.
Did the Iron Curtain start the Cold War?
In one of the most famous orations of the Cold War period, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill condemns the Soviet Union's policies in Europe and declares, “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent .” Churchill's speech is considered one of the ...
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.
