Members in Cominform included leaders of communist parties in Eastern Europe. Set up in 1947 Cominform published propaganda that would unite communist states in Europe and ensured that satellite states implement a soviet style communism and trade mainly with other Cominform countries.

Stalin used Cominform to tighten his control over the satellite states + ensure that US could not gain any political influence in them.

At Cominform meetings Stalin told Eastern European states which policies they should follow.

  • included rejecting financial support from Marshall Plan + cutting off trade and any other kind of contact with countries that did not belong to Cominform.

There was no real debate within Cominform.

  • only state which argued with Stalin was Yugoslavia led by Marshal Tito.
  • Yugoslavia was expelled from Cominform in 1948 and there was bitter, long lasting feud between him and Stalin