Issue of Eastern Europe → already caused tensions → at Yalta conference Yalta Conference, Feb 1945 and Potsdam conference Potsdam Conference, July-Aug 1945 + situation continued to worsen.
- Stalin → determined → to control governments of Eastern Europe → to protect USSR from future attacks
- Although elections held → Stalin adopted → Salami Tactics + removed political opponents 1 by 1 → to make sure that communist govts → led by politicians loyal to him → took power across Eastern Europe.
he succeeded!
Communist takeovers in Eastern European countries → brutal at times.
- USSR → would first support establishment of coalition govts → in Eastern European countries →where local communist party → was influential.
- Communists → would work with other parties at beginning
- Gradually → they would take control → by isolating and suppressing other parties → in the coalition.
- These parties would be banned → and leaders arrested + exiled.
- Some cases → they were beaten/murdered.
By ‘slicing’ opposition bit by bit → Soviet control over Eastern Europe → was achieved thru Stalin’s salami tactics
One e.g.: Jan Masaryk in Czechoslovakia
- Masaryk → believed passionately → in democracy.
- was an intelligent + popular politician → defeated communists in several elections.
- His phone was tapped + he was followed by soviet agents.
- Sept 1947 →his enemies tried to kill him with a bomb sent in a parcel.
- March 1948 → he was found dead below bedroom window.
- Official verdict → was suicide → but most historians think he was murdered.
To Stalin → controlling Eastern Europe → made sense → as it was the traditional route → thru which enemies form West attacked Russia.
- if he controlled region by creating buffer states → it would be more challenging for others to invade USSR thru it
To Truman → Stalin’s actions → evidence that he was building an empire.
- But many people in US → were weary of conflict
- were wary of dragging US into international politics
- argued that Stalin’s actions → were none of their concern
- to address this → Truman asked Churchill for help
While Churchill → no longer Br PM → he was still highly respected → esp. in US
- Truman arranged for him to give speech at → Fulton, Missouri → March 1946 → and approved speech in advance
- In speech → Churchill warned → of dangers of USSR + first used the term ‘iron curtain’
Iron curtain speech → had huge impact.
- alarmed many Americans + got Truman attention + support → he wanted → in getting US more involved in international affairs.
- Speech also drew angry responses from soviet media + Stalin