>The Iron Curtain, as a term, was coined by Winston Churchill in his 1946 speech called "Sinews of Peace,". He used the term to describe the separation between the Soviet Union and its satellite states in Eastern Europe and the Western world.
Here is a step-by-step explanation of how the Iron Curtain came to be:
1. End of World War II and Division of Germany: After the end of World War II, Germany, which was under Nazi rule, was divided into four zones of occupation: American, British, French, and Soviet. Berlin, the capital city of Germany, was also divided into four sectors.
2. Political Tensions: Differences in political ideologies between the Western Allies (United States, Great Britain, and France) and the Soviet Union led to tensions and suspicion. The Soviet Union, under Joseph Stalin, aimed to establish a communist sphere of influence in Eastern Europe.
3. Soviet Dominance in Eastern Europe: The Soviet Union installed pro-Soviet governments in the Eastern European countries it had liberated from Nazi occupation, including Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. These governments were often supported by Soviet military forces and secret police.
4. Division of Europe: The division of Europe along ideological lines became increasingly clear, with the Eastern European countries under Soviet influence and the Western European countries aligned with the Western Allies. This solidified the East-West divide.
5. The Truman Doctrine and Containment: The Truman Doctrine, announced by U.S. President Harry Truman in 1947, declared that the United States would support free peoples who were resisting subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures. This policy aimed to contain the spread of communism and Soviet influence.
6. The Berlin Blockade and Airlift: In 1948, the Soviet Union attempted to force the Western Allies out of Berlin by blockading the city, preventing supplies and food from entering. The Western Allies responded with the Berlin Airlift, a massive effort to supply the city from the air, which lasted for 11 months.
7. Formation of NATO: In response to the Soviet threat and to prevent further communist expansion, the Western Allies formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949. This military alliance signaled the commitment of the United States and its Western European allies to defend each other against any armed attack.
8. Warsaw Pact: In response to NATO, the Soviet Union established the Warsaw Pact, which was a military alliance between the Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellite states. This solidified the Iron Curtain divide.
The term "Iron Curtain" came to represent the ideological, political, and physical division of Europe during the Cold War, which lasted until the late 1980s. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union led to the end of the Iron Curtain and the reunification of Germany.