Existing comment:
Cold War:
The Cold War Begins:
In the aftermath of World War II, tension emerged between the Soviet Union and its wartime allies Britain and the United States, who feared the growth of Soviet influence in Europe. Wartime operations had resulted in pro-Soviet communist governments assuming power in Poland, Rumania, Hungary, and Bulgaria. Yugoslavia, although communist controlled, remained independent of Soviet or Western influence.
The Iron Curtain:
Along the boundary between East and West Germany, a political, economic, and cultural divide existed. Over time, this boundary became fortified and symbolized the tension between the democracies of western Europe and the United States and the communist states of eastern and southern Europe. In 1946, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill dubbed this line an "iron curtain," a term which remained in use throughout the Cold War years. |