Iron Curtain Speech Analysis

Improved Essays
During World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union had joined forces to fight against Germany. Soviet and American relations began to deteriorate due to disagreements over military plans in WWII. A fear of the spread of communism and an aggressive American foreign policy in response to that fear. By 1947, the United States and the Soviet Union would be involved in the Cold War. In March 1946, former British Minister Winston Churchill spoke of the dangers to basic liberties posted by the Soviet system of government. He declared that an “Iron Curtain” (Document 1) has descended over Eastern Europe trapping Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, and East Germany. In Document 2, Churchill's “Iron Curtain Speech” expressed

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    During World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union were partners. They had teamed together to defeat their common enemy, Germany. In spite of this successful partnership in defeating their common enemy, several developments and factors from 1941 to 1949 increased suspicion and tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. One major development that emerged within this period of time was differing philosophies. The United States believed in democratic forms of government, believed that economic stability would keep peace in the world, and believed that the free enterprise system was necessary for economic growth.…

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cold War Dbq

    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Soviet spies and the American government became engaged in a series of economic disasters then which became the Cold War. According to History, “During World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union fought together as allies against the Axis powers. However, the relationship between the two nations was a tense one.”…

    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cold War Dbq

    • 1221 Words
    • 5 Pages

    It has become common today to underestimate the clash during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, as there was no actual fighting between these countries. However, the Cold War was a time of strong tension primarily between the United States and the Soviet Union, which affected many countries around the world. During World War II, the USSR and U.S were allies fighting against Hitler and the axis powers. Nevertheless, the political differences between the Soviets and the Americans intensified after the WWII as both nations tried to spread its own ideology for global domination. During the Cold War, these nations did not directly drop bombs on each other or fire missiles, but created immense tension by testing their own…

    • 1221 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Soviet Union Dbq

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In his famous “‘Iron Curtain’ Speech,” Winston Churchill gave a warning about the Cold War and the Soviet Union. About communist states, he said, “from Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic,…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Berlin Crisis Dbq

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Russian Civil War changed the country to a Communist domain and therefore its relationship with the Western Allies. American involvement whilst limited, contributed greatly to the tension in the Cold War. America feared any form of government that would question the superiority of capitalism. America along with other Western Allies such helped the White Army fight the Red Army who eventually formed the Communist party in the Soviet Union. During World War Two the United States and Soviet Union were forced into an alliance to fight the greater threat of Nazism.…

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There are many reasons why the United States became involved in the Cold War, but the main reason was the containment policy; and this policy was a response to a series of moves by the Soviet Union to enlarge its communist sphere of influence in Eastern Europe, China, Korea, and Vietnam; and the impact it had on people's lives during the 50s and 60s was terror because…

    • 1023 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    From 1933 to 1939 the United States and the Soviet Union had a sort of détente, but relations were not friendly. After the USSR and Germany became belligerents in 1941, Roosevelt made a personal commitment to help the Soviets (Congress never voted to approve any sort of alliance). The wartime cooperation was never friendly and it became increasingly strained by February 1945 at the Yalta Conference, as it became increasingly clear that Stalin intended to spread communism to Soviet Union's neighboring countries (which he succeeded in doing and which lead to the birth of Cominform and then, to spread communism throughout Western…

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cold War Dbq

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Cold War The Cold War was a lengthy struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union that began in the aftermath of the surrender of Hitler’s Nazi regime. In 1941, Nazi aggression against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, commonly known as the USSR, turned the Soviet Union into an ally of the Western democracies. But in the post-war world, increasingly divergent viewpoints created rifts between those who had once been allies. The United States of America and the USSR gradually built up their own zones of influence, dividing the world into two opposing sectors. The Cold War was therefore not exclusively a struggle between the United States and the USSR but a global conflict that affected many countries.…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After the Second World War, tensions increased between the United States and the Soviet Union due to communism, ultimately leading to the Cold War. The American people were beginning to fear the spread of communism, increasing hysteria throughout the United States. The Eisenhower administration attempted to soothe the hysteria of Americans through legislation. However, American fear of communism and the failing of the economy kept American hysteria steady. Hysteria in America was at an all time high, due to the threat of communism and many other things.…

    • 1184 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Cold War strongly affected the United States’ Domestic policy and American society, because tensions increased with the Soviet Union leading to nuclear warfare, communism begun to spread in the world, and it got us involved in many wars. Many of the issues relating to the Cold War regarding the United States, was the Soviet Union. During WWII, the United States, France and the Soviet Union were in an alliance. But shortly after the war ended, the Soviet Union broke off from the alliance and seeked for new forms of…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Summary: Through espionage, propaganda, arms build up, political movements, and economic aid to those effected the Soviet Union and The United States battled for a decade as the united states tried to limit the power that Union had over Eastern Europe. The alliance once held by the Soviet Union and United States quickly began to crumble after the USA began to intervene with the Soviet activity. As the Soviet Unions grip began to tighten on Eastern Europe the US made a policy attempting to prevent to the communist influence from spread to France, Italy, and Greece.…

    • 1151 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Cold War Dbq Essay

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Between the years of 1947 and 1991 the Soviet Union and the United States remained in a long period of tension known as The Cold War. This conflict unfolded in a series of intermediary wars such as the Space Race and Arms Race. The Cold War provoked profound changes in United States infrastructure and military, the education system and the overall atmosphere throughout society. In 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed due to their economic failure and their approach to the Space Race. This marked the end to the long waged Cold War.…

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cold War In America Essay

    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Consequently, after the World War II, they mistrusted each other, and their relationship continued to deteriorate because of their differing ideologies. The escalation of differences between the USSR and the United States led to the start of the Cold War in 1946. This paper seeks to explore some of the causes of the Cold War and the events that took place during the Cold War in America. Causes of the Cold War Cold…

    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Americans and Soviets experienced a “Cold War” from 1945-1991. Both countries never engaged in any direct war but focused on destroying the power and influence of one another. America’s involvement during Vietnam through 1955 was one instance that occurred where both the US and the USSR were both engaging in a Communist vs. Capitalist war. The Vietnam conflict created tension and fear between the US and the USSR. Even though the battle did not occur on US or USSR soil, the impact of both super powers were largely present during the Vietnam War.…

    • 1169 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Cold War’s Social and Political Effect on America In world war II, America and the Soviet Union were allies. Their relationship throughout the war was tense. Due to paranoia and fear of communism from America and the Soviet Union’s resentment of America because of their delayed entry into the war, leading to many avoidable russian deaths, mutual hate and distrust of each other developed. This unfounded paranoia of both nations would, ultimately, cause the Cold War. (History.com, "Cold War History.")…

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays