Iron Curtain Separates Europe

1. What is your overall impression of Source 26 (p. 70) and use extracts from the source to support your view. (No fence sitting; you must choose one but not both)      

• a reasonable assessment of Stalin’s aims based on the facts
• an overreaction to Stalin’s actions based on fear of and prejudice towards the USSR?        

  Source 26 is a reasonable assessment of Stalin's aims.  At the time it was made, Stalin had taken the "Soviet influence" to mean that they could control other countries, so the source was correct in stating that the Soviet Unions is "not prepared to co-operate with any non-Communist controlled government in eastern Europe".  The source is accurate because the Soviet Union was not allowing the countries under its influence to hold elections for the type of government they want, but just directly controlling and implementing governments for the Soviet Union.  The other reason this is a reasonable assessment is because it states that Stalin is planning to take over the world and "the immensity of the aim should not betray [others] into believing that it cannot be achieved".  This was a good assessment of the facts at the time because a weapon had been developed, the atom bomb, and people believe that, once a country obtained it, it could be used to take over other countries very easily, therefore a country with the bomb could take over the world.  So it was accurate when the source states that the Soviet Union might be able to take over the world. Clearly the source was a reasonable assessment of the facts.

  
2. Source 26 is a British source. Does it seem likely that similar documents were being produced by the American government?      
  It seems likely that similar documents were being produced by the American government.  This is because Britain and America usually agreed on how to handle the Soviet Union.  Also, the government could win over the public and convince them that funding the Cold War was a good thing by producing documents like this that are meant to scare people into fighting the Soviet Union.  Such documents were most likely produced by the American government.



3. Study Source 27 (p. 71) and make a list of three different actions that Communists took to achieve power in eastern Europe. Explain how each factor helped.     

•   The Communists disbanded the monarchy of Romania in 1947 after a Communist was elected president in 1945.  This was making sure that there was no other important person in the country besides a Communist.  Without the monarchy, there was not important group to criticize the Communists or threaten their power.
• The Soviet Union set up the German Democratic Republic in 1949 in its part of germany and used its army to control it. This "Democratic Republic" gives the illusion of being free, but can still be controlled by the Communists and, with the help of the military, no one would be brave enough and strong enough to rebel against them.
• In Czechoslovakia, the Communists one the election in 1945 and then became the biggest political party.  In 1948, other parties were banned.  This helped the Communists take power in Eastern Europe by making their party strong and then making sure no other party would ever threaten its strength because they would not exist.  This would also make people accustomed to Communism.