Why was Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ speech significant?

Lesson objectives To examine the meaning of Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ speech and why did he make it. To compare and contrast sources that relate to the ‘Iron Curtain’ speech.

What was happening in eastern Europe in the aftermath of the Second World War? The Potsdam Conference was inconclusive and resolved nothing in eastern Europe. Considering the Percentages Deal Stalin felt he had with Churchill at the Potsdam Conference, he allowed his Red Army troops to stay in most of the countries in eastern Europe. This helped him achieve the domination in eastern Europe he was seeking. By 1946, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania all had governments which had a significant number of Communists, who owed their loyalty to Stalin, in them

What was in Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ speech? In 1946, Winston Churchill was now the Leader of the Opposition, but because of his wartime role, he was still seen as a wise world figure. President Truman invited Churchill to make a speech on the position of the world at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ speech was one of the most important speeches in the Cold War. In it Churchill commented upon the growing border between Soviet controlled countries and the West. He called this border the Iron Curtain.

What did Churchill say?