Difference between revisions of "Iron Curtain"
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| − | The [[Iron Curtain]] was a metaphorical term referring to the | + | [[Image:Iron Curtain caricature.jpg|right|thumb|300px|A caricature published by the [[Daily Mail]] in 1946 following Churchill's speech.]] |
| + | The [[Iron Curtain]] was a metaphorical term referring to the physical and an ideological division across post-[[World War II]], which restricted travel, commerce and communication between the nations of the West and the nations under the control of the [[Soviet Union]]. | ||
| − | It was erected by the Soviet Union after | + | It was erected by the Soviet Union after the war and was the first part of the [[Cold War]]. Although drawn from the use of actual "curtains" of iron used in thaters to prevent the spread of fire, the phrase was probably first used in a metaphorical sense by [[H. G. Wells]] in 1901, and later by [[ Joseph Goebbels]] (February 1945) and [[German]] politician Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk (May 1945). It achieved wider exposure and popularity when it was used by [[Winston Churchill]] in a speech at Westminster College, Fulton, [[Missouri]] on 5 March 1946: "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent."<ref>''Sinews of Peace'' Winston Churchill [http://www.historyguide.org/europe/churchill.html The History Guide]. Accessed 5 February 2008</ref> [[Stalin]] responded to Churchill's speech by calling it a "declaration of war".<ref>''Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe'' International Relations 1945-1991 [http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/ir2/sovietexpansionineasterneuroperev2.shtml BBC Schools]. Accessed 5 February 2008</ref><ref>'''Zubok, Vladislov''' ''Stalin used Churchill speech to tighten Iron Curtain'' [http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/episodes/02/reflections/ CNN Interactive]. Accessed 5 February 2008</ref> The [[Berlin Wall]] became its most visible symbol, dividing the German city into the free [[West Berlin]] and [[East Berlin]] under Soviet [[dictator]]ship. |
| − | The Iron Curtain | + | The Iron Curtain fell after a series of events in the 1980s, perhaps best symbolized by the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989, followed by the Soviet Union itself.<ref>''Berlin Wall Timeline'' [http://www.dailysoft.com/berlinwall/history/berlinwall-timeline.htm Berlin Wall Online]. Accessed 5 February 2008</ref> |
| − | == | + | ==Further reading== |
| + | *'''Harbutt, Fraser J.''' ''The Iron Curtain: Churchill, America, and the Origins of the Cold War'' (Oxford University Press, 1989) ISBN 0-1950-5422-9 | ||
| + | *'''Rose, Brian''' ''The Lost Border: Photographs of the Iron Curtain'' (Princeton Architectural Press, 2004) ISBN 1-5689-8493-6. | ||
| + | ==References== | ||
<References/> | <References/> | ||
Revision as of 17:08, February 5, 2008
The Iron Curtain was a metaphorical term referring to the physical and an ideological division across post-World War II, which restricted travel, commerce and communication between the nations of the West and the nations under the control of the Soviet Union.
It was erected by the Soviet Union after the war and was the first part of the Cold War. Although drawn from the use of actual "curtains" of iron used in thaters to prevent the spread of fire, the phrase was probably first used in a metaphorical sense by H. G. Wells in 1901, and later by Joseph Goebbels (February 1945) and German politician Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk (May 1945). It achieved wider exposure and popularity when it was used by Winston Churchill in a speech at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri on 5 March 1946: "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent."[1] Stalin responded to Churchill's speech by calling it a "declaration of war".[2][3] The Berlin Wall became its most visible symbol, dividing the German city into the free West Berlin and East Berlin under Soviet dictatorship.
The Iron Curtain fell after a series of events in the 1980s, perhaps best symbolized by the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989, followed by the Soviet Union itself.[4]
Further reading
- Harbutt, Fraser J. The Iron Curtain: Churchill, America, and the Origins of the Cold War (Oxford University Press, 1989) ISBN 0-1950-5422-9
- Rose, Brian The Lost Border: Photographs of the Iron Curtain (Princeton Architectural Press, 2004) ISBN 1-5689-8493-6.
References
- ↑ Sinews of Peace Winston Churchill The History Guide. Accessed 5 February 2008
- ↑ Soviet expansion in Eastern Europe International Relations 1945-1991 BBC Schools. Accessed 5 February 2008
- ↑ Zubok, Vladislov Stalin used Churchill speech to tighten Iron Curtain CNN Interactive. Accessed 5 February 2008
- ↑ Berlin Wall Timeline Berlin Wall Online. Accessed 5 February 2008
