The Creation of the Satellite States

• Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941 to 1991, were covered in the GCSE Edexcel Nine to One course.
• The use of the atomic bomb and the Long and Novikov telegrams increased tensions between the two superpowers.
• Darwin expanded his influence into eastern Europe, as Germany had invaded Russia twice in the last 30 years and suffered heavy losses in both world wars.
• Stalin wanted to create a buffer zone which would prevent future invasions.
• At Yalta, Stalin promised to hold free and fair elections in the eastern European nations the USSR occupied.
• Stalin thought these countries would all vote for a communist government, but when it became clear that this was not going to happen, the USSR began to use salami tactics to take over these countries.
• In March 1946, Winston Churchill gave his Iron Curtain speech while visiting the United States, in which he stated that an iron curtain had descended across the continent of Europe, meaning a military and ideological barrier had been drawn across Europe.
• Churchill viewed Soviet policies as offering little chance for a successful establishment of peace in the years ahead and highlighted the importance of cooperation between the UK, USA, and Western European countries.
• Truman saw the establishment of the satellite states as evidence of the Soviet Union's plan to spread communism worldwide, which increased tensions between the superpowers.
• The satellite states acted as a buffer for the Soviet Union against attack from the West, but at the expense of those countries' freedoms.
• In 1949, Hungary became a one-party state as a consequence of the establishment of the satellite states.
• Salami tactics involve dealing with each country one slice at a time, fixing the elections and then removing their opponents.
• The USA and particularly Truman saw the USSR's expansion as a betrayal of the agreements made at Yalta.
• Others saw the USSR's expansion as a stepping stone to European domination.
• Stalin wanted Czechoslovakia as part of his buffer zone, so in 1948, he supported a coup which overthrew the government and set up a communist government led by Klement Gottfied.
• The London Polls were forced to flee or face imprisonment and the Communist Party formed the government.
• Czechoslovakia had been a democracy until the Nazis invaded in 1938, and immediately after the war, the Czechs led by Benes tried to re-establish their democracy.
• Albania is included to remind you that not all the countries in the buffer zone were occupied by the Red Army and therefore were not satellite states, but it was reliant on Soviet aid and had a communist government from 1944.
• Another election was held in Romania in 1947, and this time the communists returned with full control.
• The Red Army had taken control of Romania in 1944 and used intimidation to influence the elections in 1945, leading to a communist-led coalition.
• Hungary had a coalition government after the 1945 elections, but unhappy with this outcome, another election was held in 1947.
• The Soviet Union considered East Germany to be essential to its buffer zone and it became a communist state in 1949.
• The USSR's Red Army occupied nine countries and the Soviets sought to influence a further two in order to create the buffer zone.
• Poland was occupied by the Nazis and was the location of some of the worst atrocities carried out by the Nazis.
• The USSR had promised the Polish support for the Warsaw Uprising, but the Soviets waited for the uprising to be put down and then moved in to occupy the country.
• At first, it seemed the Soviets would stand by their promises at Yalta, but a second election was held in 1947.