soviet expansion in eastern europe

• Key points of Kennan’s (US diplomat) telegram to the Soviets:

  • Russians were determined to destroy the American away of life and would do everything to oppose America
  • this was the greatest threat faced by US
  • Soviets must be stopped
  • Soviets could be beaten without going to war educating the public againt communism and by making people wealthy, happy and free (led to the American policy in 1947)
• Churchill’s speech: (’Iron Curtain’ speech)

  • 5 March 1946
  • first leader that openly admitted the poor relationship between Eastern and Western Europe
  • felt that the USSR was planning to attack and conquer Western Europe
• Poland:

  • 1945 - coalition government took power but Stalin arrestested non-Communist leaders and non-Communists forced into exile
  • Poland became a testing ground for Stalin’s methodology
  • Peasant Party (Stanislaw Mikolajczyk) weakened by Communists strengthening links with Polist socialists
  • January 1947 - socialists and communists merged into one group
• Albania:

  • Communists took a strong stand against Nazis in WWII
  • November 1944 - Enver Hoxha est. communist government
  • 1945 - became aligned with Yugoslavia
  • 1947 - est. close links to the USSR
  • 1961 - became aligned with China
• Bulgaria:

  • manipulated election and forced removal of opponents
  • Agrarian Party (Nikola Petkov) was strongest political opponent; eventually forcibly absorbed
  • October 1946 - won over 20% of popular vote but Petkov trumped up charges and executed
  • April 1947 - all other political parties banned
• Hungary:

  • 1945 - allies agreed that Russian troops should remain
  • Stalin allowed elections → non-communists won big majority with some communists elected
  • communists were led by pro-Russian Rakosi
  • Rakosi demanded groups opposing him should be banned or (hinted) the Russians would take over the country
  • AVO (secret police unit) had opponents arrested
  • 1947 - Rakosi had complete control over Hungary
• Romania:

  • 1945 - left-wing coalition elected
  • Communists gradually took control and were popular as they offered an alternative to the pre-war regime
  • relatively easy to est. communism; minimal opposition and was easily dealt with
• Czechoslovakia:

  • controlled by Germany since 1939
  • Czech communists popular with rural peasant as they had given them land post-WWII
  • Klemet Gottwald (Czech Communist Party Leader) became PM and showed willingness to accept Western economic aid in 1947
  • President Benes agreed to support a communist-dominated government
  • June 1948 - Benes resigned → pro-Moscow Communists in complete control