Developing tensions up to 1948
Time line
Feb 1946: Kenan’s long telegram is sent
March 1946: Churchill delivers his “Iron Curtain speech”
June 1946: Communist led democratic bloc wins the Polish elections
October 1946: communists win 75% of the vote in Bulgaria
November 1946: Communists win 80% of the votes in Romania
March 1947: Truman announces his doctrine
Sept 1947: Cominform is created
June 1948: Communists control Czechoslovakia
The soviet union and Eastern and Southern Europe
- The percentage agreements and Yalta had confirmed to Stalin that the
Liberated Eastern European states would fall under the USSR sphere of
influence
- In 1945 there did not seem to be any clear evidence that Stalin was
intent on creating the Eastern Bloc as Stalin was initially motivated by
Influence
- Stalin’s initial idea was to establish a buffer zone and this was
completed by 1948
- The communist parties in the countries they took control of often made
alliances with the Left wing parties and then take control of them
- Opposition candidates were often intimidated and election results were
manipulated to ensure a communist victory
- There was some compliance in Eastern Europe as many supported
their ideals and their stance as anti-fascist such as the somewhat free
election in Czechoslovakia in may 1946 where the communists were
the single largest party, winning 38% of the vote
- Most of this support was driven due to the mass unemployment and
economic chaos meaning that communism seemed more appealing
than capitalism
- Many even viewed the communists as freedom fighters against Nazism
- However in eastern Europe many of the peasants supported the pro-
agrarian parties who promised the redistribution of land
, - Though Stalin was initially ok with accepting other political parties it
was a means to an end
- The Communist governments needed the help of Moscow to function
properly making them into a puppet government
Poland
- Despite the fact that there existed a Polish Government in exile in
London, Stalin chose to form a pro Moscow Lublin Government that
came under USSR control
- This was partially facilitated by the Yalta agreement but Stalin failed to
conform to all of the agreements
- The provisional government of National unity was formed in June 1945
and contained parties from both ends of the Political Spectrum this
meant that Poland appeared to have free elections but there was a
clear intent to ensure a communist victory
- Poland had a peasants party that was led by Stanislaw Mikolajczyk, the
communists weakened this group by strengthening ties with the Polish
socialists and in January 1947 these 2 groups merged
- Some Poles such as Gomulka who was deputy prime minister weren’t
fully pro-Moscow, he claimed that the Poles had fought for their own
Liberation and should have the right to determine their own future
- Gomulka opposed soviet Policies that were irrelevant to Poland and in
1948 he was accused of “Nationalist deviation” and was replaced by
the pro Stalinist Bierut
Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary
- In Romania the communists were popular because they offered an
alternative to the pre war regime and Romania was currently occupied
by the red army, there was minimal opposition
- In Bulgaria however Stalin used Gradualism to manipulate election and
force the removal of opponents
- The Strongest political opponent was the Agrarian Party led by Nikola
Petkov and despite winning over 20% of the vote in the October
elections, Petkov faced with Trumped by charges was executed and His
Party was absorbed in the Bulgarian communist party
- In Hungary the communists allied themselves with other groups in
order to challenge the smallholders party
Time line
Feb 1946: Kenan’s long telegram is sent
March 1946: Churchill delivers his “Iron Curtain speech”
June 1946: Communist led democratic bloc wins the Polish elections
October 1946: communists win 75% of the vote in Bulgaria
November 1946: Communists win 80% of the votes in Romania
March 1947: Truman announces his doctrine
Sept 1947: Cominform is created
June 1948: Communists control Czechoslovakia
The soviet union and Eastern and Southern Europe
- The percentage agreements and Yalta had confirmed to Stalin that the
Liberated Eastern European states would fall under the USSR sphere of
influence
- In 1945 there did not seem to be any clear evidence that Stalin was
intent on creating the Eastern Bloc as Stalin was initially motivated by
Influence
- Stalin’s initial idea was to establish a buffer zone and this was
completed by 1948
- The communist parties in the countries they took control of often made
alliances with the Left wing parties and then take control of them
- Opposition candidates were often intimidated and election results were
manipulated to ensure a communist victory
- There was some compliance in Eastern Europe as many supported
their ideals and their stance as anti-fascist such as the somewhat free
election in Czechoslovakia in may 1946 where the communists were
the single largest party, winning 38% of the vote
- Most of this support was driven due to the mass unemployment and
economic chaos meaning that communism seemed more appealing
than capitalism
- Many even viewed the communists as freedom fighters against Nazism
- However in eastern Europe many of the peasants supported the pro-
agrarian parties who promised the redistribution of land
, - Though Stalin was initially ok with accepting other political parties it
was a means to an end
- The Communist governments needed the help of Moscow to function
properly making them into a puppet government
Poland
- Despite the fact that there existed a Polish Government in exile in
London, Stalin chose to form a pro Moscow Lublin Government that
came under USSR control
- This was partially facilitated by the Yalta agreement but Stalin failed to
conform to all of the agreements
- The provisional government of National unity was formed in June 1945
and contained parties from both ends of the Political Spectrum this
meant that Poland appeared to have free elections but there was a
clear intent to ensure a communist victory
- Poland had a peasants party that was led by Stanislaw Mikolajczyk, the
communists weakened this group by strengthening ties with the Polish
socialists and in January 1947 these 2 groups merged
- Some Poles such as Gomulka who was deputy prime minister weren’t
fully pro-Moscow, he claimed that the Poles had fought for their own
Liberation and should have the right to determine their own future
- Gomulka opposed soviet Policies that were irrelevant to Poland and in
1948 he was accused of “Nationalist deviation” and was replaced by
the pro Stalinist Bierut
Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary
- In Romania the communists were popular because they offered an
alternative to the pre war regime and Romania was currently occupied
by the red army, there was minimal opposition
- In Bulgaria however Stalin used Gradualism to manipulate election and
force the removal of opponents
- The Strongest political opponent was the Agrarian Party led by Nikola
Petkov and despite winning over 20% of the vote in the October
elections, Petkov faced with Trumped by charges was executed and His
Party was absorbed in the Bulgarian communist party
- In Hungary the communists allied themselves with other groups in
order to challenge the smallholders party
