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By 1946, the wartime alliance had collapsed. The Soviet Union tightened its grip on Eastern Europe, and the USA responded with a new policy of containment. This lesson covers the creation of Soviet satellite states, Churchill's famous "Iron Curtain" speech, the Truman Doctrine, and the Marshall Plan — the key steps that formalised the division of Europe.
Between 1945 and 1948, Stalin established communist governments across Eastern Europe. These countries became known as satellite states — nominally independent but effectively controlled by Moscow.
| Country | Year Communist Government Established | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Poland | 1947 | Rigged elections; non-communist leaders arrested |
| Romania | 1945–1947 | Communist coalition gradually took full control |
| Bulgaria | 1946 | Opposition leaders executed; single-party rule |
| Hungary | 1947 | Salami tactics — slicing away opposition piece by piece |
| Czechoslovakia | 1948 | Communist coup; Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk died in suspicious circumstances |
| East Germany | 1949 | Soviet zone became the German Democratic Republic (GDR) |
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