CONTROLLED ASSESSMENT: Cold War Relations 1941-1965 The BIG Question: What caused the Cold War?

CONTROLLED ASSESSMENT: • Cold War Relations 1941-1965 • The BIG Question: • What caused the Cold War? • The “Liberation” of Eastern Europe

Lesson II – The “Liberation” of Eastern Europe • Explain why the USSR “liberated” Eastern Europe • Evaluate the utility of contemporary leaders’ accounts CONSIDER - Who’s more trustworthy as a source of evidence: A historian who wasn’t even born at the time of the event OR An eyewitness who was leading a country fighting against the enemy they’re talking about?

Soviet War Memorial, Treptower Park, Berlin.Build in the years immediately following the Second World War in Soviet controlled Berlin to commemorate the loss of 20,000 Soviet soldiers who died in the Battle for Berlin April-May 1945.They died to save the German people, and all East Europeans from Fascism (Nazism).What in this statue suggests “liberation”?

LIBERATED LAND

The “Liberation” of Eastern Europe In the context of these highlighted words, what does “Liberated” imply? Does “Liberation” change over time? Was this timeline produced in a pro-Soviet country?

WHAT DOES SOURCE G SUGGEST ABOUT THE REASONS FOR THE LIBERATION OF EASTERN EUROPE?

SOURCE H ‘From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia, all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in some cases, increasing measure of control from Moscow. The Communist parties, which were very small in all these Eastern States of Europe, have been raised to pre-eminence and power far beyond their numbers and are seeking everywhere to obtain totalitarian control. Police governments are prevailing in nearly every case, and so far, except in Czechoslovakia, there is no true democracy… this is certainly not the Liberated Europe we fought to build up. Nor is it one which contains the essentials of permanent peace.’ Winston Churchill, speaking in the USA, in the presence of President Truman, March 1946 ‘From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia, all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in some cases, increasing measure of control from Moscow. The Communist parties, which were very small in all these Eastern States of Europe, have been raised to pre-eminence and power far beyond their numbers and are seeking everywhere to obtain totalitarian control. Police governments are prevailing in nearly every case, and so far, except in Czechoslovakia, there is no true democracy… this is certainly not the Liberated Europe we fought to build up. Nor is it one which contains the essentials of permanent peace.’ Winston Churchill, speaking in the USA, in the presence of President Truman, March 1946 TASK - Choose one of the underlined phrases, highlight it in your book and explain what this means – link this back to your homework – who is talking, who is he talking to? Why might he be suggesting this? Is he trustworthy? TASK – Highlight a phrase that Churchill uses and explain what he means – what prediction is Churchill making for Europe?

SOURCE I ‘The Soviet Union has lost in men several times more than Britain and the United States together. It may be that some quarters are trying to push into oblivion these sacrifices of the Soviet people which insured the liberation of Europe. But the Soviet Union cannot forget them. One can ask therefore, what can be surprising in the fact that the Soviet Union, in a desire to ensure its security for the future, tries to achieve that these countries should have governments whose relations to the Soviet Union are loyal? The growth of the influence of communism cannot be considered accidental. The influence of the Communists grew because during the hard years of the mastery of fascism in Europe, Communists slowed themselves to be reliable, daring and self-sacrificing fighters against fascist regimes for the liberty of peoples. Stalin’s reply to Churchill’s speech, from an interview with Pravda, March 1946. (Pravda was a Communist magazine in Russia) TASK – Who do you trust more? Source H or I and why? Which one is more useful?

CONTROLLED ASSESSMENT PARAGRAPH PRACTICE ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVE FOCUS - SOURCES

Soviet War Memorial, Treptower Park, Berlin.Is this really a statue of “liberation”, or is it one huge monument of propaganda for the occupied peoples?

CONTROLLED ASSESSMENT: Cold War Relations 1941-1965 The BIG Question: What caused the Cold War?