Activity 1 - What drove Soviet policies?

  1. Explore - Examine and make notes from Slides 1-14 of the Lesson Presentation on post-war Soviet policies towards Central and Eastern Europe. 
  2. Create - Make a simple timeline showing the key steps the USSR took in the expansion of Soviet power into Europe.
  3. Analyse - Examine the Declaration on Liberated Europe from the Yalta Conference Agreement and answer the following questions. According to the Declaration...
    1. What is required to restore order and economic life to European states?
    2. What assistance do the powers promise to give liberated states in Europe?
    3. What other principles do they promise to abide by?
  4. Evaluate - What are the values and limitations of the Declaration for the historian studying post-war Soviet policies?

Activity 2 - How was E. Europe Sovietised?

  1. Select - Select one state to investigate that was located behind the Iron Curtain in Central and Eastern Europe:
    1. Poland
    2. Romania
    3. Bulgaria
    4. Hungary
    5. Yugoslavia
    6. Finland
  2. Research - Research the political and social activities that took place in that country between 1945-1949 that enabled the USSR to take control of that state. Write a paragraph or draw a diagram summarising your findings.
  3. Discuss - What was more important in enabling the USSR to take power in that state:
    1. The presence of the Red Army;
    2. The strength of the local Communist party;
    3. The use of spy networks and state police;
    4. Control of the economy.
  4. Evaluate - To what extent were free and democratic elections, as called for by the Declaration on Liberated Europe, undertaken in your chosen country?

Activity 3 - Was expansionism legitimate?

  1. Analyse - Examine the Iron Curtain speech delivered by Winston Churchill in March 1946, then answer the following questions:
    1. According to Churchill, what are the aims of the Soviet Government?
    2. Which country has 'escaped' from the iron curtain? How?
    3. In what way is Poland a problem?
    4. What is happening in Germany that is a problem?
    5. How can the world be kept safe?
    6. Why did Churchill use the phrase ‘iron curtain’ to describe events in Europe?
    7. In what way does Churchill allude to the idea of ‘salami tactics’ taking place in Eastern Europe?
    8. Image that you are Stalin reading this speech. What might your reaction be?
  2. Review - Now review Stalin’s reply to Churchill in a Pravda interview from March 1946. 
    1. What arguments does Stalin make in response to Churchill’s speech? 
    2. How does Stalin attempt to justify Soviet influence over Eastern Europe?
    3. According to Stalin, what is the reason for the growing influence of communism in Europe?
    4. What do you consider to be the tone of this speech?
  3. Discuss - Consider what you have learnt so far, was Soviet expansion in Europe a legitimate response to genuine security concerns, or an aggressive expansion of Soviet influence?

Further Reading

OBLIGATORY READING
  1. Mamaux, A. (2015). Oxford IBDP Programme - The Cold War, pp. 30-37
RECOMMENDED READING
  1. Rogers, K., & Thomas, J. (2015). Pearson Baccalaureate: History the Cold War, pp. 33-36
SUPPLEMENTAL READING
  1. Williamson, D.G. (2015). Access to History - The Cold War, pp. 25-37, 56-63
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