Sir Winston Churchill’s 1946 speech, “The Sinews of Peace,” popularized the term “the iron curtain.” The Cold War from 1945 through 1989 was another name for this concept of a barrier between Western and Eastern Europe, which Churchill proposed with great oratorical skill at the time.
Churchill noted in his speech that Russia had gained territory through force and seizure during recent years, that Russia was treating Eastern European countries as vassal states while it treated its own people as subservient to the Communist state religion, and that this behavior would only become more aggressive if there were no deterrents to prevent it. His proposed iron curtain was, in essence, a rampart that would cut off Russia’s access to vital resources and thereby block its further expansion.
Churchill believed that the key to putting an end to the Cold War and preventing future conflicts in Europe was for democratic nations of Western Europe to unify, which would make the Iron Curtain-style barriers unnecessary as there would be sufficient restraint of a unified European Community (as Churchill called it) by a committed democratic majority. He feared that if Western Europe were again treated as a raw material source of supplies for Communist countries such as Poland or Czechoslovakia, future conflicts might arise between the democratic West and Communist East.
To this end, Churchill supported the creation of a “United States of Europe,” which would become an arbitration body between East and West to counter any expansionist tendencies from either side. Churchill was not certain how this would happen, but he believed that if the eastward expansion of Russian influence were stopped by an iron curtain, then a democratic Europe would become much stronger and capable of standing up to Communism.
In his final words, Churchill said it should be realized that Communism could not win over democracy because the latter is never destroyed unless people choose it over themselves. In other words, freedom can only be given up; it cannot be taken from people against their will.
Winston Churchill was the most prominent leader in Britain during the Second World War. He was a statesman, orator, historian, writer, and war veteran. He served as prime minister from 1940 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1955.
As Prime Minister, Churchill led Great Britain through World War II. His strategy for battling Germany was to fight them alone; this decision eventually led to American involvement in the war against Germany.
After World War II, Churchill served as Prime Minister once again from 1951-1955. Churchill was then named the Lord of the Treasury, a position he held until shortly before his death in 1965.
Churchill received many honors for his leadership and wartime service. In 1953, he was named an Honorary Citizen of the United States by President Dwight Eisenhower. He was also made an Honorary American Citizen when President Lyndon Johnson awarded him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963.
1) Joseph M. K. 2) Churchill 3) The Iron Curtain 4) Western Europe 5) which statesman popularized the term “the iron curtain” in a 1946 speech?
Churchill’s Famous Speech “Iron Curtain” – Source of the Term By Krystyna Kacpura
On March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill delivered a speech on the BBC radio broadcast “The Sinews of Peace”, which has since become known as the “Iron Curtain” speech.
