March 5 - Iron Curtain Speech

This Day in History: 5 March 2020

 

5 March 1946

 

74 years ago, today, former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, delivered one of the most famous speeches in the Cold War, that condemned the Soviet Union's policies in Europe. He spoke that an "iron curtain has descended across the continent", which was widely believed to be one of the first signs of the Cold War. Churchill was defeated for re-election a year prior, but was still invited to Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, where he gave the speech. American President Harry S. Truman joined Churchill on the platform and listened attentively, as Churchill began by praising the US. Soon after, it became clear that the main purpose of the speech was to gain a 'special relationship' between both countries, to organize the post-war world. He also warned against the expansionist policies of the Soviet Union, which unfortunately drew parallels with how Hitler was dealt with, prior to World War Two.

 

The speech was warmly received by many US officials, including Truman, and the phrase 'iron curtain' entered the official vocabulary of the Cold War. However, US officials were not as enthusiastic about the 'special relationship' between the countries, as they viewed England as a valuable ally, but were also aware of their wavering power. They had no intention of being used as pawns to aid the deteriorating British empire. In the Soviet Union, Russian dictator, Joseph Stalin, stated that the speech was "war mongering", and the comments were imperialist "racism". The British, Americans, and Russians were once allied against Hitler, but were now turning against one another as the Cold War began.

 

Want to find out more about the Iron Curtain speech? Click here to read more, or here to watch a video featuring the speech.