How had the USSR Gained Control of Eastern Europe by 1948? | History for GCSE/IGCSE - Year 11 PDF Download

Why Did Stalin Want Control of Eastern Europe?

• During 1943 to 1945, the Soviet Red Army liberated numerous Eastern European countries from Nazi rule.
• Post-1945, Stalin aimed to maintain authority over these nations to create a protective buffer zone between East and West, known as satellite states.
• These satellite states were meant to remain under the USSR's influence, relying on and following the USSR's political directives.
• As each Eastern European country adopted communism, it affirmed Truman's fears regarding communism's spread, intensified US anti-communist sentiments, and prompted Churchill's famous 'Iron Curtain' speech.

The 'Baltic States' in 1940

• Soviet Takeover: The Soviet Union occupied the Baltic States during World War II.
• Legitimacy Dispute: The USSR viewed the Baltic States as lawful Soviet territories.
• Independence Aspiration: Baltic States desired independence and denounced the USSR's actions as illegal.

Poland and The Warsaw Uprising, 1944-45

• In 1944, Poland made an attempt to overthrow their Nazi German occupiers, an event known as the Warsaw Uprising.
• Sadly, Germany managed to defeat the Warsaw Uprising, leading to the Red Army delaying its occupation of Poland until after the defeat.
• During the Yalta Conference, the Grand Alliance reached an agreement to hold free elections in Poland. However, Stalin opposed the idea of a non-communist government in Poland.
• By June 1945, Poland found itself with a coalition government that included supporters of communism along with a few members of the London Poles.
• Subsequently, in the 1947 elections, the USSR orchestrated a campaign marked by violence and intimidation tactics, resulting in the communists securing a staggering 80% of the vote. It is believed that the election was either rigged or that people voted for the communists out of fear.

Romania, Bulgaria and East Germany, 1944-45

• At the Yalta Conference, it was agreed by the Grand Alliance that East Germany would come under the influence of the USSR.
• Both Romania and Bulgaria witnessed the removal of their monarchies, which were then replaced by Communist governments.

Hungary 1945-49

• Non-Communists emerged victorious in the 1945 Hungarian election.
• A Communist figure named Rakosi assumed leadership of the secret police, using it to detain political adversaries, leading to the resignation of the Hungarian Prime Minister.
  • Rakosi's control extended to imprisoning political dissenters, ultimately pressuring the Prime Minister to step down.
• The Communist Party secured the 1947 election, prompting the prohibition of all other political factions in 1949.
  • Subsequent to their electoral success, the Communists outlawed all rival political parties by 1949.

Czechoslovakia, 1948

• Czechoslovakia transitioned from democracy to Communist rule in 1948.
• In the period between 1919 and 1938, Czechoslovakia functioned as a democratic state. However, the peace was disrupted when Nazi Germany first occupied the Sudetenland and subsequently took control of the entire nation in 1938.
• After the conclusion of World War II in 1945, Edward Benes, a non-Communist figure, spearheaded a coalition government.
• Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, perceived the presence of a non-Communist government in Czechoslovakia as a potential threat to his strategic interests, desiring a Communist regime to safeguard his sphere of influence.
• Consequently, in 1948, a pro-Communist leader named Klement Gottwald orchestrated a coup d'état, seizing control of the government with the backing of the Soviet Union.

Communism in Yugoslavia and Albania

• The Soviet Union considered Yugoslavia and Albania as satellite states. 
• Unlike other nations, they were not physically occupied by the Soviet Red Army. 
• These countries managed to establish their own Communist governments, which operated with relative autonomy.

The Satellite States of the USSR

The USA's Reaction to the Satellite States

• Following the end of World War II, Roosevelt and Churchill acknowledged the Soviet Union's influence over Eastern Europe while emphasizing the importance of democratic elections.
• Truman perceived the establishment of satellite states by the USSR as a strategic move to propagate Communism.
• Churchill's renowned 'Iron Curtain' speech in 1946 further strained relations between the Eastern and Western blocs.
• The emergence of satellite states posed a direct challenge to Truman's containment policy, leading to the inception of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan.