5 Fascinating Facts From Behind the Iron Curtain
In the wake of World War II, new ideological borders were drawn across the European continent. Vast cultural and economic differences formed a deep divide between the democratic nations of Western Europe and the communist regimes of the Soviet Union and its allies in the East. Throughout the Cold War era, these two distinct factions were separated by a symbolic boundary that cut through the continent, known as the Iron Curtain.
The term “Iron Curtain” was first used in reference to the Cold War in 1946; nations that were considered “behind” the Iron Curtain were those under Soviet and communist influence, as those regimes maintained a firm grasp on power. As time progressed, cracks formed in the Iron Curtain as former communist nations embraced democracy, ultimately leading to the political reunification of Europe. But for as long as it existed, the Iron Curtain served as a philosophical barrier between two vastly different worlds. Here are five fascinating facts from behind the Iron Curtain.
The Term “Iron Curtain” Was Popularized by Winston Churchill
Long before the term “Iron Curtain” was coined in reference to the Cold War, the words referred to a fireproof safety mechanism that separated the audience from the stage in theatrical productions. In 1945, author Alexander Campbell borrowed the term in his book It’s Your Empire to describe censorship related to World War II-era Japanese conquests. “Iron Curtain” was first used in the context of communist Europe during a speech by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on March 5, 1946. Appearing with President Harry Truman at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, Churchill stated, “From Stettin in the Baltic, to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” Churchill sought to warn the audience of the threat posed by the Soviet Union, and the term “Iron Curtain” resonated, remaining popular for decades after. Around the same time as Churchill’s speech, another great wordsmith used the phrase “Cold War” for the first time — author George Orwell in his 1945 essay “You and the Atom Bomb.” Two years later, Truman adviser Bernard Baruch formally coined the term “Cold War” to describe the cooling relationship between the United States and Soviet Union.
Poland Was the First Eastern Bloc Country to Hold Democratic Elections
For decades, communist regimes maintained uninterrupted power over the many nations of the Eastern Bloc, a group of communist states largely located in Central and Eastern Europe and parts of Asia. Dictators ruled with an iron fist thanks to the lack of fair and free elections within the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and the other countries that fell behind the Iron Curtain. That trend continued until 1989, when Poland held its first democratic elections since the Cold War began. Tadeusz Mazowiecki emerged as Eastern Europe’s first noncommunist leader in decades, representing a pro-labor party known as Solidarity. Mazowiecki embraced Western ideology such as a free-market economy, and though he was replaced as prime minister two years later, the election remains a historic event. Other former communist nations soon followed Poland’s lead; Czechoslovakia and Hungary both held their first fair multiparty elections in 1990. Not long after, the Iron Curtain disintegrated as the Soviet Union collapsed.
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Albania Escaped Soviet Control and Aligned Itself With China
Albania may be firmly located in Europe, but during the Cold War it found an unlikely anti-Soviet ally in China. Beginning in 1949, Albania aligned itself with the Soviet Union, which was then still ruled by Joseph Stalin. But after Stalin’s death in 1953, Soviet-Albanian relations began to strain, as Albanian leader Enver Hoxha was much less fond of incoming Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev. Khrushchev denounced Stalin’s ideology, which rubbed Hoxha and the Albanian people the wrong way and eventually led to the formal termination of Soviet-Albanian relations in 1961. Around the same time, the U.S.S.R. and China had a falling-out of their own, as Chinese leader Mao Zedong also decried the Soviet Union’s revisionism. Given their similar pro-Stalin views, Albania and China found unlikely allies in one another, with China informally providing support to the tiny Balkan country. These strange bedfellows remained on the same page until Richard Nixon visited China in 1972, forcing Albania to reevaluate the relationship. The allyship between Albania and China came to an end in 1978.
Jazz Music Was Used as Propaganda by the West
Since its creation, jazz has represented the American identity, in part as a symbol of freedom of expression. That’s what made jazz music such a useful propaganda tool for the West to reach nations behind the Iron Curtain. Underground American radio transmissions brought jazz to residents of Eastern Bloc nations beginning in 1955 in an effort to appeal to those repressed societies. Programs such as Willis Conover’s Music USA: Jazz Hour earned cult followings within these pro-Soviet countries, as the U.S. sought to win the ideological war over its Eastern European rivals. The United States hoped that free-flowing jazz music could open the minds of citizens who were used to more formal operas and ballets, and in turn make those individuals more receptive to Western culture. Barriers were broken down even further in 1958 when jazz pianist Dave Brubeck traveled to Poland to perform a landmark concert series. These efforts extended into the Middle East, Asia, and Africa around the same time, as the U.S. spread its jazz music around the world.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall Was Partly Due to a Misinformed Spokesperson
On November 9, 1989, a gaffe uttered by East German spokesperson Günter Schabowski accelerated the fall of the Berlin Wall. After decades of difficult and dangerous travel between East and West Germany, East German officials sought to loosen restrictions while still maintaining control over the visa application process. However, Schabowski, a spokesperson for East Germany’s politbüro, misinterpreted the notes he was given at a press conference and claimed that travel between the two sides could begin without delay. Shortly after the televised slipup, massive crowds gathered at the Berlin Wall, though these groups of travelers initially were held back by guards who were given no specific instructions. Eventually, East Berliners outnumbered the guards to a significant degree, leaving officials no choice but to let people through. Every one of the checkpoints opened by midnight, as people from the East freely traveled into West Berlin for the first time since the wall was erected in 1961. The feeling of independence and celebration was palpable, as East Berliners climbed the wall, destroyed it with hammers, and reunited with their neighbors in West Berlin.
