What's the Iron Curtain?

If you were born after the late 1970s, you probably think the iron curtain is the barrier to keep people from sneaking into concerts without tickets. That is unless you paid attention in history class.

Old folks and history majors, however, hear the word Iron Curtain, which harkens them (us) back to the Cold War. Winton Churchill first coined the term after World War II to describe the political divide between Eastern Europe and Western Europe.

During World War II, the then-Soviet Union (Russia today) had political influence and control of the states in Eastern Europe. That came about because the Soviets were allies of the US in the effort to defeat Hitler and Nazi Germany. It was always a marriage of convenience, not love.

The Communist, Josef Stalin was the dictator who governed the Soviet Union during the war. The only difference between Stalin and Hitler, besides, one being a Communist and the other a Nazi, was that Stalin was our ally against Hitler. It was a marriage of convenience that was made in hell.

In order to defeat Hitler, a plan was devised by the allies, including Russia. The Russians would push against the Nazis from the East, and the US and its allies would invade from the West, thus forcing Hitler to fight a two-front war. We all know how that ended. Germany surrendered ending the European Front of World War II. Immediately after the war, the Soviets began erecting barbed wire fences with land mines along the border of the countries they occupied and the other states in Europe.

After the war, the Soviets occupied the countries of Eastern Europe stretching from Finland to Greece. Eventually these nations became part of the Soviet bloc. For all practical purposes, they were puppet states of the Soviet Union, not independent countries by any stretch of the imagination. Orders came from Moscow. Elections were rigged.

The Treaty ending WWII provided that Berlin, the former Capital of Germany, would be divided into sectors or zones between the Soviets and the allies-- the US, the British, and the French. So essentially, the East Berlin was controlled by the Soviets, West Berlin by the Allies.

In the late 1970s, the Russians began building a wall to divide East and West Berlin. It was heavily guarded—not to keep West Berliners out, but to keep East Berliners in. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, inspired by the Prague Spring where the people of then Czechoslovakia overturned their Communist Government, other nations began overthrowing their communist puppet rulers.

The people of East and West Berlin were energized by the Prague Spring and they began to resist the East German police and Russian soldiers by tossing rocks at them and starting fires. Soon residents began tearing down the wall. The East German Police did not stop them. Soo thereafter, the Russians withdrew and Germany, including Berlin, was reunited.

President Ronald Reagan travelled to West Berlin during the Prague Spring and made that famous speech where he said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” That inspired the residents of both sides of Berlin to pressure the Russians to tear down the wall. It was only a matter of time before Germany freed itself from the Soviets. Germany was united again. Europe was essentially restored.

There are few remnants of the old Iron Curtain left as a reminder of darker times. They consist mostly of barbed wire fencing, and land mines. There is a section of the wall left standing as a reminder of darker days. Soon however, most people may say, “What’s the Iron Curtain.” Maybe they will find this article on the web.