Iron Curtain Separates Europe

What is your overall impression of Source 26 (p. 70) and use extracts from the source to support your view. (No fence sitting; you must choose one but not both)      

• a reasonable assessment of Stalin’s aims based on the facts
• an overreaction to Stalin’s actions based on fear of and prejudice towards the USSR?               
  My overall impressions is that this report from the British foreign secretary is an overreaction to Stalin's actions because the source clearly states that "The Soviet Government is not prepared to co-operate with any non-communist government in eastern Europe" and also that "Physical control of Europe and Asia and eventual control of the whole world is what Stalin is aiming at". I think that this is a overreaction because I do not believe that Stalin's true intentions were to take over and control the whole world like how the British foreign secretary post says that it was.   



  
2. Source 26 is a British source. Does it seem likely that similar documents were being produced by the American government?  
 Yes I believe that it does seem likely that similar documents like document 26 were being posted by the American Government because it was very clear during most of the Potsdam Conference and the Yalta conference that America and Britain were a team and were very suspicious of Stalin and his actions.   





3. Study Source 27 (p. 71) and make a list of three different actions that Communists took to achieve power in eastern Europe. AND Explain how each factor helped.   

Three different actions that Communists took to achieve power in eastern Europe were that after the war the communists joined a coalition government then became outright leaders in 1947 when they forced the non-communist leader into exile. This is a significant factor that helped because it forced other countries to join Stalin's ways and join the coalition government. Another action that the communist took was that they became the largest single party in the 1947 elections. They imprisoned opposition politicians and attacked church leaders. This is important factor because they were imprisoning other countries politicians that did not believe in the Soviet ways and that they also were attacking other countries religions and their church leaders.
Lastly another actions that the Communists took were that they in 1945 a communist was elected prime minister within a left-wing coalition and in 1947 the communists also abolished monarchy. This is also an important factor because countries that were controlled by Stalin and his communists could no longer have a monarchy government.