Between 1946 and 1961, the relationship between western and eastern Europe deteriorated significantly in the context of the Cold War. Three major events will be discussed: Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech, the Berlin Blockade, and the Berlin Wall.
<Tab/>Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech in 1946, calling for an alliance between English-speaking countries, seemed to predetermine a worsening European situation. By 1945, the USSR already controlled Albania and Bulgaria; in the following four years five more countries would fall under Soviet rule, the majority through Salami tactics: forming coalitions and then taking over the government by presenting charges against them. …
