Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech
Timothy Riley, the National Churchill Museum director and chief curator, discussed the speech that Winston Churchill gave to Missouri’s Westminster College in which he discussed the growth of Soviet influence in Europe. in this speech he declared, “An Iron Curtain has descended across the Continent.”
Description
Timothy Riley, the National Churchill Museum director and chief curator, discussed the speech that Winston Churchill gave to Missouri’s Westminster College in which he discussed the growth of Soviet influence in Europe. in this speech he declared, “An Iron Curtain has descended across the Continent.”
Bell Ringer Assignment
- What was Winston Churchill’s political status at the time of the 1946 speech?
- Describe the relationship between the Soviet Union, Britain, and the United States during World War II?
- How did the relationship between the Soviet Union, Britain, and the United States change toward the end of World War II?
- What was the “iron curtain”?
- What concerns did Winston Churchill have after the end of World War II?
- Why was Churchill’s use of the term appeasement significant in this speech? What lessons from World War II does he apply to this speech?
Additional Resources
Participants
Timothy RileyDirector and Chief Curator, National Churchill Museum4 Videos
Jesse J. HollandGuest Host, C-SPAN874 Videos
Vocabulary
- Anglo-american
- Appeasement
- Communism
- Doctrine
- Iron Curtain Speech
- Opposition Party
- Prime Minister
- Sinews Of Peace
- Soviet Russia
- Soviet Union
- World War I I
- Yalta Conference