Iron curtain speech
The "Iron Curtain" speech, officially titled "The Sinews of Peace," was delivered by Winston Churchill on March 5, 1946, at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. Following his electoral defeat in 1945, Churchill was invited by U.S. President Harry S. Truman to address an audience about the pressing geopolitical issues of the time. In his speech, Churchill emphasized the necessity of Anglo-American cooperation in response to the emerging divide in Europe, which he famously described as the "Iron Curtain." This term symbolized the growing divide between Western nations and Eastern Bloc countries influenced by the Soviet Union, marking a significant moment in the early stages of the Cold War. While the speech was well-received by the audience and Truman, it sparked negative reactions from the media and political commentators, with Soviet leader Joseph Stalin likening Churchill to Adolf Hitler. The phrase "Iron Curtain" quickly became part of the political lexicon, encapsulating the tensions that would characterize international relations for decades. The speech is often credited with highlighting the ideological conflict that defined the post-World War II era.
Iron curtain speech
The Event Speech delivered by former British prime minister Winston Churchill that popularized the term “Iron Curtain” to describe the division between Western nations and the territories in Eastern Europe coming under Soviet domination
Also Known As “Sinews of Peace” speech
Date March 5, 1946
Place Fulton, Missouri
Churchill sought to strengthen Anglo-American ties to provide greater cooperation to face what he perceived as a growing Soviet threat to international peace and stability. Because President Harry S. Truman was present and introduced Churchill, the speech appeared to reflect U.S. policy. The speech is widely regarded as an important landmark in the history of the Cold War.
Winston Churchill, who had been defeated by Clement Attlee in the 1945 British general election, was on a Florida vacation after he was invited with the blessings of Harry S. Truman to speak at a small Presbyterian school, Westminster College, in Fulton, Missouri. Churchill visited Washington, D.C., several times to discuss the contents of the speech with Truman. While traveling by train to Missouri, Churchill made final adjustments to the speech and distributed copies to Truman, his advisers, and the media. Although Truman would subsequently claim not to have known of the contents in advance, he read the speech prior to its delivery. Entitled “The Sinews of Peace,” the lengthy speech was warmly received by the audience and Truman, who was on the platform. Churchill called for Anglo-American solidarity in the face of the Iron Curtain that divided Europe.
Impact
In contrast to the warm reception inside the auditorium, the reaction in the media and among political commentators was negative. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin compared Churchill to Adolf Hitler by saying that both sought to unleash war based on racial theory. The term “Iron Curtain” became fixed in popular usage, and the Cold War grew “hotter” in the ensuing years.
Bibliography
Harbutt, Fraser J. The Iron Curtain: Churchill, America, and the Origins of the Cold War. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986.
Muller, James W., ed. Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” Speech Fifty Years Later. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1999.