... Europe by 1949. This major transformation of governments became the roots of tension between the superpowers, leading to the divisions of Europe. In March 1946, a very important speech was delivered by Winston Churchill, vocalising the beliefs of Britain and the USA on what was occurring in Eastern Europe. Churchill's speech was directed at the USA, to 'wake' them from their policy of "Isolationism". He stated his opposition to the formation of communist governments in all of Eastern Europe, stating that, "The Communist Parties...are seeking everywhere to obtain totalitarian control." Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech was the first vocalised statement discussing the imminent divisions of Europe. It can also be argued that a key factor leading to the divisions of Europe was US foreign policy. The Truman Doctrine and Marshal plan shifted US foreign policy from "isolationism" to "containment" of communism. Truman stressed the threat of communism in his speech to congress ...

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