The Creation of Soviet Satellite States (Edexcel GCSE History)

How did the Communist Satellite States Worsen Cold War Tensions? - Timeline & Summary

Tensions between the USA and the Soviet Union were made worse following the demonstration of the atomic bombs on Japan and the Long Telegram and Novikov Telegram in 1946.

Stalin was concerned for the security of the Soviet Union. He wanted to establish a ‘buffer zone’ between the Soviet Union and the West. To do this, communist governments in Poland, Hungary and Romania would need to be created.

However, free elections in Eastern Europe had been one of the agreements at the Yalta conference. Attempts to spread communism in Eastern Europe would be seen as aggressive by Britain and the USA.

Nevertheless, by 1948, the Soviet Union had incorporated a number of ‘satellite states’ under its control. Intimidation and violence were used in several countries to ensure elections were swayed towards the communists. 

As a result, Truman created both the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan to protect other countries from falling into communist hands.

Why did Stalin Want Control of Eastern Europe?

• The Soviet Red Army had liberated many countries in Eastern Europe from Nazi control at the end of the Second World War

• Stalin wanted to keep control of these countries to act as a ‘buffer zone’ between the East and West

• These countries were called satellite states because of how they seemed to orbit the Soviet Union

• Truman’s concern about the spread of communism was confirmed as each country fell under Soviet control

• Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ speech was in response to the creation of satellite states such as Hungary, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria

The ‘Baltic States’, 1940

• The ‘Baltic States’ were taken over by the Soviet Union during the Second World War

• While the Soviet Union saw them as legitimate Soviet states, they saw their incorporation into the Soviet Union as illegal

Poland and The Warsaw Uprising, 1944-45

• In 1944, the Soviet Red Army waited until the Warsaw Uprising had been crushed before occupying Poland

• At the Yalta conference, the Grand Alliance had agreed to allow free elections to be held in Poland

• However, Stalin was concerned that free elections would lead to a non-communist government being elected

• A coalition government was created in June 1945 featuring mainly communist supporters and a few members of the London Poles

• During the 1947 elections, a campaign of violence and intimidation led to the creation of a fully communist government

Romania, Bulgaria and East Germany, 1944-45

• It was agreed by the Allies at the Yalta Conference that East Germany would be under the Soviet Union's influence

• Romania and Bulgaria both lost their monarchies, which were replaced by communist governments

Hungary 1945-49

• Non-communists won the 1945 election in Hungary

• However, a communist politician called Rakosi took control of the secret police and imprisoned political opponents

• After the Prime Minister of Hungary resigned, the communists won the 1947 election

• All other political parties were banned in 1949

Czechoslovakia 1948

• Czechoslovakia had been a democracy from 1919 to 1938, until it was occupied by Nazi Germany

• After the war, a coalition government was led by a non-communist called Edward Benes

• Stalin saw this as a threat to his ‘buffer zone’ and wanted a communist government in power

• In 1948, a coup led by the pro-communist Klement Gottwald took over the government with support from the Soviet Union

Communism in Yugoslavia and Albania

• Yugoslavia and Albania were considered satellite states, even though they were never occupied by the Soviet Red Army

• They were given more independence than countries neighbouring the Soviet Union

A map showing the creation of the USSR’s satellite states in Eastern Europe

The USA’s Reaction to the Satellite States

• At both the Yalta and Potsdam conferences, Roosevelt and Churchill had accepted that the Soviet Union would influence Eastern Europe

• However, they also saw free elections as an important part of post-war Europe

• Truman saw the creation of satellite states as a deliberate attempt to spread communism

• Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ speech in 1946 worsened relations between East and West, especially between the USA and the Soviet Union

• The satellite states challenged Truman’s policy of containment, prompting him to establish the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan