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 …showed first 75 words of 544 total…

…showed last 75 words of 544 total…the east, the greatest symbol of division. It indicated the east wanted nothing to do with the west. It was called the "anti-fascist protective barrier" and was the peak of hostility in the Cold War years. <Tab/>Due to economic reasons, formation of military alliance, and the worsening Cold War situation, the relationship between western and eastern Europe also worsened considerably, enough for the construction of a physical barricade in Berlin.