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Year 11
Edexcel

Soviet influence over Eastern Europe by 1948

I can explain how the USSR established satellite states to take control of eastern Europe between 1945 and 1948.

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New
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Year 11
Edexcel

Soviet influence over Eastern Europe by 1948

I can explain how the USSR established satellite states to take control of eastern Europe between 1945 and 1948.

Download all resources
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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Stalin agreed to free elections in Eastern Europe at Yalta but had no intention of allowing this.
  2. Stalin believed Soviet control of Eastern Europe was essential to protect the USSR from any future invasion.
  3. From 1945 to 1948, the USSR used similar methods to turn most Eastern European countries into Soviet satellite states.
  4. The USSR's establishment of satellite states in Eastern Europe significantly increased Cold War tension.
  5. Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' speech in 1946 was a response to Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe.

Keywords

  • Sphere of influence - a region of the world in which one country is dominant

  • Buffer zone - an area that provides protection

  • Satellite state - a country that is dominated by another country

  • Coalition government - a government in which two or more political parties work together to run a country

  • Rigged election - an election in which unfair tactics or cheating are used to influence the outcome

Common misconception

Students may believe that the Iron Curtain was a real barrier (often mixing it up with the Berlin Wall).

The Iron Curtain was not a real barrier but metaphor for the divide imposed between East and West by the USSR, first referred to in a speech by Churchill.


To help you plan your year 11 history lesson on: Soviet influence over Eastern Europe by 1948, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Some popular video sharing websites host videos of Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' speech, show extracts of this to students, or print out sections of the transcript for students to analyse.
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Teacher tip
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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of serious crime
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision required

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which keyword describes a highly destructive explosive device that gets its power from nuclear reactions?
Correct Answer: nuclear weapon, Nuclear weapon, Nuclear Weapon
Q2.
Which keyword describes a short written message sent via a telegraph line?
Correct Answer: telegram, Telegram
Q3.
How did the USSR find out about the USA's first atomic bomb even though they tried to keep it a secret?
Truman could not help but brag about it to Stalin at the Yalta Conference.
A US newspaper leaked the news to the Soviet government.
Correct answer: Soviet spies penetrated security at Los Alamos where the bomb was being tested.
Q4.
Where was the world's first atomic bomb to be used in warfare dropped?
Correct answer: on the Japanese city of Hiroshima
on the Japanese city of Nagasaki
on the Japanese city of Tokyo
Q5.
What do historians argue was the purpose behind the USA's development of the atomic bomb?
to get Germany to surrender and to secure the end of WW2
Correct answer: to get Japan to surrender and to secure the end of WW2
Correct answer: to demonstrate American power and show that they would protect Western Europe
Correct answer: to establish a stronger bargaining position with the USSR
to get Japan to fight back so WW2 could continue
Q6.
What were the consequences of the development of the atomic bomb on the relationship between the USA and USSR?
Correct answer: may have made the USA and the USSR more reluctant to go to war
dramatically decreased tensions between the USA and the USSR
the USA and USSR became involved in a lasting friendship
Correct answer: dramatically increased tensions between the USA and the USSR
Correct answer: the USA and USSR became involved in an arms race

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which keyword describes a country that is dominated by another country?
Correct Answer: satellite state, Satellite state, Satellite State, a satellite state, A satellite state
Q2.
Which keyword describes an election in which unfair tactics or cheating are used to influence the outcome?
Correct Answer: rigged election, Rigged election, Rigged Election
Q3.
Complete the sentence: Stalin agreed to free elections in Eastern Europe at the Conference but had no intention of allowing this.
Tehran
Correct answer: Yalta
Potsdam
Q4.
What was the name of Churchill's speech in 1946 which was a response to Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe?
Correct Answer: Iron curtain speech, 'iron curtain' speech, 'Iron Curtain' speech, 'Iron Curtain', Iron curtain
Q5.
In Stalin’s view, which country was of the most vital importance to the security of the USSR?
Romania
Hungary
Correct answer: Poland
Czechoslovakia
Q6.
How did Truman see Stalin's actions in Eastern Europe?
as a blatant attempt to spread capitalism
Correct answer: as a blatant attempt to spread communism
as a blatant attempt to spread liberalism

Additional material

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