Iron Curtain

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/iron-curtain

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the key physical symbol?The Berlin Wall, erected in 1961 and dismantled starting in 1989
2. What is the associated conflict?A defining feature of the Cold War (c. 1947-1991)
3. Why did the Iron Curtain appear?After the war the Soviet Union occupied Eastern Europe and set up communist governments, creating a buffer against the West. The West wanted to stop Soviet expansion.
4. How did the Iron Curtain affect families?Families were separated for many years, travel was very restricted, and people could be watched or punished if they spoke out.

Containment Policy: US strategy during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism beyond its existing borders.
Glasnost and Perestroika: Soviet policies of 'openness' and 'restructuring' introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev, which inadvertently weakened Soviet control.
Sphere of Influence: An area in which a foreign power has the right to exercise influence or control.