Which British leader warned of the Iron Curtain and predicted postwar division of Europe?

• A. Winston Churchill
• B. Franklin D. Roosevelt
• C. Josef Stalin
• D. Charles de Gaulle

Answer: (A)

Recognizing who described the postwar division of Europe with the term "Iron Curtain" helps place the start of the Cold War. In 1946, Winston Churchill gave a famous speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, warning that an “Iron Curtain” had descended across the continent, with Eastern Europe under Soviet influence and Western Europe remaining free. He emphasized the need for a strong Anglo-American alliance to resist Soviet expansion and defend democratic governments. This is why he is the figure associated with this warning. The other figures played important roles in World War II and its aftermath, but they did not popularize this particular image of Europe’s division.