The Shadow of a Resurgent Germany

The immediate aftermath of World War II was dominated by a singular, paralyzing fear among European nations: the specter of a resurgent Germany. As historian Michael Howard observed, postwar European politics were profoundly shaped by the collective trauma of German aggression. The Allies’ primary objective had been Germany’s unconditional surrender, and with its defeat, the continent grappled with how to ensure such devastation would never recur.

This anxiety was not unfounded. The memory of Versailles—where a humiliated but unbroken Germany had sowed the seeds of revenge—loomed large. Yet, as Winston Churchill lamented in early 1945, the Allies’ ability to shape postwar Europe was already slipping away. While Germany lay in ruins, another power was filling the vacuum: the Soviet Union.

The Fragile Alliance and the Seeds of Division

The wartime alliance between the US, UK, and USSR had always been one of necessity rather than trust. Suspicion ran deep. Stalin feared the Western Allies would delay opening a second front to bleed the Soviets dry; Roosevelt and Churchill, in turn, worried Stalin might seek a separate peace with Hitler. These tensions shaped key wartime agreements:

– The Tehran Conference (1943): Stalin secured recognition of Soviet territorial claims in Eastern Europe, including the Curzon Line for Poland and influence over Yugoslavia.
– The Percentages Agreement (1944): Churchill and Stalin informally divided postwar influence in the Balkans, with Greece falling under British sway and Romania under Soviet dominance.
– Yalta (1945): The Allies pledged free elections in liberated Europe, but Stalin’s cynical interpretation—viewing Eastern Europe as a buffer zone—rendered these promises hollow.

The Yalta Conference, often criticized as a Western betrayal of Eastern Europe, merely formalized what was already inevitable: the Red Army’s presence dictated the political reality. As Stalin bluntly noted, “We can do it our way. What matters is the correlation of forces.”

The Iron Curtain Descends

By 1945, Europe was effectively partitioned along the lines of military occupation. The Red Army controlled Eastern Europe, while US and British forces held the West. Key flashpoints emerged:

– Germany’s Division: The Allies failed to agree on a unified policy. The Soviets stripped their zone of resources, while the West shifted toward rebuilding to prevent economic collapse—and Communist appeal.
– The Berlin Blockade (1948): When the West introduced a new currency in their zones, Stalin cut off access to Berlin, prompting the US-led airlift. The Cold War’s first major crisis was born.
– The Truman Doctrine (1947): America’s pledge to contain Communism marked a definitive break from wartime cooperation.

Cultural and Psychological Scars

The war left Europe not just physically shattered but psychologically scarred. Jean-Paul Sartre’s remark about a “terrible inferiority complex” captured the continent’s demoralization. Anti-German sentiment ran deep; as US Army psychologist Saul K. Padover noted, many Europeans believed “only a dead German is a good German.”

Yet, the rise of Soviet dominance replaced one fear with another. Eastern Europe’s rapid “Bolshevization” under puppet regimes—like Poland’s Lublin Committee—fueled Western disillusionment. Churchill’s 1946 “Iron Curtain” speech crystallized this new divide.

Legacy: A Continent Divided

The Cold War was not an accident but the culmination of historical tensions. The wartime alliance had papered over ideological chasms:

– Soviet Paranoia: Stalin’s insistence on a buffer zone reflected Russia’s historical insecurity, dating back to invasions by Napoleon and the Kaiser.
– Western Containment: The Marshall Plan (1947) and NATO (1949) institutionalized the West’s resistance to Soviet expansion.
– Germany’s Fate: Partition became the uneasy compromise. West Germany emerged as a democratic bulwark; East Germany, a Soviet satellite.

Conclusion: The Unavoidable Split

The Cold War’s origins lay in the irreconcilable goals of the victors. The West sought a democratic, economically revived Europe; Stalin demanded absolute security through domination. Germany, the epicenter of both world wars, became the Cold War’s first casualty—divided not by design but by default.

As historian Tony Judt later observed, “The postwar order was less built than frozen in place.” The Iron Curtain, born of mutual distrust, would define Europe for nearly half a century—a testament to how the scars of war outlast the fighting itself.