This source depicts the situation that Stalin created during the Cold War because of the divide that he placed in society. The message of the source is that the curtain imposed fear in both sides of the nations, that it stifled progress, and that it was an illiberal act that limited the country’s freedoms. The artist of this comic clearly depicts an anti - Soviet Union opinion, as they show the eastern Europe side as being dark and dirty. Although it is illustrated as further improved from the war than the western side, this makes the Soviet ruled region look evil, as well as inferior to the clean and light western side. The juxtaposition between the eastern and western sides serves to show the differences in the ways that the rulers of each side chose to rule as well; the …show more content…
As Churchill peeks under the curtain, it represents the discovery of the truth of what Stalin’s rule was doing to the nation, and reveals it to everyone because of the influence that the US had. The curtain represents a decisive and impenetrable divider for Stalin, however, although in the cartoon it is represented as iron, the irony of it being a curtain that one can peek under devalues Stalin’s intent. The person leaning over the curtain with a gun, whether it represents Stalin or just another soldier, serves to illustrate that the curtain was cutting off the nation’s freedoms and that this was done by force. This idea is increasingly enforced by the character running away from the wall in the background, this represents the fear that Stalin instilled in the people on his side, as well as the propaganda spread to the western side by the US against Stalin’s regime. The way the curtain cuts off the railroad tracks as well as the word “Europe”, shows the detachment that the curtain