Prof. Boerner's Explorations

Edited by Gerald Boerner

Commentary:

Following the end of World War II two rival ideologies entered the conflict the we know as the “Cold War”. The Soviet Union took on their real persona, that of a world leader set on extending its influence over the emerging countries of Eastern Europe. As Winston Churchill observed in his famous "Sinews of Peace" speech at Westminster College: “…From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an ‘iron curtain’ has descended across the Continent.”

The lines of the Cold War were quickly drawn. Those countries in the Soviet block were united in a mutual defense pack, known as the Warsaw Pact. Those countries in Western Europe joined together in a mutual defense pack as well. This pack became known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO. When the Soviets tested their own atomic bomb in the latter 1940s, These weapons were deployed by both sides, assuring mutual destruction if either side used them. This created an uneasy standoff that spawned many “proxy wars” over the next forty years.

An interesting perspective was presented by the first NATO Secretary General, Lord Ismay, famously stated the organization’s goal was "to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down". With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 the focus of this agreement had to adapt to a different world order, but NATO continues to have a function, as can be seen in Libya today!

So, let’s get on with our exploration…  GLB

These Introductory Comments are copyrighted:
Copyright©2011 — Gerald Boerner — All Rights Reserved

[ 3000 Words ]
    

Quotations Related to NATO:

“We welcome, we welcome this good cooperation between Russia and NATO.”
— Aleksander Kwasniewski

“For years, we have heard warnings that Europe needs to contribute more to NATO’s capability.”
— Lord Robertson

“The NATO forces will, to the extent that they have capacity, assist the war crimes tribunal.”
— Warren Christopher

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Edited by Gerald Boerner

Commentary:

Winston Churchill was skeptical of Joseph Stalin’s motives as an Ally during World War II. This became especially evident during the “Big Three” conferences at Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam. While the western Allies (England, France and the United States) looked forward to establishing democratic governments in the eastern European states. On the other hand, Joseph Stalin sought to re-establish the Soviet sphere if influence previously enjoyed under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939.

When Germany surrendered in 1945, the Soviets moved to make their occupied lands in eastern Europe into permanent communist states. Thus the Warsaw Pact was born. When the Marshall Plan offered financial assistance to states setting up democratic governments, Stalin prevented any of the Warsaw Pact countries from accepting this aid. The “Iron Curtain” had fallen!

Churchill delivered his "Sinews of Peace" speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri on this day in 1946. In this speech he declared tat an “Iron Curtain” had fallen in Europe to isolate the eastern European lands from democracy. This started the “Cold War” that continued through 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell.

But, let’s start our exploration now…  GLB

These Introductory Comments are copyrighted:
Copyright©2011 — Gerald Boerner — All Rights Reserved

[ 4118 Words ]
    

Quotations Related to CURTAIN:

“Conscience is the window of our spirit, evil is the curtain.”
— Douglas Horton

“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.”
— Winston Churchill

“From behind the Iron Curtain, there are signs that tyranny is in trouble and reminders that its structure is as brittle as its surface is hard.”
— Dwight D. Eisenhower

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Edited by Gerald Boerner

Commentary

Due to injury, this commentary will be added later. Please check back. Thank you.  GLB

These Introductory Comments are copyrighted:
Copyright©2010 — Gerald Boerner — All Rights Reserved

[ 3823 Words ]

Quotations Related to REUNIFICATION

“It is the most important contribution we can make to speeding up reunification.”
— Walter Ulbrecht

“Overall relations between the North and the South have developed in favor of national reconciliation, unity and reunification.”
— Kim Jong Il

“We will make every effort with utmost sincerity to achieve a peaceful reunification of the country.”
— Hu Jintao

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