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In the past year the situation in Europe has gravely deteriorated, but I do not think the United States and Great Britain can match the enormous numbers of Russian armies in Europe. It is clear to me that only two reasons prevent the Russian armies moving further westward. The first is their honesty and self restraint. The second is the possession by the United States of the Atomic bomb.
Since those days the situation has gravely deteriorated, but I do not suggest that it is in the power of the United States and Great Britain to match the enormous deployment of Russian armies outside Russia, in Europe, to which I referred. It is clear to me that only two reasons prevent the westward movement of the Russian armies to the North Sea and the Atlantic. The first is their virtue and self restraint. The second, the possession by the United States of the Atomic bomb.
This is an extract from a letter written by Winston Churchill to British Prime Minister Clement Attlee on 10 October 1946. The situation referred to is the continued presence of large amounts of Soviet troops in Eastern Europe.
In 1945, Soviet troops had liberated country after country in Eastern Europe from Nazi control. But instead of withdrawing his troops, Stalin left them there and began aiding and promoting communist parties, intending for them to eventually take control. In his previous letter to Attlee on 6 October, Churchill had written that he believed there to be 225 Soviet divisions in Eastern Europe, compared to 25 British and American divisions.
Although Churchill was no longer Prime Minister in 1946, he continued to play a prominent public role and Attlee continued to consult him. Churchill’s reputation as an international statesman was consolidated by his widely-reported speeches on world affairs.
Remember we are hoping that this source can be useful to us in investigating whether nuclear weapons made the world a safer place between 1945 and 1951. Sources usually help historians in two ways:
Which of the inferences below can be made from this source?
| On a scale of 1-5 how far do you agree that this source supports this inference? | Which extract(s) from the source support your argument? | |
|---|---|---|
| Churchill sees the presence of Soviet troops in Eastern Europe as a serious threat | | |
| Churchill thinks the Soviets cannot trusted not to make further advances towards Western Europe | | |
| Churchill is worried that the US atomic bomb will make the situation in Eastern Europe worse | | |
| This source shows us that nuclear weapons helped to make the world safer | | |
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