Analysis and Main Points of Winston Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech 

Iron Curtain (officially “The Sinews of Peace”) speech is one of Winston Churchill’s most famous and sensational speeches. In the article, you will get acquainted with the main points and a detailed analysis of the speech.

Iron Curtain Speech in Fulton: Background

On March 5, 1946, in Fulton, Missouri (USA), Winston Churchill delivered one of his most famous speeches, “The Sinews of Peace.”

At the invitation of US President Harry Truman and with his personal accompaniment, Winston Churchill gave a speech at Westminster College. The small town, Fulton, in an instant turned into a place that attracted all the attention of the public and political leaders.

Photo: wikipedia

Churchill was not on an official visit to the United States, but as a private person. At that time, he was not Prime Minister of Great Britain: after losing the election, Winston Churchill was the leader of the opposition. But this fact did not negate his importance in the international political arena.

Main Points of Winston Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech

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

Winston Churchill was not the first to use the phrase “iron curtain”. But after his speech in Fulton, the public picked up this phrase, and some regarded Churchill’s speech as the beginning of the Cold War.

The speech “The Sinews of Peace” is quite long. The text was written by Churchill on 50 pages. Therefore, I propose to summarize its main points in chronological order:

1. Winston Churchill greets the audience (3000 people). Further he draws an analogy between Westminster College and Westminster in London, where the British Parliament sits.
2. Thanks US President Harry Truman for the invitation and his introduction to the academic public. He emphasizes that he is not in Fulton on an official visit, speaks solely on his own behalf, and intends to do this as honestly and frankly as possible.
3. Claims that the United States is at the pinnacle of power. All English-speaking countries need to maintain such a high level.
4. Should be developed the “overall strategic concept”, which is the safety and welfare, the freedom and progress, of all the homes and families of all the men and women in all the lands.
5. It is necessary to protect people from war, tyranny, and hunger.
6. Choosing a way to implement the “overall strategic concept”: “A world organisation has already been erected for the prime purpose of preventing war, UNO, the successor of the League of Nations, with the decisive addition of the United States and all that that means, is already at work.” The UN must be an active force, becoming the Temple of Peace.
7. The United Nations Organization must have at its disposal an international armed force. But it is still too early to trust the UN with the secret of producing atomic weapons – the situation in the world is unstable.
8. In many countries, democratic freedoms are not ensured. There are tyranny and dictatorship (here Churchill clearly means the USSR).
9. Then Winston Churchill describes what democratic freedom is: it is the ability to elect a government by voting, it is freedom of speech and thought, and it is independent justice.
10. In addition to war and tyranny, humanity in the post-war period suffers from hunger and poverty. But soon this will end, Churchill assures, thanks to the development of science and international cooperation.
11. The idea is to create a fraternal association between English-speaking people. The main goal is the unification and joint use of the naval and air forces, the interchange of officers and cadets at technical colleges, and the development of weapons (and these are “bells” for the creation of NATO and the EU).
12. “Special associations between members of the United Nations which have no aggressive point against any other country, which harbour no design incompatible with the Charter of the United Nations, far from being harmful, are beneficial and, as I believe, indispensable.”
13. A shadow has fallen on the post-war world in the form of Soviet Russia and its Communist international organization. 
14. ” From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe.” 
15. The communist parties of East Europe have acquired an exorbitantly huge role in the life of their countries and now they are striving to get completely uncontrolled power. Governments in all these countries can only be called policemen. 
16. “If now the Soviet Government tries, by separate action, to build up a pro-Communist Germany in their areas, this will cause new serious difficulties in the British and American zones, and will give the defeated Germans the power of putting themselves up to auction between the Soviets and the Western Democracies.”
17. America, against it will, was drawn into wars between European countries. 
18. Communist parties or fifth columns constitute a growing challenge and peril to Christian civilization. Except in the British Commonwealth and in the United States where Communism is in its infancy.
19.  “I have felt bound to portray the shadow which, alike in the west and in the east, falls upon the world.”
20. The main task of the English-speaking countries is to prevent a new war and to create in all countries the necessary conditions for the development of freedom and democracy.
21. “If the population of the English-speaking Commonwealths be added to that of the United States with all that such co-operation implies in the air, on the sea, all over the globe and in science and in industry, and in moral force, there will be no quivering, precarious balance of power to offer its temptation to ambition or adventure. On the contrary, there will be an overwhelming assurance of security.”

Masterful Orator Winston Churchill: Modes of Persuasion in Iron Curtain Speech

Winston Churchill is well-known not only as a political figure but as a masterful orator and one of the greatest public speakers. 

He possessed unique qualities such as charisma and the ability to influence other people due to his personality and leadership style.

As a talented orator, Winston Churchill used in his Iron Curtain speech the modes of persuasion – ethos, pathos, and logos.

Ethos in the Iron Curtain Speech

At the beginning of his speech, Winston Churchill uses ethos: he emphasizes the honesty and sincerity of his words, thus arousing the trust and favor of the public. He repeats more than once that he considers it his duty to tell and warn about the impending threat. 

“Let me, however, make it clear that I have no official mission or status of any kind, and that I speak only for myself. There is nothing here but what you see.

I can therefore allow my mind, with the experience of a lifetime, to play over the problems which beset us on the morrow of our absolute victory in arms, and to try to make sure with what strength I have that what has been gained with so much sacrifice and suffering shall be preserved for the future glory and safety of mankind.”

Pathos

Winston Churchill knows his audience well, so he easily reflects the thoughts and moods of the listeners. Says what is expected of him to be heard. So, he used the second mode of persuasion – pathos. 

Pathos is a mode of persuasion using emotions. Using pathos, the author can evoke the right emotions in the reader or listener: pity, sympathy, empathy, fear, or anger:

“The United States stands at this time at the pinnacle of world power.” 

“When I stand here this quiet afternoon I shudder to visualise what is actually happening to millions now and what is going to happen in this period when famine stalks the earth. None can compute what has been called “the unestimated sum of human pain.” Our supreme task and duty is to guard the homes of the common people from the horrors and miseries of another war. We are all agreed on that.”

“Beware, I say; time may be short. Do not let us take the course of allowing events to drift along until it is too late. If there is to be a fraternal association of the kind I have described, with all the extra strength and security which both our countries can derive from it, let us make sure that that great fact is known to the world, and that it plays its part in steadying and stabilising the foundations of peace. There is the path of wisdom. Prevention is better than cure.”

Logos

Winston Churchill does not “draw” sky-high goals, he gives clear explanations and assures the public of the reality of its fulfillment and achievement. Thus, he applies logos.

Logos is a mode of persuasion using logic, common sense, and reason.

Some examples of logos in the speech “The Sinews of Peace”:

“The United Nations Organisation must immediately begin to be equipped with an international armed force. In such a matter we can only go step by step, but we must begin now. I propose that each of the Powers and States should be invited to delegate a certain number of air squadrons to the service of the world organisation. These squadrons would be trained and prepared in their own countries, but would move around in rotation from one country to another. They would wear the uniform of their own countries but with different badges. They would not be required to act against their own nation, but in other respects they would be directed by the world organisation.”

“All this means that the people of any country have the right, and should have the power by constitutional action, by free unfettered elections, with secret ballot, to choose or change the character or form of government under which they dwell; that freedom of speech and thought should reign; that courts of justice, independent of the executive, unbiased by any party, should administer laws which have received the broad assent of large majorities or are consecrated by time and custom.”

Analysis of the Iron Curtain Speech: Rhetorical Devices That Winston Churchill Used

In his world-famous Iron Curtain speech delivered at Fulton in 1946, Winston Churchill used various rhetorical figures and literary tropes.

1. Metaphor.

Metaphor is a hidden comparison, the use of words in a figurative sense based on similarity and analogy with the characteristics of some object or phenomenon (a waterfall of stars, a wall of fire, a pearl of art, a bear of a problem).

A vivid example of a metaphor is, of course, the title of Churchill’s speech “The Sinews of Peace”. The sinews, in this case, are the most powerful countries on the world stage, which need to show their power and establish order, to keep the peace.

The most quoted phrase from Churchill’s Fulton speech includes a compelling and emotional metaphor:

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

Some more examples of using metaphors and comparisons in the speech “The Sinews of Peace”:

• “A shadow has fallen upon the scenes so lately lighted by the Allied victory.”

• “…they must be shielded from the two giant marauders, war and tyranny.”

• “… that it is a true temple of peace…” 

• “… we must be certain that our temple is built, not upon shifting sands or quagmires, but upon the rock.” 

• “The dark ages may return…”

• “There is the path of wisdom.”

• “I have felt bound to portray the shadow which, alike in the west and in the east, falls upon the world.” 

• “What they desire is the fruits of war and the indefinite expansion of their power and doctrines.”

• “… the high-roads of the future will be clear, not only for us but for all, not only for our time, but for a century to come.” 

2. Allusion.

An allusion is a kind of hint, analogy, or reference to a well-known historical event. An allusion can also be a catchphrase or quote. 

Winston Churchill refers to the origins of US history, refers to the Declaration of Independence, and positions it as the basis for democracy in Europe:

“But we must never cease to proclaim in fearless tones the great principles of freedom and the rights of man which are the joint inheritance of the English-speaking world and which through Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights, the Habeas Corpus, trial by jury, and the English common law find their most famous expression in the American Declaration of Independence.”

3. Parallelism.

Parallelism is the identical or the same construction of various words or sentences of the text:  

• “Let us preach what we practise – let us practise what we preach.” 

• “They would wear the uniform of their own countries but with different badges. They would not be required to act against their own nation, but in other respects they would be directed by the world organisation.”

4. Analogy.

The analogy is a comparison of things based on ways they are alike. 

Very accurate analogy:

“I spoke earlier of the Temple of Peace. Workmen from all countries must build that temple. If two of the workmen know each other particularly well and are old friends, if their families are inter-mingled, and if they have “faith in each other’s purpose, hope in each other’s future and charity towards each other’s shortcomings”-to quote some good words I read here the other day-why cannot they work together at the common task as friends and partners?”

5. Antithesis.

Winston Churchill uses another rhetorical device in Iron Curtain Speech – the antithesis. 

Antithesis is the opposition of words, concepts, and images that are interconnected by common features (contrast). 

This rhetorical technique makes the performance even more vivid, memorable and emotional:

• unsought but not recoiled. 
• English-speaking peoples in peace as they did in war. 
• We must make sure that its work is fruitful, that it is a reality and not a sham, that it is a force for action, and not merely a frothing of words, that it is a true temple of peace in which the shields of many nations can some day be hung up, and not merely a cockpit in a Tower of Babel.
• our temple is built, not upon shifting sands or quagmires, but upon the rock.
• A shadow has fallen upon the scenes so lately lighted by the Allied victory.
• there is nothing they admire so much as strength, and there is nothing for which they have less respect than for weakness. 
• the high-roads of the future will be clear, not only for us but for all, not only for our time, but for a century to come.

6. The rule of three is a rhetorical device that involves the expression of thoughts through three words or phrases.

When listing properties, characteristics, actions, etc., Churchill often uses only three points. Why exactly 3? Because this is how our brain works: it is easier to perceive such a quantity, and it is more efficient to learn and remember: 

• we have both been educated at the same, or similar, or, at any rate, kindred establishments.
• Amid his heavy burdens, duties, and responsibilities… 
• To reject it or ignore it or fritter it away will bring upon.
• It is necessary that constancy of mind, persistency of purpose, and the grand simplicity of decision shall guide. 
• that its work is fruitful, that it is a reality and not a sham, that it is a force for action, and not merely a frothing of words, that it is a true temple of peace. 
• They would wear the uniform of their own countries but with different badges. They would not be required to act against their own nation, but in other respects they would be directed by the world organisation.
• this knowledge and the method and the raw materials to apply it. 
• which threatens the cottage, the home, and the ordinary people. 
• If two of the workmen know each other particularly well and are old friends, if their families are inter-mingled, and if they have “faith in each other’s purpose.
• and wrongful inroads upon Germany, and mass expulsions of millions of Germans on a scale grievous and undreamed-of are now taking place.
• that we hold the power to save the future, that I feel the duty to speak out now that I have the occasion and the opportunity to do so.
• Germany might be powerful, prosperous and honoured today.
• faith in each other’s purpose, hope in each other’s future and charity towards each other’s shortcomings. 

7. Rhetorical Question.

A rhetorical question is a question-statement that does not require a direct answer. 

This rhetorical device involves the audience in a “dialogue”. Again, the secret is that this is how our brain works: we hear the question and immediately begin to look for an answer, even if unconsciously.

In the Iron Curtain speech, Churchill asked 4 rhetorical questions to the audience:

• “What then is the overall strategic concept which we should inscribe today?” 
• “Would a special relationship between the United States and the British Commonwealth be inconsistent with our over-riding loyalties to the World Organisation?” 
• “Why cannot they work together at the common task as friends and partners?”
• “Why cannot they share their tools and thus increase each other’s working powers?” 

8. Anaphora.

Anaphora is the repetition of the same initial words or sound combinations:

• “They would wear the uniform of their own countries but with different badges. They would not be required to act against their own nation, but in other respects they would be directed by the world organisation.” 
• “It would nevertheless be wrong and imprudent to entrust the secret knowledge or experience of the atomic bomb, which the United States, Great Britain, and Canada now share, to the world organisation, while it is still in its infancy. It would be criminal madness to cast it adrift in this still agitated and un-united world.”
• “Here are the title deeds of freedom which should lie in every cottage home. Here is the message of the British and American peoples to mankind.”
• “I have now stated the two great dangers which menace the homes of the people: War and Tyranny. I have not yet spoken of poverty and privation which are in many cases the prevailing anxiety.”
• “We welcome Russia to her rightful place among the leading nations of the world. We welcome her flag upon the seas. Above all, we welcome constant, frequent and growing contacts between the Russian people and our own people on both sides of the Atlantic. Above all, we welcome constant, frequent and growing contacts between the Russian people and our own people on both sides of the Atlantic. “

9. Lexical repetition.

Lexical repetition is a rhetorical figure that consists of the deliberate repetition of the same word or speech construction in a visible section of the text:

• “If you look around you, you must feel not only the sense of duty done but also you must feel anxiety lest you fall below the level of achievement.” 
• “It is nothing less than the safety and welfare, the freedom and progress, of all the homes and families of all the men and women in all the lands.” 
• “We must make sure that its work is fruitful, that it is a reality and not a sham, that it is a force for action, and not merely a frothing of words, that it is a true temple of peace in which the shields of many nations can some day be hung up, and not merely a cockpit in a Tower of Babel.”
• “… that freedom of speech and thought should reign; that courts of justice, independent of the executive, unbiased by any party, should administer laws which have received the broad assent of large majorities or are consecrated by time and custom.”
• “Let us preach what we practise – let us practise what we preach.” 

10. Polysyndeton.

Polysyndeton is the repeated use of the coordinating conjunctions: 

• “To reject it or ignore it or fritter it away will bring upon us all the long reproaches of the after-time.” 
• “It is nothing less than the safety and welfare, the freedom and progress, of all the homes and families of all the men and women in all the lands.” 
• “If two of the workmen know each other particularly well and are old friends, if their families are inter-mingled, and if they have “faith in each other’s purpose…”

11. Alliteration.

Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonants in several words:

• to dignify and magnify. 

• the sense of duty done. 

• has already been erected for the prime purpose of preventing war. 

• through a privileged party and a political police.

• to choose or change the character.

Photo: wikimedia.org

Transcript of Iron Curtain speech.

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