“Eastern Europe would have become communist in the post-war period even without Soviet Interference” – How far do you agree with this statement?

Clearly, despite some regions of Eastern Europe having communist influence prior to the Second World War, such as Poland, Eastern Europe would not have become communist without the interference of the Soviet Union in the post-war years. This is inferred by the fact that following the War, Stalin was forced to install communists into the governments of the majority of Eastern-European states to ensure that only countries with communist governments bordered the USSR, imposing communism upon these states despite his promises of free elections. It can also be seen that in the post-war years soviet interference in elections was present, suggesting that perhaps without this interference results would have been different, and many states in Eastern Europe would not have become communist. This is clear in the case of Poland, which did actually have a communist party, however this was dissolved by Stalin in 1941 as it was a potential threat, and then reformed under Stalin’s watchful eye as he developed Polish communists in Moscow. Following the War, Stalin established a Soviet government in Poland as during the Nazi occupation the former government had been exiled to London. The events in Poland in the post-war years show clear Soviet interference as Stalin was quick to establish a communist government in order to protect the USSR. Gomulka, the leader of the Polish Communist Party was in negotiations with the London Poles, however Stalin sent one of his Moscow Poles Bierut to observe. Bierut was made of the Lublin Committee, which was recognised by Stalin as the Provisional government of Poland. A brutal takeover followed, in which many leaders of the Polish Home Army were imprisoned as these were a threat to Stalin’s new