In the course of World War II , Stalin determined to acquire a buffer area against Germany , with pro-Soviet states on its border in an Eastern bloc . Stalin 's aims led to strained relations at the Yalta Conference ( February 1945 ) and the subsequent Potsdam Conference ( August 1945 ) . People in the West expressed opposition to Soviet domination over the buffer states , and the fear grew that the Soviets were building an empire that might be a threat to them and their interests
Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference
Iron Curtain