Question

In the 1950s and 1960s, the USSR controlled Eastern European nations via a number of methods, including
establishing puppet governments and using force to crush any dissent or opposition to communist rule.
establishing a blockade along the Iron Curtain and preventing anyone from entering or leaving those countries.
preventing those countries from joining the United Nations and creating a policy of containment.
encouraging opponents to leave those countries and establishing refugee organizations in Western Europe.

Answer 1

The correct method is the first one only: establishing puppet (pro‑Soviet) governments and using force to crush dissent or opposition to communist rule.

Brief notes on the others:
- A continuous “blockade along the Iron Curtain” preventing anyone in or out is inaccurate. Eastern regimes heavily restricted movement (e.g., the Berlin Wall, strict exit controls), but there was no single Soviet “blockade” sealing all borders.
- “Preventing those countries from joining the United Nations” and “creating a policy of containment” are wrong — containment was a U.S. policy, and many Eastern European states were UN members or later joined.
- The USSR did not encourage opponents to emigrate or create Western refugee organizations; on the contrary, it tried to suppress dissent and limit emigration.