The phrase "dropped iron curtain" is often misspelled as "dropt iron curtain," with the omission of the letter "e." However, this spelling can be justified using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) phonetic transcription, as the final consonant cluster in "dropped" can be pronounced as a single syllable using a schwa sound, represented as /əd/. So, the spelling "dropt" could reflect this alternate pronunciation. Nonetheless, the correct spelling of the phrase is "dropped iron curtain."
The phrase "dropt iron curtain" refers to a significant historical event that symbolizes the division between Eastern and Western Europe during the Cold War. It is coined from the speech made by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1946, where he used the metaphor of an "iron curtain" descending across Europe to describe the growing divide between the Soviet Union and the democratic countries. The iron curtain, in this context, represents an impenetrable barrier that separated the communist Eastern Bloc, led by the Soviet Union, from the capitalist Western Bloc, led by the United States.
The "dropt iron curtain" became a famous expression widely used to describe the political and ideological division that characterized international relations during the Cold War period, lasting from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s. This division imposed restrictions on the movement of people, goods, and information, and led to the establishment of border controls, military alliances, and the rapid arms race between the two opposing factions.
While the "dropt iron curtain" mainly refers to the physical and ideological separation of Europe, it also represents the broader geopolitical division that occurred throughout the world during that time. The term symbolizes the contrast between the Eastern and Western political systems, the clash of two competing ideologies, and the overall tension and hostility between the world's superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, which shaped global politics for decades.