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====The initial entrenchment and spread of Communist Rule in Eastern Europe====
The emergence and consolidation of Soviet regimes in Eastern Europe proceeded at varying rates but at somewhat rather fast pace. In Yugoslavia and Albania the indigenous Communist parties led by Josip Tito, Enver Hoxha had obtained a good deal of political advantage and military strength through their participation in the anti-Nazi German resistance during World War II. Tito’s and Hoxha’s partisan armies had also fought against their domestic rivals throughout the war and were able to gain control of their countries as the fighting and fire ceased. In Romania Nicolae Ceaushescu was also a passionate follower of the Communist regime and forcedly induced King Michael to abdicate. Once in power, they quickly acted to establish Stalinist regimes and declare “People’s Republics” that closely mirrored the Soviet system turning them into Soviet satellites.<ref>The Iron Curtain: License to plunder -http://alphahistory.com/coldwar/iron-curtain/#sthash.uaBWkuOL.dpuf</ref>
In Bulgaria and Romania, Soviet troops who had occupied the countries in the late summer of 1944 enabled Communist-dominated governments to assume power by the end of the year. The Bulgarian and Romanian Communist parties had been of negligible influence prior to and during World War II, but the presence of Soviet military forces on Bulgarian and Romanian territory shifted the balance of political power sharply in favor of the Communists during the final months of the war. The new, Soviet-backed governments in both countries initially took the form of coalitions allowing some still popular non-Communist parties to take part as well. Nevertheless, that arrangement was mostly cosmetic and aimed to forestall any immediate frictions with the United States and Britain. No sooner had the governments of both countries been set up that the Communists began methodically eliminating their potential opponents, paving the way for Stalinist transformations. <ref>Cold War: Formation of the Eastern Bloc. From Allies to Satellites - https://www.highbeam.com/topics/cold-war-formation-of-the-eastern-bloc-t10918</ref>
