In the speech, he discussed the need to rebuild Europe after it has been ravaged by war. On the other hand, rebuilding and support were the main reasons for intervention in the West through the Marshall Plan. When the Red Army marched on Germany, it quickly absorbed the nearby nations Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union. Educators go through a rigorous application ... the US also used economics and diplomacy to contain communism. And now Stalin was ordering the creation of a communist puppet regime in the Soviet sector of occupied Germany. Public fear that communists were working to destroy America from within and without our country. Or Italy and France? The western Europeans were pleased with the plan, but the Soviets and eastern Europeans disagreed. His speech led to the creation of the Economic Cooperation Act in March 1948, nicknamed the Marshall Plan after George C. Marshall. The Marshall Plan was estimated to cost the United States approximately $22 billion, but it was later scaled down to cost $13 billion after the plan was put into action. Truman decided to draw a line in the sand. Containment, strategic foreign policy pursued by the United States beginning in the late 1940s in order to check the expansionist policy of the Soviet Union. Congress approved Truman's request of $17 billion over four years to be sent to Great Britain, France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. By the fall of 1945, it was clear that the Soviet-backed Lublin regime had complete control of Poland, violating the Yalta promise of free and unfettered elections there. To avoid antagonizing the Soviet Union, Marshall announced that the purpose of sending aid to Western Europe was completely humanitarian, and even offered aid to the communist states in the east. Industrial and residential centers in England, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Belgium and elsewhere lay in ruins. The Truman Doctrine was created in response to Britain no longer being able to afford aiding these Mediterranean countries, which were at risk of falling under the influence of the Soviets. In March 1947, United States president Harry Truman unveiled what became known as the Truman Doctrine, pledging US support for European countries so they could exercise self-… They thought it was a capitalist-imperialist plan to buy support of the smaller European countries. Yugoslavia had an independent communist leader named Tito. The war had ruined crop fields and destroyed infrastructure, leaving most of Europe in dire need. Greece and Turkey were the first nations spiraling into crisis that had not been directly occupied by the Soviet Army. Copyright ©2008-2021 ushistory.org, owned by the Independence Hall Association in Philadelphia, founded 1942. It was only a matter of time before Hungary and Czechoslovakia fell into the Soviet orbit. The Soviet Union disagreed with the ideals of the Marshall Plan, but they could not retaliate because they could not financially compete with the United States. The term was coined by the United States diplomat, George F. Kennan, and the policy was a response to a series of expansionist activities by the Soviet Union to spread Communism to eastern Europe, China, Korea, and Vietnam. Marshall Plan, 1948 In the immediate post-World War II period, Europe remained ravaged by war and thus susceptible to exploitation by an internal and external Communist threat. The strategic policy's goal was to prevent the international spread of Communism. Europe was devastated by years of conflict during World War II. The US approach, to put it simply, was to do the exact opposite of what the Soviets did, and one of the first post-war policies put into place under this new system was the Marshall Plan. Through this act, Truman made the United States publicly anti-Communist. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Marshall Plan; Long title: An act to promote world peace and the general welfare, national interest, and foreign policy of the United States through economic, financial, and other measures necessary to the maintenance of conditions abroad in which free institutions can survive and consistent with the maintenance of the strength and stability of the United States. The policy became known as the Truman Doctrine, as the President outlined these intentions with his request for monetary aid for Greece and Turkey. Kennan and Containment, 1947. But in places where communism threatened to expand, American aid might prevent a takeover. By vigorously pursuing this policy, the United States might be able to contain communism within its current borders. The basic purpose of the Marshall Plan, according to the Economic Cooperation Act, was to ensure “individual liberty, free institutions, and genuine independence” by restoring “sound economic conditions.” Between 1948 and 1951, the Marshall Plan attempted to implement several economic strategies and reforms to rebuild Western Europe. THE TEXT ON THIS PAGE IS NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN AND HAS NOT BEEN SHARED VIA A CC LICENCE. They could invade through the air and sea. Containment was the purpose stated in the Truman Doctrine. In March 1947, he asked Congress to appropriate $400 million to send to these two nations in the form of military and economic assistance. Containment was a foreign policy of the United States of America, introduced at the start of the Cold War, aimed at stopping the spread of Communism and keeping it "contained" and isolated within its current borders of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR or the Soviet Union) instead of spreading to a war-ravaged Europe. ‘Grand strategy’ in this sense meant an overarching direction of US foreign policy that would guide and determine the political course of events. At age 92, George Kennan sat down for an interview where he revealed much about his ideas on communism and his life of civil service that began in the 1930s. The Eisenhower Doctrine. The U.S. is seen sending troops, advisors and weapons to Turkey in hopes that the country will resist communism and remain democratic. The Marshall Plan • 31 the dire prospect of inability to buy the food, raw materials, and machinery vitally needed to keep up even their already low standard of living. Destroy the missile bases by the use of air attacks. United States diplomats saw a continent ravaged by war looking for strong leadership and aid of any sort, providing a climate ripe for revolution. Containment was the cornerstone of the Truman Doctrine as defined by a Truman speech on March 12, 1947. Containment and the Marshall Plan. They were invited to receive money, but they disagreed. Secondly, the future of US trade was dependent on a productive and prosperous Europe. Marshall Plan, formally European Recovery Program (1948–51), U.S.-sponsored program advocated by Secretary of State George C. Marshall to rehabilitate the economies of 17 western and southern European countries in order to create stable conditions in which democratic institutions could survive. Containment was the United States foreign policy in the late 1940's-1950's that was made to check the expansionist policy of the Soviet Union. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948. Introduction. Soon communist forces dominated the governments of Romania and Bulgaria. UNAUTHORIZED REPUBLICATION IS A COPYRIGHT VIOLATIONContent Usage Permissions. How many dominoes would fall? Greece and Turkey were too close to the Soviet Union not to risk falling prey to the Communist doctrine. The policy of containment, The Berlin Airlift, The Truman Doctrine, … In the aftermath of WWII, Western Europe lay devastated. Containment of the Soviet Union became American policy in the postwar years. The Marshall Plan: History's Most Successful Structural Adjustment Program. George Marshall had a reputation for being all-business, but he knew when to give a subordinate a chance. The Domino Theory. The "Father of Containment" speaks! The containment policy was the foreign policy of the United States following World War II until the 1970s. Political cartoon displaying how the U.S. viewed the spread of Communism. Millions of people had been killed or wounded. Attack on South Korea militarily was depleting American finances more quickly than … The most outstanding example of this sort of containment was the Marshall Plan. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Originally created … On June 5, 1947, Secretary of State George C. Marshall gave a speech at Harvard University to the graduating class. The Marshall Plan, named after Secretary of State George C. Marshall and was passed in 1948, was one policy the United States used to contain communism. Following World War II, much of Europe lay in ruin, its economies in shambles. This doctrine declared that the U.S. would provide immediate economic and military aid to any democratic nation that opposed Communism, especially Greece and Turkey; countries who were both under pressure from the Soviet Union and were in danger of becoming Communist. Marshall Plan "The modern system of the division of labor upon which the exchange of products is based is in danger of breaking down. In the 1850s, anti-slavery forces in the United States developed a free soil strategy of containment to The Marshall Plan actually was used to the fullest ability was the American program to aid Europe, in which the United States gave economic support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to prevent the spread of Soviet Communism. Lastly and much to Truman's delight, none of these nations of western Europe faced a serious threat of communist takeover for the duration of the Cold War. Announced by the sitting president that the US would use force to help any nation threatened by communism in 1958 to put down a revolt in Lebanon. There were two reasons for this. Both countries were on the verge of being taken over by Soviet-backed guerrilla movements. On June 5, 1947, Secretary of State George Marshall announced the European Recovery Program. Secretary of State George Marshall presented the plan at Harvard University in June 1947, and it was met with acceptance by military leaders and political advisors. Kennan's containment, more significantly, came to guide American foreign policy through the entirety of the Cold War, which ended around 1990. In a June 5, 1947, speech to the graduating class at Harvard University, Secretary of State George C. Marshall issued a call for a comprehensive program to rebuild Europe. Within two years the communist threat had passed, and both nations were comfortably in the western sphere of influence. There were major historical precedents familiar to Americans and Europeans. As the defense analysts James Jay Carafano and Paul Rosenzweig have observed, Eisenhower built his Cold War foreign policy, largely based on the policy of containment, on four pillars: Providing security through “a strong mix of both offensive and defensive means.”. Firstly, economic instability would generate political instability and may lead to communist revolutions. Mr. Bevin flew to Paris on June 17 to consult with Mr. Bidault on the practical steps to give effect Communism was on … The strategic policy's goal was to prevent the international spread of Communism. A mid-level diplomat in the State Department named George Kennan proposed the policy of containment. First suggested by the U.S. diplomat George F. Kennan, the policy was implemented in the Truman Doctrine (1947) and the Eisenhower Doctrine (1957). The Cold War “containment” notion was born of the Domino Theory, which held that if one country fell under communist influence or control, its neighboring countries would soon follow. It aimed to: • Caused an investigation of federal employees. The 1947 Truman Doctrine was one of the first acts that applied containment. The Marshall Plan (the Plan) and the European Recovery Program (ERP) that it generated involved an ambitious effort to By the target date of the program four years later, Western European industries were producing twice as much as they had been the year before war broke out. Containment, Truman Doctrine & The Marshall Plan. The act was a European recovery program that gave $13 billion to recover war-torn Europe from the United States. This would actually destroy the bases but there would be a very high likely hood of Soviet retaliation. This would get rid of two obstacles seen as bad by the USA – the missile bases and Castro. Initially understood as ideological containment of communism in Western Europe through the provision of economic aid (cf. Since the American people were weary from war and had no desire to send United States troops into Eastern Europe, rolling back the gains of the Red Army would have been impossible. Much of Europe was on the brink of famine as The aid also produced record levels of trade with American firms, fueling a postwar economic boom in the United States. The Marshall Plan was a policy used by the United States to strengthen democratic governments by providing food and economic assistance to war-ravaged European countries to help them rebuild after the war. The Marshall Plan created an economic miracle in Western Europe. George F. Kennan, a career Foreign Service Officer, formulated the policy of “containment,” the basic United States strategy for fighting the cold war (1947-1989) with the Soviet Union. Some Americans grumbled about the costs, but the nation spent more on liquor during the years of the Marshall Plan than they sent overseas to Europe. Between 1948 and 1951, the United States undertook what many consider to be one of its more successful foreign policy initiatives and most effective foreign aid programs. This illustration from the July 16, 1948, U.S. News magazine shows the beginnings of American containment policy. Cold War - Containment. Would the Soviets get all of Germany? Learn what that meant for Dwight "Ike" Eisenhower and for America. This policy ultimately resulted in embittered relations between the Soviet Union and the United States. Members of the US government viewed the economic reconstruction of Europe as a matter of great urgency. However, it is without doubt that the quickly unfolding Cold War became a psychological and discursive exercise of ‘constructing’ an ideological enemy against whom one’s foreign policy would be directed (Jervis 1976: 766). Bolstering Allies I n the opening struggles for control of Europe, the United States used economic aid to support the democracies of Western Europe and stymie the territorial advances of the Soviet Union.. The post-World War II reconstruction of Western Europe was one of the greatest economic policy and foreign policy successes of this century. We must keep that hope alive.” (Truman Doctrine, 1947, page 2) The US’s Cold War containment policy was undeniably effective in it’s stated goal … In my opinion,among the Marshall Plans,the financial plan worked better for CONTAINMENT.. America gave financial assistance to Western and Eastern Europe.Marshall named these assistance as humanitarian so that Russia did not become a more fierce enemy of America during Cold War.. Marshall plan), the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 proved to be a trigger moment for the subsequent ‘militarization of containment’ (NSC 68) and the fierce freezing of US and USSR into two diametrically opposed ideological blocs. President Truman was determined to reverse this trend. Maintaining a robust economy. Containment was the United States foreign policy in the late 1940's-1950's that was made to check the expansionist policy of the Soviet Union. America would go on to create national security agencies that were immune from democratic oversight, including the CIA and the National Security Council which were formed to gather intelligence and conduct secret military international operations ( Foner Chp 23. pg 900).The Marshall Plan was also established in accordance with the Containment which would rebuild war torn Europe.
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