Truman Doctrine/ Marshall Plan

New Words

doctrine: a belief.

Congress: the American ‘parliament’.

Czechoslovakia

aggressor: someone who starts a quarrel.

Containment: holding something in – stopping the USSR growing.

Source A

President Truman, speaking in March 1947.

Every nation must choose between different ways of life ... We must help free peoples to work out their own destiny in their own way.

Source B

The Russian newspaper Izvestia, March 1947.

This ‘American duty’ is just a smokescreen for a plan of expansion ... They try to take control of Greece by shouting about ‘totalitarianism’.

Did You Know?

The historian Frank Kofsky has suggested that Truman whipped up the Cold War to help the US airforce and aircraft industry.

Source D

GM Malenkov, a Soviet politician, speaking in 1947 about the Marshall Plan. Andrei Zhdanov echoed this opinion.

The ruling gang of American imperialists has taken the path of open expansion, of enslaving weakened capitalist countries.

It has hatched new war plans against the Soviet Union. Imitating Hitler, the new aggressors are using blackmail.

The Americans and the Russians interpreted the Marshall Plan differently, as these cartoons show!
Source G	Source H	Source J
click image to see a larger version This American cartoon (1947) shows Marshall (on the left) telling 'Uncle Sam' - i.e. the American nation - 'Come on Sam! It's up to us again.' The idea is that the rich Americans, having won the Second World War, are now going to prop up the crumbling edifice of European freedom again - seeing as the prop labelled 'self help' is not stopping it from collapsing.	click image to see a larger version This American cartoon of 1949 about the Marshall Plan represents America as a generous 'dad', teaching his clumsy son 'Europe' to support himself economically. The caption says: 'he's finally getting the hang of it'.	The title of this Czechoslovakian cartoon of 1949 is ‘Marshall’s Plan in practice’. General Marshall holds guns, and harnesses labelled ‘for the French’ and ‘for the Germans’. The idea is that American money will not free the nations of Europe, but will tie them to American military imperialism.
Extra: 1. Read Source A. Talk about the events in your list – as though you were an American. 2. Now read Sources B–D. Describe the same events – as though you were a Russian Communist. 3. Why did the Marshall Plan make the Russians so angry? 4. Did the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan cause the Cold War? 5. What was the first event of the Cold War? 6. Work out an argument that the creation of Cominform was the first event of the Cold War.

Truman Doctrine/ Marshall Plan
Opinion: Churchill’s speech did not start the Cold War, but he was the first person to stop pretending to be friends with Russia. Thus, his Fulton speech was the start of the Cold War; after it, America and Russia got into a number of conflicts. Greece By 1946, Greece and Czechoslovakia were the only countries in eastern Europe that weren’t Communist. Even in Greece, the government, which was being supported by British soldiers, was having to fight a civil war against the Communists. In February 1947, the British told Truman they could no longer afford to keep their soldiers in Greece. President Truman stepped in. The USA paid for the British soldiers in Greece.	Links: Truman's speech Spidergram: • Truman Doctrine/Marshall Plan New Words doctrine: a belief. Congress: the American ‘parliament’. Czechoslovakia aggressor: someone who starts a quarrel. Containment: holding something in – stopping the USSR growing. Source A President Truman, speaking in March 1947. Every nation must choose between different ways of life ... We must help free peoples to work out their own destiny in their own way. Source B The Russian newspaper Izvestia, March 1947. This ‘American duty’ is just a smokescreen for a plan of expansion ... They try to take control of Greece by shouting about ‘totalitarianism’.
Truman Doctrine In the 1930s, America had kept out of Europe’s business. Now, on 12 March 1947, Truman told Americans that it was America’s DUTY to interfere (Source A). His policy towards the Soviet Union was one of ‘containment’ – he did not try to destroy the USSR, but he wanted to stop it growing any more. This was called the ‘Truman Doctrine’.	Link: What was the Truman Doctrine? Did You Know? The historian Frank Kofsky has suggested that Truman whipped up the Cold War to help the US airforce and aircraft industry.
Source C This Russian cartoon shows the Greeks being ‘helped’ by Uncle Sam (symbolising America). Notice the $ sign on the gun
The Marshall Plan In June 1947, the American general George Marshall went to Europe. He said every country in Europe was so poor that it was in danger of turning Communist! Europe was ‘a breeding ground of hate’. He said that America should give $17 billion of aid to get Europe’s economy going and stop Communism. Marshall said that it was up to the countries of Europe to decide what they needed. In July 1947, led by Britain and France, the countries of western Europe met in Paris, and asked for substantial economic aid.	Link: What was the Marshall Plan? Source D GM Malenkov, a Soviet politician, speaking in 1947 about the Marshall Plan. Andrei Zhdanov echoed this opinion. The ruling gang of American imperialists has taken the path of open expansion, of enslaving weakened capitalist countries. It has hatched new war plans against the Soviet Union. Imitating Hitler, the new aggressors are using blackmail.
Cominform The Soviet Union hated Marshall aid (see Source D). Stalin forbade Communist countries to ask for money. Instead, in October 1947, he set up Cominform. Every Communist party in Europe joined. It allowed Stalin control of the Communists in Europe. Source E 'Can he block it?' This cartoon of 1947 about Cominform shows Stalin trying to stop the basketball of 'Marshall aid' scoring the basket labelled 'European recovery'.
Czechoslovakia At first, the American Congress did not want to give the money for Marshall Aid. But then, in February 1948, the Communists took power in Czechoslovakia, followed on 10 March by the suspicious suicide of the popular minister Jan Masaryk. Congress was scared, and voted for Marshall Aid on 31 March 1948. Source F A British cartoon of June 1947 shows Truman and Stalin as two taxi-drivers trying to get customers. The 'customers' are labelled 'Turkey', 'Hungary', 'Bulgaria', 'Austria'.