the Marshall plan Flashcards
comecon
COMECON was then established in 1949 to control the economies.
A very clear trading block (area) was set-up.
Eastern Europe was industrialised, collectivised (grouped) and its economic plan linked to Moscow.
Communist states could now only trade with other Communist states.
Politically, this deepened the divide between Capitalism and Communism.
COMINFORM
Cominform was a way to control each communist government in each satellite state to make sure they all did the same thing
All political parties and leaders of the Communist states were now controlled by Moscow.
There were more “puppet leaders” than ever before.
It also meant Moscow could be more direct in cracking down hard on any protest against the Communist system.
This is later seen in how protestors in Hungary were treated in 1956.
post yalta and postdam conference
Perhaps most importantly, The Marshall Plan played a role in causing the first major crisis of the Cold War - the Berlin crisis of 1948 and 1949.
After the Yalta and Potsdam Conference, the decision of having Germany in four zones and also Berlin in four zones, even though it was inside the USSR’s area of control.
The Marshall Plan money meant that West Berlin was going to be built up and allowed to get richer and more successful as a Capitalist area, even though it was smack in the middle of a Communist territory.
Stalin and the USSR could not let this stand unchallenged so eventually, an attempt was made to “force” the USA and its allies out of West Berlin in 1948.
