USA involvement in Europe Flashcards
What were the origins of the Marshall Plan?
1947 George Marshall travelled through Europe and was shocked by the level of post war economic devastation
He planned aid to help Europe recover
All European nations could apply for a pot of 13 billion dollars
in 1952 Churchill described the plan as the most unselfish act in history
What were the successes of the Marshall Plan
Accelerated economic recovery
Stabilised the western zones in Germany leading to the formation of the West German state
What were the motivations of the Marshall plan?
Humanitarian reasons
USA concerned that without economic recovery in Europe there would be a recession in the US which faced a decline in domestic demand
A Europe under Communists wouldn’t be a suitable market for US goods
USA thought if there was a depression communinism would flourish. There was a fear that Italian communists would win the 1948 Soring elections
Some say the Marshall Plan was part of a containment strategy
It was clear that because of the conditions attached to the Marshall plan the Russians would refuse it. These included opening up economic markets to capitalist countries and having transparent econ records.
USA hoped that Eastern Eropean countries would accept to drive a wedge between satellite states and USSR
Any opposition to the Marshall plan in Congress crumbled after the coup in Czech 1948 - seen as the last bastion of democracy in East Europe. Until the coup the Czechs were going to take the plan
What were Soviet and eastern european reactions to the Marshall plan?
Stalin rejected it and vetoed the inclusion of states in the Soviet bloc
The Soviet minister of foreign affairs Vyavcheslav Molotov labelled the plan dollar imperialism - meaning it would give the USA the power to determine diplomatic and internal politics through economic leverage
The conditions attached to the aid would mean changes to domedtic poicies in USSR
The USSR respnded by tightening their grip across Eastern Europe and attmpted to thwart the plan through:
1947 established the cominform to circulate propaganda and coordinate communist parties toobstruct the elected govt. In france communists tried to encourgae French trade unions to strike in order to frustrate the Marshal plan
Established the comecon in 1949 which was created to forge an economic cooperation between socialist states inc Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland as an alternative to the Marshal plan
