Download Truman Doctrine/Marshall Plan Discussion Questions

Truman Doctrine/Marshall Plan
President Harry Truman created the Truman Doctrine when he promised that the United States would protect
Turkey and Greece from the Soviet Union. Truman decided on this plan after a meeting with the president of
Greece. Truman opposed communism. He called for America to offer its support to any countries resisting
communism.
Eastern Europe was attempting to recover from the ravages of World War II. The Soviets offered their communist
plan to the regions in an attempt to solidify their power and influence. Truman wanted to ensure other countries
would not fall under the Iron Curtain. Aid was given to both of these countries for military and political purposes.
With the looming Soviet threat, American leaders believed a third world war was possible. America realized it would
need as many allies as possible to defeat a superpower such as the Soviet Union. The United States feared if Greece
and Turkey were to succumb to communism, Soviet influence would sweep the ravaged continent.
The Truman Doctrine was the first in a series of containment documents. The next was the Marshall Plan, which
aided in rebuilding Western Europe’s economy. A goal of the Marshall Plan was to prevent Western Europe, which
was suffering devastation after World War II, from adopting communism. The plan was announced on July 12, 1947,
during a meeting of European countries. In addition to helping Western Europe, the Marshall Plan also assisted
Japan. Japan’s economy was decimated in the aftermath of World War II. The Marshall Plan was presented to the
Soviet Union. Russians had suffered more war casualties than any other European country. Nevertheless, the
Russians refused the aid. One of Josef Stalin’s top emissaries, Vyacheslav Molotov, refused because he believed the
United States was attempting to impose “dollar imperialism” on the Soviet Union. He also did not welcome an
American sphere of influence in Europe and Asia.
The Marshall Plan was designed to provide immense economic recovery money to Western Europe over a four-year
period. An estimated $13 billion was given to the countries to make reforms. These included economy stabilization
and rebuilding infrastructures. The countries applied for admission into the Organization for European Economic CoOperation.
The Marshall Plan was one of the first steps toward European integration. Trade barriers between countries were
eliminated. The Marshall Plan greatly benefited Western Europe. Almost every country participating saw great gains
in its economy during the twenty-year period after the war. The only country that still had not met the levels the
United States was hoping it would reach was Germany.
Truman Doctrine/Marshall Plan Discussion Questions:
1. What countries did President Harry Truman want to help with the Truman Doctrine?
2. What did he want from the American people?
3. Why did the Soviet Union want to bring communism to Greece and Turkey?
4. What were the military and political purposes for the Truman Doctrine in Greece and Turkey?
5.
When and where was the Marshall Plan first introduced?
6.
Why did Russian leader Vyacheslav Molotov refuse the Marshall Plan?
7. How did the Marshall Plan help countries in Western Europe?
8. What organization did countries in Western Europe join to be eligible for aid from the United States?
9. What was the only country that did not meet the expected economic reforms of the Marshall Plan?
OPINION QUESTIONS:
10. As an American citizen, would you agree with the American policy of “containment”? Why or why not?
11. If you were a citizen of the Soviet Union, how would you have felt about the Truman Doctrine? Why?
12. Imagine yourself a citizen of the Soviet Union. Explain how you would defend your country against the following
statement by President Truman:
“The U.S. can no longer stand by and allow the forcible expansion of Soviet totalitarianism into free independent states in Eastern Europe.”
13. How would these two plans (Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan) as well as Churchill’s “Iron Curtain Speech” impact
Soviet-U.S. relations?