Download Advancement of the Cold War

March 12, 1947
Addressed to a joint session of Congress
Details
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On 12th March, 1947, Harry S. Truman, announced
details to Congress of what eventually became
known as the Truman Doctrine.
In his speech he pledged American support for "free
peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by
armed minorities or by outside pressures".
This speech also included a request that Congress
agree to give military and economic aid to Greece
in its fight against communism.
Truman asked for $400,000,000 for this aid
program.
He also explained that he intended to send
American military and economic advisers to
countries whose political stability was threatened by
communism.
Why did he give the speech?
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The immediate cause for the speech was a recent
announcement by the British Government that, as
of March 31, it would no longer provide military and
economic assistance to the Greek Government in
its civil war against the Greek Communist Party.
Truman asked Congress to support the Greek
Government against the Communists.
He also asked Congress to provide assistance for
Turkey, since that nation, too, had previously been
dependent on British aid.
At the time, the U.S. Government believed that the
Soviet Union supported the Greek Communist war
effort and worried that if the Communists prevailed
in the Greek civil war, the Soviets would ultimately
influence Greek policy
What does the Doctrine do?
the United States would provide political,
military and economic assistance to all
democratic nations under threat from
external or internal authoritarian forces.
 The Truman Doctrine effectively reoriented
U.S. foreign policy, away from its usual
stance of withdrawal from regional conflicts
not directly involving the United States, to
one of possible intervention in far
away conflicts.
 The Truman Doctrine committed the United
States to actively offering assistance to
preserve the political integrity of democratic
nations when such an offer was deemed to
be in the best interest of the United States.
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Conclusion
March 12, 1947 this was Pres. Truman’s
policy to help any country where a group
was attempting to overthrow the existing
government;
 It was aimed at helping countries where
the communists were attempting a
takeover of the existing government;
 It was first used to help the governments of
both Greece and Turkey and the US
provided Greece and Turkey with $400
million in economic and military aid;
 As a result, the communists never took
over Greece or Turkey.
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Marshall Plan
Delivered at the Harvard University
commencement on June 5, 1947, by
Secretary of State George Marshall
 "Europe's requirements are so much
greater than her present ability to pay
that she must have substantial
additional help or face economic, social,
and political deterioration of a very grave
character.“
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Marshall Plan
He then suggested a solution: that the
European nations themselves set up a
program for the reconstruction of Europe,
with United States assistance.
 This speech marked the official beginning
of the Economic Recovery Program (ERP),
better known as "The Marshall Plan.”
 Under the plan, the United States provided
aid to prevent starvation in the major war
areas, repair the devastation of those
areas as quickly as possible, and begin
economic reconstruction.
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What did it want to do?
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The plan had two major aims:
1) To prevent the spread of communism
in Western Europe
 2) To stabilize the international order in a
way favorable to the development of
political democracy and free-market
economies
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Did it work?
European reaction to Marshall's speech
was quick and positive
 Over the four-years during which the
Marshall Plan was formally in operation,
Congress appropriated $13.3 billion for
European recovery
 The plan was the boldest, most successful,
and certainly the most expensive foreign
policy initiative ever attempted in
peacetime.
 For his efforts in reviving Europe, Marshall
won the 1953 Nobel Peace Prize, the first
professional soldier to receive it.
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