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The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan
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The Truman Doctrine was a policy established by President Harry S Truman, which called
for the United States to aid countries in resisting the spread of communism. According
to the plan, the United States promised to provide political, military, and economic aid
to nations where democracy was threatened by either internal or external forces. In
other words, Truman was calling for America to offer its support to any countries
resisting communism.
With Eastern Europe attempting to recover from the ravages of World War II, the
spotlight was on two nations in particular: Greece and Turkey. In a speech before
Congress on March 12, 1947, Truman declared that Greece was waging a civil war
against minority Communist forces. Additionally, Turkey was seen as important for the
stability of the Middle East. Both nations were struggling to rebuild and desperately
needed support to prevent falling under Soviet influence. After Truman announced that
England was no longer able to provide support to Greece and Turkey, he claimed that
“We (the United States) are the only country able to provide that help.”
Truman believed that United States aid was necessary to allow nations to thrive free of
Soviet coercion. He wanted to ensure other countries would not fall under the Iron
Curtain. With the looming Soviet threat, American leaders believed a third world war
was possible. In the interest of both peace and American security, the United States
needed to protect free nations from the spreading Soviet influence. If Greece, Turkey, or
any other nations succumbed to Communism, Soviet influence could sweep the ravaged
continent. Perhaps one of the most poignant lines of Truman’s speech came towards
the end, when he stressed the importance of this policy for the future of both the nation
and the world: “If we falter in our leadership, we may endanger the peace of the world - and we shall surely endanger the welfare of our own nation.”
The Truman Doctrine was the first in a series of containment documents, policies for
containing the spread of Communism. Another was the Marshall Plan, which aided in
rebuilding Western Europe’s economy. On June 5, 1947, Secretary of State George C.
Marshall gave a speech to the graduating class of Harvard University. In the speech he
called for a program to help rebuild European nations, protecting them from threats of
Communist influence. Congress officially adopted the Marshall Plan in March 1948 with
the passing of the Economic Cooperation Act.
At first the United States offered to include the Soviet Union in the Marshall Plan. The
Soviets had suffered more war casualties than any other European nation. In June 1947,
delegates from England, France, and the Soviet Union met in Paris to discuss the
Marshall Plan. But Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov refused to support the plan, and the
Soviet Union did not take part. A major reason why the Soviet Union did not participate
in the plan was because they were concerned with the United States trying to impose
economic domination on Communist nations. They 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. Nearly $13 billion was given to the countries to make reforms. These
included economy stabilization and rebuilding infrastructures. Much of the
management of the aid and organization of the economic recovery was handled by the
Organization for European Economic Co-Operation, which was established on April 16,
1948.
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, helping to restore economic productivity. For his humanitarian efforts George
Marshall received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Additional Information:
The Truman Doctrine – Sent $400 million to prevent the fall of Greece and Turkey to
communism. “It must be a policy of the United States to support free people who are
resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.”
Americans at home feared that this doctrine would allow other nations to “exploit” the
United States in order to “fight communism”. Any nation could elicit, or ask for, money
from the United States. However, this act would now essentially force other nations to
choose between the United States and the Soviet Union.
The Marshall Plan – Due to the physical and economic destruction brought about by
World War II, the spread of communism to nations such as France, Italy, and Belgium
were real threats. The plan required the distribution of $13 billion to 16 nations over a
four-year period. Congress was skeptical of the plan as it saw more money go to Europe,
but a Soviet backed coup in Czechoslovakia in 1948 quickly change their mind.
Questions
1. Describe what President Truman wanted from the American people to aid Europe.
Which nations, specifically, did Truman want to assist and why?
2. Describe why Greece and Turkey were vulnerable to the Soviet Union. What were the
military and political purposes for the Truman Doctrine in those nations?
3. How was the Marshall Plan supposed to help nations in Europe? Why did Soviet
Foreign Minister Molotov turn down the aid from the Marshall Plan?