The Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan

The Truman Doctrine

The Truman Doctrine describes a speech given by the US President, Harry Truman. In the speech, he committed to intervening to help to spread capitalism and limit the spread of communism. This was a policy called ‘containment’.

The 'domino effect'

In 1947, when Truman gave the speech, communist parties, supported by the Soviet Union had control of Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria already had communist governments in 1947.
President Truman was scared that other countries in Eastern Europe and the Middle East would fall to Communism.
Truman was scared of something called a ‘domino effect’. As more nations got communist governments, they would then support communist revolutions in nearby countries funding populist uprisings.

Winston Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' speech

Winston Churchill, no longer Prime Minister, gave a significant speech in March 1946 in Fulton, USA.
He argued that ‘an iron curtain has descended across the continent of Europe’. This iron curtain speech described the USSR's behaviour in Eastern Europe.

The Truman Doctrine

The exact contents of the Truman Doctrine said:
- "I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. I believe that we must assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way."
He committed to giving political, military and financial aid to countries to stop the spread of communism.

The Marshall Plan (Marshall Aid)

The Marshall Plan (also known as Marshall Aid) formalised the economic assistance that Truman described in the Truman Doctrine of 1947.

The Marshall Plan of 1947

The Marshall Plan provided economic assistance to back up the Truman Doctrine. It was named after George Marshall, the US Secretary of State at the time.
- The USA gave European nations $12.7bn. However, the biggest recipients were Britain and France. Britain received $2.7bn in Marshall Aid. West Germany only received $1.7bn. Turkey received £137 million.
The money was spent to encourage trade with the United States and a Technical Assistance Program was designed to implement improvements aimed at increasing productivity.
Josef Stalin stopped any communist nations supported by the Soviet Union from accepting Marshall Aid.

'Containment'

Through the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan, the USA sought to contain communism through military and economic assistance to primarily Western European countries. This was part of a policy known as ‘containment’.
The Truman Doctrine and the 1947 Marshall Plan increased tensions between the Soviets and the US.

Soviet perspective on the Marshall Plan

The Soviet Union saw both the 1947 Truman Doctrine and the 1947 Marshall Plan as a threat to Eastern Europe.
- The Soviet Politburo (leadership board of the communist party in Russia) viewed the Marshall Plan as an example of America's 'economic imperialism'.

US perspective on the Marshall Plan

On the US side, politicians argued that the Soviets were trying to isolate Eastern Europe from the West by installing communist governments and from banning them from accepting aid.
In reality, given the fact that most of the aid went to Britain and France, this view is challenged.
The USA thought that giving rebuilding, poor nations money would stop people from supporting communism. Demanding equality and redistribution of all wealth was likely to be more attractive to starving & unemployed people than employed and wealthy individuals in a prosperous nation.

1The Cold War

1.1Early Tension

1.1.1The Grand Alliance

1.1.2Yalta & Potsdam Conferences

1.1.3Exam-Style Questions - Potsdam Conference

1.1.4Ideological Differences Between the Superpowers

1.1.5Early US-Soviet Relations

1.1.6End of Topic Test - Early Cold War Tension

1.1.7Grade 9 - Early Tension

1.2The Development of the Cold War

1.2.1The Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan

1.2.2East-West Boundaries

1.2.3End of Topic Test - East & West

1.3The Cold War Intensifies

1.3.1The Arms Race

1.3.2The Hungarian Uprising

1.3.3End of Topic Test - Developing Tension

1.3.4Grade 9 - The Development of the Cold War

1.3.5Exam-Style Questions - Hungarian Uprising

1.4Cold War Crises, 1958–70

1.4.1The Berlin Wall

1.4.2Czechoslovakia

1.4.3The Cuban Missile Crisis

1.4.4End of Topic Test - Cold War Crises 1958-70

1.4.5Grade 9 - Cold War Crises

1.5Attempts to Reduce Tension Between East & West

1.5.1SALT & Helsinki

1.5.2End of Topic Test - SALT & Helsinki

1.5.3Grade 9 - SALT & Helsinki

1.5.4Exam-Style Questions - Helsinki Accords

1.6The End of the Cold War

1.6.1Flashpoints

1.6.2Reagan & Gorbachev

1.6.3The Collapse of Soviet Control

1.6.4End of Topic Test - Reducing Tensions and The End

1.6.5Grade 9 - The End of the Cold War

1.6.6Exam-Style Questions - Eastern Bloc Collapse

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