19.1.8

The Marshall Plan

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The Marshall Plan (1947)

Using the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, the USA tried to contain communism (a policy called 'containment'). The Marshall Plan provided economic assistance to Europe.

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The Marshall Plan, 1947

  • The Marshall Plan was the economic aid that backed up the Truman Doctrine.
    • $13 billion was given by the USA to help rebuild Europe.
    • To receive money, countries had to trade with the USA.
  • The plan hoped to stop communism by giving countries and people a stake in the capitalist system.
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Who benefitted?

  • 16 Western European countries received aid, including:
    • France, West Germany and Britain.
    • However Stalin would not allow Eastern European countries to apply.
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The Soviet view

  • The Soviet Union saw the Truman Doctrine and the 1947 Marshall Plan as a threat to Eastern Europe.
    • They were an example of US “economic imperialism” (the USA trying to spread capitalism and dominate the world.)
  • This was a characterisation of the USA which continued for the rest of the Cold War.
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US view of the Marshall Plan

  • On the US side, politicians argued that the Soviets were trying to isolate Eastern Europe from the West and to force their communist ideals on countries which were in need of aid.
  • Europe became the ideological battleground between the two emerging superpowers: the USA and the USSR.

Jump to other topics

1Empires East & West: 1000 AD

1.1The Rise & Fall of Ancient China’s Empire

1.2The Medieval Greatness of the Byzantine Empire

1.3The Golden Age of the Islamic Empire

1.4The Politics & Power of the Holy Roman Empire

1.5Medieval Religion

1.6The Influence of the Church in Medieval Times

1.7How Religion Tested the Power of Kings

1.8Dynastic Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.9Challenges to Medieval Monarchs

1.10Revolts, Rebellions & Rights

1.11Medieval England & Her Neighbours

1.12European Renaissance

1.13Norman Conquest & Control

1.14Historical Skills

2The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

2.1Anglo-Saxon England

2.2The Contest for the English Throne

2.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

2.4King John

2.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

2.6The Black Death

3Worldviews

4The Empire of Mali: 1076-1670 AD

5The Renaissance & Reformations: 1500-1598 AD

6The British Empire: 1583-1960 AD

7The Peasants' Revolt: 1381 AD

8Religion in the Middle Ages

9Slavery: 1619-1833 AD

10The English Civil War: 1642-1660 AD

11The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1840 AD

12US Independence: 1775-1783 AD

13The French Revolution: 1789-1815 AD

14The British Empire: 1857–1930 AD

15Suffrage: 1840-1928 AD

16World War 1: 1914-1918 AD

17The Inter-War Years: 1919-1939 AD

18World War 2: 1939-1945 AD

19The Cold War: 1947-1962 AD

20Civil Rights in the USA: 1954-1975 AD

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