The Marshall Plan
History: KS3, topic 20.1.8
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.
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.
Who benefitted?
- 16 Western European countries received aid, including:
- France, West Germany and Britain.
- However Stalin would not allow Eastern European countries to apply.
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.
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.
Test yourself on The Marshall Plan
When was the Marshall Plan introduced?
How much money was provided by the USA in the Marshall Plan to help rebuild Europe?