Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan: Key Points

Background

• Kenan Long Telegram (1946): Alarmed Truman about the potential expansion of the USSR.
• Post-WWII Europe: Many European states were devastated, creating opportunities for communist expansion facilitated by poor living conditions.

Truman Doctrine

• Objective: Prevent the spread of communism.
• Method: Provide economic aid and, if necessary, military support to resist communism.
• Initial Application: $400 million aid to Greece and Turkey to combat communist takeover (1947).
• Truman's Speech (March 12, 1947): Defined communism as oppressive and democracy as freedom.

Marshall Plan (Marshall Aid)

• Purpose: Financial aid to revive European democracies post-WWII.
• Aid Amount: $13 billion initially, with an additional $12.7 billion.
• Impact: Aimed to prevent the spread of communism and foster political stability.
• Distribution: Direct aid to governments and support to agriculture and industry.

Responses and Reactions

• Ernest Bevon (British Foreign Secretary): Described Marshall Aid as a lifeline.
• George C. Marshall: Stressed aid was against poverty and chaos, not against any country or doctrine.
• Stalin's Response: Viewed it as US seeking world domination; did not support Marshall Aid.

Soviet Reactions: Cominform and ComiCon

Cominform (Communist Information Bureau)

• Established: September 22, 1947.
• Members: USSR, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia, Italy, and France.
• Purpose: Unite communist parties and increase Soviet control.
• Headquarters: Initially in Belgrade, moved to Bucharest (1948).

ComiCon (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance)

• Established: January 25, 1949.
• Members: USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, East Germany, Albania.
• Purpose: Economic cooperation among communist states as an alternative to Marshall Aid.
• Focus: Trade, industrial planning, collectivization.
• Effect: Increased trade among member states; example - Bulgaria's trade within ComiCon rose from 10% to 90% by 1951.

Conclusion

• Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan: Aimed at containing communism and rebuilding Europe.
• Soviet Responses: Led to greater East-West division, set the stage for Cold War rivalries.