Churchill’s speech did not start the Cold War, but he was the first person to stop pretending to be friends with Russia. Thus, his Fulton speech was the start of the Cold War; after it, America and Russia got into a number of conflicts.
Greece
By 1946, Greece and Czechoslovakia were the only countries in eastern Europe that weren’t Communist.
Even in Greece, the government, which was being supported by British soldiers, was having to fight a civil war against the Communists.
In February 1947, the British told Truman they could no longer afford to keep their soldiers in Greece. President Truman stepped in. The USA paid for the British soldiers in Greece.
Truman Doctrine
In the 1930s, America had kept out of Europe’s business. Now, on 12 March 1947, Truman told Americans that it was America’s DUTY to interfere (Source A).
Source A
President Truman, speaking in March 1947.
Every nation must choose between different ways of life ... We must help free peoples to work out their own destiny in their own way. |
His policy towards the Soviet Union was one of ‘containment’ – he did not try to destroy the USSR, but he wanted to stop it growing any more. This was called the ‘Truman Doctrine’.
Source B
The Russian newspaper Izvestia, March 1947.
This ‘American duty’ is just a smokescreen for a plan of expansion ... They try to take control of Greece by shouting about ‘totalitarianism’. |
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Source C
This Russian cartoon shows the Greeks being ‘helped’ by Uncle Sam (symbolising America). Notice the $ sign on the gun |
The Marshall Plan
In June 1947, the American general George Marshall went to Europe. He said every country in Europe was so poor that it was in danger of turning Communist! Europe was ‘a breeding ground of hate’.
He said that America should give $17 billion of aid to get Europe’s economy going and stop Communism.
Marshall said that it was up to the countries of Europe to decide what they needed. In July 1947, led by Britain and France, the countries of western Europe met in Paris, and asked for substantial economic aid.
Source D
GM Malenkov, a Soviet politician, speaking in 1947 about the Marshall Plan.
The ruling gang of American imperialists has taken the path of open expansion, of enslaving weakened capitalist countries.It has hatched new war plans against the Soviet Union. Imitating Hitler, the new aggressors are using blackmail. |
Cominform
The Soviet Union hated Marshall aid (see Source D). Stalin forbade Communist countries to ask for money.
Instead, in October 1947, he set up Cominform. Every Communist party in Europe joined.
It allowed Stalin control of the Communists in Europe.
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Source E
'Can he block it?' This cartoon of 1947 about Cominform shows Stalin trying to stop the basketball of 'Marshall aid' scoring the basket labelled 'European recovery'. |
Czechoslovakia
At first, the American Congress did not want to give the money for Marshall Aid. But then, in February 1948, the Communists took power in Czechoslovakia, followed on 10 March by the suspicious suicide of the popular minister Jan Masaryk.
Congress was scared, and voted for Marshall Aid on 31 March 1948.
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Source F
A British cartoon of June 1947 shows Truman and Stalin as two taxi-drivers trying to get customers. The 'customers' are labelled 'Turkey', 'Hungary', 'Bulgaria', 'Austria'. |
The Americans and the Russians interpreted the Marshall Plan differently, as these cartoons show! |