10. The Marshall Plan and Responses

(US Involvement) What did the US want Europe's reconstruction to be based on?

Mutual cooperation, international organisations and unity

(US Involvement) What did the US hope this system of reconstruction would create?

A bloc of pro American states

(US Involvement) By 1947 what did the US begin to believe about this bloc?

That it could only be in Western Europe (to some extent the US supported the division of Europe)

(US Involvement) Who commented on the future state of Europe without US help?

The US Secretary of State, William L Clayton

(US Involvement) When did Clayton make these observations?

May 1947

(US Involvement) What did Clayton say would happen to Europe without US help?

It would face social, economic and political disintegration

(US Involvement) What was the USA's route to a pro-US Europe?

Britain

(US Involvement) Why was Britain a good route to creating a pro-US bloc in Europe (4 reasons)?

- It was the most stable and reliable Western European state (from a US perspective)
- The US had a 'special relationship' with the UK
- The UK needed the US to maintain its international status
- The British Labour Government welcomed US advances

(Marshall Plan) When was the Marshall Plan unveiled?

5th June 1947

(Marshall Plan) Who was the Marshall Plan unveiled by?

George C. Marshall

(Marshall Plan) What did the plan provide?

Economic support to war torn Europe

(Marshall Plan) How many dollars of US aid (money and goods) did the plan provide?

$13.5 billion

(Marshall Plan) How many countries received Marshall Aid?

16

(Marshall Plan) What were recipients required to do (3 things)?

- Buy imported goods from the US
- Share economic information
- Restore free market economies

(Marshall Plan) What did these requirements result do?

Made it almost impossible for Eastern European states (who had communist-based economies) to receive aid (despite them all being eligible)

(Marshall Plan) What did Marshall Aid create between the US and the Soviets?

Further divisions and reduced the chance of cooperation

(Marshall Plan) Overall what did Marshall Aid create in Europe?

Further divisions and the reduced chance of US-USSR cooperation

(Marshall Plan- Reasons) What did the plan help economically stagnated states from becoming?

Desperate and finding Communism as the only solution

(Marshall Plan- Reasons) What did the plan help to create?

A stable, unified and US-influenced Western European Bloc

(Marshall Plan- Reasons) What did this bloc help to do?

Contain the spread of the Soviet dominance

(Marshall Plan- Reasons) What did the Marshall plan prevent globally?

A recession

(Marshall Plan- Reasons) What other reasons could the Marshall Plan have been created?

For humanitarian reasons

(Marshall Plan- Reasons) What did Churchill supposedly say about the Marshall Plan in terms of its humanitarian aspect?

That it is the "most unselfish act in history"

(Marshall Plan- Reasons) What country did the plan help to evidently reduce likelihood of a Communist takeover in?

France

(Marshall Plan- Reasons) How many members of the Communist Party were there in France?

1.7 million members

(Marshall Plan- Reasons) What did the US fear would happen if further economic crisis occurred in France?

They would turn to communism (which would be a great failure as France was a key Western state)

(Soviet Responses) What did the Soviets see the Marshall Plan as a clear example of?

US imperialism

(Soviet Responses) What did the Soviets fear countries not fully under their control would do?

Receive aid and become under US influence

(Soviet Responses) Which countries did the Soviets fear would come under US control (as they showed interest in aid)?

Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary

(Soviet Responses) When did the Soviets force these countries to decline aid?

July 1947

(Soviet Responses) What did the Soviets also walk out of in response to the US policies?

The Paris Peace Conference

(Soviet Responses) When did the Soviets walk out of the Paris Peace Conference?

June 1947