3 - The USA's involvement in Europe

What happened January 1947?

The British and US zones in Germany are merged to create Bizonia

What happened June 1947?

The Marshall Plan is announced

What happened February 1948?

A new currency is introduced into the Western zones of Germany

What happened June 1948?

The London Conference recommends a West German Constituent Assembly

By 1947, what was US strategic planning on Europe focused on?

not only ensuring economic recovery in wake of WWII but also promoting unity within Europe - was concern not only about the creation of democratic post-war states but also the economic and social survival of European states as the railway and power systems had collapsed and in some places the financial system had come to a complete standstill

this would lead to a stable + independent block of pro-American states

By 1947, what had the US concluded about the limits of their efforts to promote unity in Europe?

that only Western Europe could be moulded into this - to this extent had committed itself to the notion of a divided Europe

What gave the US a route into Europe?

its special relationship with Britain - politically stable state amid other less stable mainland European states

UK had need to preserve its own international status - could only be achieved with USA’s support through contribution to Britain’s security - Britain wanted mutual support not dependence on US

What was the UK-US ‘special relationship’?

Churchill emphasised common identity + shared need for security between UK + US (however was frequently shown to not exist in reality as the foundation for Anglo-American relations)

USA had to form a relationship with the Western powers, Britain was the most receptive to these advances, and wasn’t faced with left-wing socialist political groups like other Western European states, instead had seemingly more reliable British Labour movement

When was the Marshall Plan?

June 1947

What motivated the creation of the Marshall Plan?

• May 1947 - Under-Secretary of State for Economic Affairs concluded that a failure to revive the economies of European states would damage the US economically - loss of markets for American goods, consequent unemployment in US - emphasised urgency in ensuring this didn’t happen

• May 1947 - Kennan’s Policy Planning Staff stated it regarded the profound impact of WWII on the economic, political + social structure of Europe as the problem, not communist activities in Western Europe

focus on US aid should thus be on the restoration of Europe’s economic strength rather than on combating communism

What was the Marshall Plan officially known as?

the European Recovery Program (ERP)

From 1947 - 1952 how much did the Marshall Plan provide, and to how many countries?

$13.5 billion to 16 countries

Which countries benefitted the most from the Marshall Plan?

UK

France

West Germany

What were some conditions of receiving aid from the Marshall Plan?

some of it had to be spent on importing goods from the USA

recipients were required to shared economic information with the USA

What was the Marshall Plan part of, in terms of US strategy?

part of an American economic strategy to benefit the American economy be helping in Europe’s economic reconstruction, also aimed at promoting European unity

How is the Marshall Plan part of containment?

through economic aid a stable European bloc would be created which would reinforce Truman’s idea of containment

What trend was the Marshall Plan designed to reverse?

post-war economic stagnation leading to communist regimes being democratically elected into office by despairing populations

it was not inspired as a strategy to prevent Soviet military intervention into Western Europe

What did the American vision for Europe rest in?

the creation of a single European market

Where was the US particularly concerned about political and economic stability in Europe?

FRANCE + ITALY

French Communist Party - 1.7 million members in 1947 - continuing crisis could lead to growing support, resulting in Soviet Union having opening for influence in Western Europe

Was the Marshall Plan offered to all European states?

YES - INCLUDING SOVIET UNION

in order to achieve stability

How did the Soviets view the Marshall Plan?

clear example of American economic imperialism

Why were the Soviets concerned about the Marshall Plan regarding the Soviet sphere of influence?

believed US influence might start to spread into Eastern Europe, undermining sphere of influence and their security

• 1947 - Czechoslovakia + Hungary not yet fully under communist control + still communist-dominated coalition governments with some interest in receiving Marshall Aid

would have resulted in these states committing themselves to restoration of market economies + degree of integration of their economies with those of Western Europe also receiving Marshall Aid - through this they would have been brought under the economic influence of the stronger Western capitalist economies

What happened with the Soviet Union at the Paris Peace Conference?

the Soviet Union walked out of the Paris Peace Conference

When was the Paris Peace Conference?

July 1947

What did Stalin do to Czechoslovakia and those Eastern European states which had expressed an interest in Marshall Aid?

What did this make clear?

ordered them to reverse their decisions

made clear that he believed greater tightening of Soviet control over Eastern Europe was necessary

What did the Marshall Plan do regarding the division of Europe?

failed if it was part of US strategy to undermine the Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe + move these states closer to Western democracy by integrating their economies with the rest of Western Europe

ACCELERATED THE DIVISION OF EUROPE + further undermined the possibility of international relations being based on some degree of cooperation and consensus between the two superpower

When was Bizonia formed and how?

January 1947

British and American occupation zones in Germany + Berlin were merged into a single zone

What did the creation of Bizonia reinforce regarding America’s interests in Western Europe?

interest in creating a clearly defined West German state that was to become a leading force in the unification of an economically stable + united Western European bloc

What happened in February 1948 in West Germany + Berlin?

new currency introduced in Western zones of Germany + Berlin - the DEUTSCHMARK

formally activated in June, Trizonia was formally finalised in 1949 but this was basically the start of the western zones all acting as a single unit?

What was the Soviet response to the introduction of the Deutschmark?

Soviet Union imposed the Berlin Blockade

What was the Berlin Blockade?

Stalin cut off all land routes between West Germany and West Berlin

direct retaliation against the western powers for the introduction of the Deutschmark and the moving forward with the creation of a West German unified state

wanted to force the Western powers to abandon the Deutschmark, drop their plans for a separate West German nation, and ultimately surrender West Berlin to Soviet control

What was the Berlin Airlift?

June 1948 – May 1949

due to Berlin Blockade, West Berlin could only be accessed by air, created potential food shortage + lack of basic goods eg. fuel + medicine

as forcing way into city by land could start war, Allies supplied zones by air - at peak a plane was landing at the West Berlin airport every minute

Stalin was powerless to stop as shooting down planes could start war - was forced to lift blockade in May 1949

What was the impact of the Berlin Blockade?

• shattered remaining hope of a unified Germany - within months of blockade ending the Western zones came together to create West Germany - FRG - and there was East Germany - GDR

• directly accelerated creation of NATO as heightened fears of Soviet expansionism, proved to West that a formal, unified military alliance was urgently needed

• massive propaganda victory for West - Stalin publicly humiliated + exposed as an aggressor, Allies seen as defenders of freedom

What did the Marshall Plan mark a significant shift?

US policy towards Germany + Berlin

suggested the USA recognised that a strong Germany economy was fundamental to the development of European economic recovery - Germany now assumed a centrality in USA’s relationship wit Europe + fundamentally important role in Cold War relationship rapidly developing between East and West

What did the London Conference decide regarding Germany in June 1948?

Germany should have its own Constituent Assembly

Were all US policy makers supportive of direct involvement in Germany?

NO

eg. Kennan didn’t believe Marshall Plan would free USA from long-term dependency on it by Western zones of Germany, believed a divided Germany would necessitate a long-term, therefore damaging, responsibility for USA, believed a united Germany would be more viable entity

What happened in September 1947 regarding production in West Germany?

Coal production was made the responsibility of Germans by September 1947 - USA increasing responsibility of Germans in Bizonia for their own economic development - highlights USA moves towards the establishment of a divided Germany

What rational underpinned the commitment on the part of most US policy makers to reject the notion of a reunified Germany?

• reunified Germany might become too powerful through the manipulation of the Western + Eastern powers

• Germany might align itself with USSR, especially if communist influence already present assumed greater force in reunified Germany

• extent of American influence could be undermined as Germany developed a degree of economic dominance that would ensure its independence

development of a West German economic recovery, rather than wider reunified Germany, therefore would be more manageable + therefore ensure US influence in Europe as a whole more easily

Summary - the USA’s involvement in Europe

• USA’s post-war policy towards Britain = focused on establishing a firm ad lasting alliance between the two states

• significant shift in US thinking towards Germany + Europe emerged by 1947 - US policy moved towards a strong Western Germany recovery, acting as foundation for Western European recovery as a whole

• USA firmly committed to an involvement in Europe - primarily to advance US interests - Marshall Plan at heart of this strategy

• Marshall Plan may be seen as continuance of the ever-declining relationship between USA + USSR, rather than primary cause of Cold War itself

• Marshall Plan led to the creation of a Western Germany state + the division of Europe into two ideological, economic + strategic camps, also laid foundations of the further development of this division in Europe