The Origins of the Cold War 1941-49

George C. Marshall


inally, and perhaps most important

2. 
   Economic vs. Military Containment
   
3. 
   Criticism of the Truman Doctrine³⁷ (The origins of Revisionism)
   
   1. 
      Walter Lippmann (realist) – Psychological and Geopolitical Overextension
      
   2. 
      Winston Churchill – Postponement of Negotiations
      
   3. 
      Henry Wallace – America did not have the Moral Right
      
4. 
   Western Public Opinion - "The Source of Soviet Conduct, " July 1947
   

4. 
   The 1^st Offensive of the Cold War / April 28, 1947 (George C. Marshall - The West had past the point of no return in its policy toward the Soviet Union³⁸)
   
   1. 
      The Stalin Marshall Meeting April 15, 1947 (Moscow Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting)
      

Stalin's remarks gave the impression that he remained unswayed by Marshall's concern over the rapidly deteriorating situation in Europe, and his diffident attitude toward the economic implications of the deadlock over Germany convinced Marshall that Stalin was merely stalling, hoping that economic collapse in Western Europe would create conditions favorable to the further expansion of Soviet influence in the region. As another member of the U.S. delegation, John Foster Dulles, put it: "the Moscow conference was, to those who were there, like a streak of lightning that illuminated a dark and stormy scene. We saw as never before the magnitude of the task of saving Europe for Western civilization." John Foster Dulles, War or Peace (New York: Macmillan, 1950), 105. Marshall shared this view, and he returned to Washington from Moscow determined to take some action that could arrest Europe's precipitous economic decline, and prevent a crisis that the USSR could exploit for political advantage.³⁹

2. 
   Marshall Plan, June 5, 1947
   

The Marshall Plan originated from the belated realization in Washington, during the spring of 1947, that Western Europe was nearing collapse. Policymakers feared sustained instability could render its governments susceptible to Soviet influence, if not outright Communist takeovers. If economic conditions continued to deteriorate, those Western European countries at the very least might pursue protectionist, beggar-thy-neighbor policies, in turn reducing imports from the United States and weakening further the already fragile structure of world trade and finance.⁴⁰

1. 
   The War Scare of March 1948 (Czechoslovakia)
   

The economic security argument made it easier to convince Republicans and budget-minded Democrats to spend vast sums for the Marshall Plan, but what finally catalyzed passage of the ERP (European Recovery Plan) legislation was the war scare of March 1948, following the Czech coup of February. Before a joint session of Congress on 17 march 1948, Truman denounced the "pattern" of Soviet aggression and Communist subversion in Czechoslovakia, Finland, Greece, and Italy. The President expressed support for the Brussels Pact, the forerunner of NATO, and asked for congressional approval of the Marshall Plan, universal military training (UMT), and selective service because "we have learned the importance of maintaining military strength as a means of preventing war."⁴¹

3. 
   N
   The Berlin Airlift
   
   
   ATO
   
   1. 
      The Cominform, 1947
      
   2. 
      Czechoslovakia, February 1948
      
   3. 
      The Treaty of Brussels, March 1948
      
   4. 
      The Berlin Blockade, July 1948- May 1949
      
   5. 
      The Treaty of Washington (North Atlantic Treaty) April 4, 1949
      

IB Topics in 20^th Century History

Cold War 1945-1960

Chronology