4.2.3 Expansionism and Containment
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4.2.3 Expansionism and Containment
ADLC, Adapted from base map © Map Resources
Before World War II, the Nazi government adopted an expansionist ideology. It was the German dream of taking over Europe and the world that led other nations to declare war on Germany, but it took nearly six years for the Allied forces to halt the
German advance.
Expansionism is not a new activity. Recall what you learned about imperialism in Social Studies 10-1; historically, nations have fought to expand their power and influence while others have battled to prevent this from happening.
The same was true during the Cold War.
Expansionism is not a new activity. Recall what you learned about imperialism in Social Studies 10-1; historically, nations have fought to expand their power and influence while others have battled to prevent this from happening.
The same was true during the Cold War.
The Marshall Plan
At the end of World War II, Europe lay in ruins. The cost of rebuilding it was enormous. The United States feared that poverty-stricken post-war Europe was vulnerable to communist takeover.In June 1947, US Secretary of State George Marshall announced the Marshall Plan, a European program of reconstruction with economic assistance from the United States. Under the plan, the United States provided aid to prevent starvation, repaired damaged areas, and began to rebuild the European economy. Aid under the Marshall Plan was offered to all European nations. To receive this aid, nations had to agree follow liberal economic principles, including deregulating prices, eliminating trade restrictions, and preventing the nationalization of industry. The Soviet Union refused any help.
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"What was the Marshall Plan?', History, You-tube
For an interesting overview of the Marshall Plan, look at this site designed to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary.
Truman Doctrine
The Marshall Plan had two goals: to contain the spread of communism in Western Europe and to stabilize the world according to liberal democratic principles. The Marshall Plan was one aspect of the Truman Doctrine, an American strategy under US president Harry Truman who, with others in his government, believed that the Soviet Union would continue to expand its territory. If one nation fell under communist control, others would fall like a row of dominoes. The fear of this domino effect led the United States to develop alliances with other nations and to establish economic and military policies of containment.
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"Cold War-Truman Doctrine, President Harry Truman Speaks on March 12th, 1947", Mat Shackleton, You-tube
Click image for larger view
While the Shadow Lengthens
© Edwin Marcus, 1948.
Courtesy U.S. Library of Congress
The 1948 cartoon shows western Europe under the looming shadow of the threatening Soviet Union, as symbolized by a bear while the Marshall Plan
off in the distance promises hope.© Edwin Marcus, 1948.
Courtesy U.S. Library of Congress
"The Cold War: Crash Course US History#37", CrashCourse, You-tube
The Soviet Response: Molotov Plan and COMECON Joseph Stalin saw the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine as an anti-communist maneuver. The Soviets established their own program of economic aid called the Molotov Plan and offered it to countries under its influence. The Molotov Plan included bilateral trade agreements with socialist countries such as Poland and East Germany. COMECON (the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance) was constructed to compete against the Marshall Plan. As a result, Europe was divided into two distinct spheres of influence, each dominated by one of the superpowers.
Read about Expansionism and Containment on pages 241 to 246 of your text, Perspectives on Ideology.
Literal Containment: The Berlin Wall
Berlin was finally divided with a wall in 1961. The Soviets erected the armed barrier as a way to stop East Berliners from crossing into the liberal West Berlin. A symbol of the ideological divide between communism and democratic capitalism, it
was literally torn down by Germans in November 1989.
""The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall"-Konrad H. Jarausch", TED-Ed, You-tube
Look at the maps below. Were Truman, Marshall, and other American leaders correct in their belief that the Soviets were expanding their sphere of influence?
Maps depicting Soviet and Communist influence around the world in 1920,
1940, 1950 and 1975 have been created by ADLC but Adapted from base map ©
Map Resources
Not all nations accepted communist control. Many countries tried to fight against the Soviets, but they were unsuccessful.
- Read about these liberation movements in "Breaking Free of the Iron Curtain" on pages 247 to 248 of your text, Perspectives on Ideology.
As you read about expansionism and containment, take notes on the following:
- Was it understandable why Stalin wanted to impose communism in Eastern Europe?
- How did the United States attempt to promote liberal principles in response?
As mentioned earlier in this section, the United States government attempted to contain and eliminate communist as an ideology within their own borders. To do so, the government embarked on an illiberal period called McCarthyism.
"Hunting the Communists!- Joseph McCarthy", It's History, You-tube