HIS377H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: X Article, Marshall Plan, Economic Reconstruction
Document Summary
The specter of communism : harry s. truman & the origins of the cold war. How do we account for the unmaking of the grand alliance and the making of the cold. What were the basic elements of truman"s foreign policy. "never been spoken to like this before" - destroyed cordial relationship. Assure that us could maintain their position in eastern europe. Devastation (as opportunity) & major changes on international system: The lessons of the great depression & munich. Desire to preserve its national identity (avoid "garrison state") Opportunity to reconstruct world along american image (make it safer) Belief that communism was monolithic (combined with pre-existing anti-communism) Firm conviction that the resources of europe should not be controlled by a preponderant power. The europeans even more strongly than most others attempted to influence the. Americans in the direction of taking greater, not lesser, interest in their affairs. Europeans invited us military (nato), political, economic (marshall plan), and cultural influence.
