The Truman Doctrine became a declaration of the US’s commitment against tyranny and the juxtaposition of slavery and freedom. Under the Truman Doctrine, the US was prepared to assist any country that was, in the American view, threatened by a communist take-over.
To actually put the Truman Doctrine into play, the Marshall Plan had to be introduced. This was money that was available to all European countries willing to participate, but with strings attached. The Marshall Plan was put forward on 5 June 1947. Stalin viewed Marshall Aid with suspicion. After expressing some initial interest, he refused to have anything more to do with it.
The ‘security dilemma’ now being faced by the US, France and Britain was that these efforts to secure themselves were perceived in Moscow as threatening and proved to be a self-fulfilling prophecy for the USSR.
The reaction of the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan, led to the Soviet version in 1947: Cominform – where Stalin convinced communist countries not to take any aid from the West, as in due time, they would be victorious against them. Stalin believed that the anti-Communist aims behind the Marshall Aid would weaken his hold on eastern Europe. He also felt that the US was trying to dominate as many states as possible by making them dependent on dollars. One by one the USSR supervised European communist movements, from Prague in February 1948 to Hungary in August 1947 to Poland after January 1947, Stalin had consolidated hold in Eastern Europe. Such efforts were viewed in the West as evidence of Moscow’s plans for Soviet expansion, justifying to them the intentions behind the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan. By 1947 many in London and some in Washington feared Soviet power more than they did German.
Stalin then went on to allow the Berlin Blockade 1948, an attempt to stop the West from accessing its part of Berlin via land transportation. Stalin hoped that this way he could isolate a position of strength to negotiate from and simultaneously change West Germans opinion about the extent of the US’s will and ability to aid them. However, Truman did not back down. Adopting the British idea of an airlift, 2.3 million tons of goods to feed and provide Berlin were flown in from June 1948 to May 1949 when Stalin finally backed down. By this time Stalin realised his plan had backfired, bringing about the very things he sought to avert. West German opinion had consolidated against him.
The creation of NATO in April 1949 was a continuation of the Truman Doctrine, serving to ensure a stable, strong democracy in Europe. In conjunction with NATO other structures were born based on the experience of the Marshall Plan and, with US encouragement, the process of Europe’s assimilation began. It was amidst these political conditions that a West German state was founded in May 1949.
If the Cold War did not begin before the Truman Doctrine, it is likely the events after it were highly significant in causing friction or triggering an actual start. Traditional historians are of the view that the imposition of aggressive Soviet expansionism on an unwilling Eastern Europe catapulted the balance of power into a Cold war.
Revisionist historians argue that the Cold war was an inevitable result of conflicting American and Russian interests, that US policy of containment as expressed in the Truman Doctrine was at least equally responsible, if not more so, than Soviet seizure of Poland and other states.
In later years, however, a post-revisionist synthesis by historians dictates that the Cold war was caused by mutual misperception and heightened sensitivity after the Second World War that pushed each side to be defensive. They focus on shared responsibility between the leaders of the super powers.
On the one hand, Marshall Aid was an extremely generous act by the Americans; on the other hand it was also motivated by US self-interest. They wanted to create new markets for American goods. Remembering the disastrous effects of the Depression of the 1930s, Truman wanted to do all he could to prevent another worldwide slump. Yet the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan contributed to the collapse of the earlier Soviet policy of cooperation with the US.
Stalin felt that the US’s handling of western Germany was provocative. He could do nothing about the reorganization of the western zones, or the new currency, but he felt that he could stamp his authority on Berlin.
“We demonstrated to the people of Europe that we would act and act resolutely, when their freedom was threatened. Politically it brought the people of Western Europe closer to us. The Berlin Blockade was a move to test our ability and our will to resist,” Truman stated in 1949.
It is claimed that Truman’s style was too aggressive in comparison to Churchill’s attitude. While Churchill sought to integrate the USSR at Yalta in 1945, to unite them; Truman’s policy of containment proved only to antagonize the USSR and send them flying into responding hostility.
Truman too was too forthright compared to his predecessor Roosevelt, and some argue Truman only put into practice what was decided under Roosevelt.
Post-revisionist historians suppose that Truman acted thoughtfully in meeting what was understandably perceived to be a serious threat from a totalitarian communist regime that was ruthless at home and that might be threatening abroad. According to them the communists were not the root of the difficulties of Europe, but rather a consequence of the disruptive effects of the Second World War on the economic, political and social structure of Europe. After all, the USSR was equally deserving of aid because of their joint effort and losses in World War II. Nevertheless, it was a counteract-balance situation where if the West pushed, the USSR would counter. In addition to this, misperceptions were a feature of Cold War reasoning, and both sides underestimated the others’ genuine apprehension.
In conclusion, I feel that there have been many incidences that could have sparked off a war at any time, but the point is it did not. At this time, it wasn’t a Cold War as such, but more tension, and build up of future events to come. Each side expected a level of muscle flexing. At any time, threat of termination was countered with a defensive act that would ultimately lead back to the equilibrium that suited them both. However, I feel that it wasn’t until the development of the atomic bomb by the Russians in 1949 that lead to the beginnings of the Cold War. America no longer had the upper hand, and fear of ‘meeting their match’ may have been a short term cause for the declaration of the NSC-68, which took a more aggressive view on communism. It looked to ‘roll-back’ communism, ‘enforcing’ that they were successful. This in my opinion, is the beginning of the Cold War, and it was the Truman Doctrine (as well as other key events) that simply speeded up the arrival of the conflict in the 1940s.
