Why, how & with what results did USA establish a "sphere of influence" in Europe after 1945?

University Degree Historical and Philosophical studies

Manav Thakral

September 16, 2002

Period 3. I.B History

Why, how & with what results did USA establish a “sphere of influence” in Europe after 1945?

After World War II, two superpowers emerged. The result was a struggle for ideological, economic & military global supremacy between the USA and her allies & the U.S.S.R and her allies. The struggle, known as the Cold War was never a direct confrontation between the superpowers but rather a difference in ideology. Through the years, it became apparent that the Americanization of Western Europe opposed Sovietization of Eastern Europe. Both used spheres in order to maintain their supremacy.

The Iron Curtain Speech by Winston Churchill was a direct warning to the United States of a perceived threat. The threat referring to the communist movement and Soviet domination in Eastern Europe was bent on ‘indefinite expansion of their power and doctrines.’ He calls for a western alliance which would stand firm against them, further widening the rift between the East and West. Moreover, the defeat of Germany and the exhaustion of France and Great Britain in World War II created a power vacuum that was filled by the Red Army. America’s response was the ‘Declaration on Liberated Europe’ which did not promise a buffer zone because it allowed liberated countries to have free elections. If people elected parties which were unfriendly to the Soviet Union and its interests, it would be a hazard to Soviet Union’s main security goals. Thus, the United States used verbal refusal to the Sovietization of Eastern Europe without having the means to actually oppose it and the Soviet Union according to the orthodox aview, began their three stage pattern of conquest (coalition, persecution/elimination, single party state).

The introduction of the Deutschmark symbolizes the unification of Western Europe and its ideology. The three zones national currency represents a big leap forward for the United States and its allies because it further ties Western Europe and interests. Also note that along with the division of Germany and Berlin, it signifies the division of East and West Europe. In addition, by replacing the Mark which was suffering from inflation, it provided a catalyst to the booming economy of Western Germany and its surrounding area. As a result, Stalin knew that if East Germans realized that the standard of living ...

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The introduction of the Deutschmark symbolizes the unification of Western Europe and its ideology. The three zones national currency represents a big leap forward for the United States and its allies because it further ties Western Europe and interests. Also note that along with the division of Germany and Berlin, it signifies the division of East and West Europe. In addition, by replacing the Mark which was suffering from inflation, it provided a catalyst to the booming economy of Western Germany and its surrounding area. As a result, Stalin knew that if East Germans realized that the standard of living in the West improved, they might have doubts of their current communist government. So in an attempt to stop this ‘dangerous spread,’ Stalin initiated the Berlin blockade. This made matters worse for the Soviet Union, because as United States responded non-aggressively through the Berlin Blockade, it further tied Western Europe to Western Berlin.

The Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine were both attempts to contain the communism and its spread. The Truman Doctrine stated that the United States would help all free people fighting for their own destinies or against outside aggression. The most successful of which, was the blocking of Soviet ambitions in Turkey and the defeat of Greek communists in 1949. The Truman Doctrine, which became closely associated with Marshall Plan, made it clear that the US had no intention of returning to isolation. The Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine became the basic American foreign policy from 1947 to 1991. After World War II, Europe was shattered. Suffering from economic, political and social depravation, the Marshall Plan launched in 1947, was intended to maintain stability and to rebuild Europe. Reconstructing the infrastructure and economy of Europe, proved beneficial to the U.S for not only was it a long term investment to help the American economy by providing a market for U.S.A goods, but it also built close cooperation between the recipients of the Marshal Aid and the U.S. This new development of Western Sphere of influence could best be described when the British foreign secretary whispered to his American counterpart, “This really is the birth of the western bloc.”

After the Berlin Blockade, it was certain that the West could not counter the presence of the Red Army without co-ordination of their defenses. In 1949, the establishment of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as a defensive alliance between thirteen countries was seen as a specific guarantee against the expansion of Russian power. The countries led by the United States, agreed that an attack on any of them would constitute an attack on all of them. NATO is significant it is an attempt to reestablish defenses in a time of war. United States now, has direct capitalist allies if it is ever to be attack

In conclusion, one could easily presume that it was Stalin and Soviet Union’s actions that caused the Cold War. Ideology aside, one can also claim that Stalin was only acting in response to Western hostility. Nevertheless, in the midst of all the confusion and obvious mentions of Sovietization and its sphere of influence, the U.S in fact had created their own curtain. One with democratic interest that would serve the United State’s capitalist needs. A sphere that would guarantee protection of United States and its interests. A sphere that would protect the United States and its allies. In all, through the aid of Marshall Plan, the containment of the Truman Doctrine, the creation of the Deutschmark, the promise of coalition governments and the establishment of NATO, proved that United States themselves had established their own sphere of influence.