The Iron Curtain and Containment IB History of the Americas

The Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the symbolic, ideological, and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991

The Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain took the shape of border defenses between the countries of Western and Eastern Europe, most notably the Berlin Wall, which served as a longtime symbol of the Curtain altogether.

Who came up with it? The term was first used by Nazi Germany's Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, in a manifesto he published in the German newspaper Das Reich in February 1945, but was popularized by Winston Churchill's "Sinews of Peace" speech of March 5,1946

Greece?? Though you may not consider Greece being involved in the question of Communism or in the idea of the Cold War, they were very much affected.

Greece’s Role During WWII, Greece was invaded by both Italy and Germany, but resistance fighters (many of them Communists) combated the invaders. Stalin promised Churchill that Greece was within the British sphere of influence and he would not support the Greek Communists.

Did Stalin keep his word? Churchill was determined to restore the monarchy in Greece, so he sent British troops, which led to a civil war between the Royalist and Communist extremists. Americans believed, wrongly, that Stalin was secretly supplying the Greek Communists. In reality, Tito, from Yugoslavia was the one supplying the communists in Greece.

The Truman Doctrine March 12, 1947 Speech that became known as the Truman doctrine. Truman mapped out the realities of the world after WWII. He explained that the US should help any country that was threatened by Communism The only choice is between “democracy” and “totalitarianism” Idea of Containment

Containment The idea of holding back the spread of Communism This was the first time the American Public heard of this idea of “containment” Americans at this point were not too happy about an anti-communist crusade Truman had to convince Americans that the threat from Soviets was real and increasing Used terms “good v. evil”

What did the Truman Doctrine Imply? His speech meant that the US was ready to take a major part in world affairs, and send money, weapons and advisors to any country in the world that felt threatened by Communism He didn’t plan on sending troops but rather tackling the problem at the roots He saw misery and poverty nurturing the seeds of Communism Truman believed that if he used the wealth of the US to help Europe recover and regain prosperity, fewer countries would be tempted by Communism.

America’s Response Britain decided to withdraw troops end aid in Greece This left it up to Americans to restore democracy in Greece. Analogy of the Barrel of Apples Congress gave support of Truman in giving $400 million to Greece and Turkey.

The Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan was a program announced by General George Marshall in June of 1947 It was a program of aid to war-torn Europe to re-equip its factories and revive agriculture and trade This aid took the form of money, equipment, food, and technical assistance

Europe’s Reaction European leaders confronted with economic hardships and no resources were in no position to say no They quickly accepted. The USSR rejected it, but that was no surprise Stalin refused to allow any eastern European countries to accept the Marshal Plan, even if they wanted it

USSR v. US Truman saw the Marshall Plan as one of America’s greatest contributions to world peace The Soviets saw it as aiming to unite countries against Communism Russia’s reply: Create the Cominform: an attempt to consolidate control over the Soviet satellites and bring conformity to Eastern bloc

The Marshall Plan in Action In April 1948, the US Congress allocated $5.3 billion to implement the Marshall Plan. By the time the plan had come to an end in 1951, over $13 billion had been spent and this money had enabled European countries to develop their economies and improve their standards of living

Two sides to every story… One Side: “The most unselfish act by any great power in history” –Winston Churchill on the Marshall Plan Another Side: It also protected American interests Enabled the US to dominate Europe economically Often it was given in the form of goods which allowed the US to control its use better than giving dollars