Hist 3.0 PDF - Post-War European Reconstruction

# The reconstruction of Europe after the War. The role of UNRRA, the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine ## Subsection 21 The world after World War II ## Key Concepts: - Marshall Plan - UNRRA - Truman Doctrine The Second World War had caused great losses to all the peoples of Europe. The most i...

# The reconstruction of Europe after the War. The role of UNRRA, the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine ## Subsection 21 The world after World War II ## Key Concepts: - Marshall Plan - UNRRA - Truman Doctrine The Second World War had caused great losses to all the peoples of Europe. The most important states of the United Nations Alliance helped Europe to face the difficulties. In about 5 years, all European countries were reorganized and life normalized. In Eastern Europe a Socialist Bloc consisting of Moscow's satellite states was formed. The Truman Doctrine offered the US the ability to defend freedom and democracy in countries outside Moscow's influence. ## Economic reconstruction and the Marshall Plan After the war, Europe experienced difficult situations, which it quickly overcame. The main contributing factors were: 1. Internal factors. The people with will and self-sacrifice worked hard for the reconstruction of their countries. All social classes and political parties devoted themselves indiscriminately to the reconstruction of their country's economy. Roads, bridges, houses were rebuilt, and industry and agriculture were restored to operation and productivity. Science and technology also contributed to this remarkable transformation, the effectiveness of which had been during the years of the War. 2. External factors. The rich countries that did not suffer much damage, mainly the USA, contributed to the reconstruction of post-war Europe. The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, or as it is more commonly known UNRRA, was established. The USA played a dominant role. It was established in 1943, and ceased operations in 1947. Its purpose was to distribute necessary materials to deal with the emergency situation in areas such as: feeding, fuel, clothing, providing shelter and other basic needs, such as medical care and other services. Important in the reconstruction of the destroyed Europe was the role of the Marshall Plan of the USA, which provided for the financial support of the states of Europe. This intervention by the USA was simultaneously aimed at neutralizing the communist influence of S. Union in Western countries which they considered a danger to the interests of the United States. For this reason only the democratic countries of the West benefited from the Marshall Plan. ## Eastern Europe, the bloc of socialist countries After World War II the situation in Eastern Europe was not completely stable. Communist regimes were immediately established only in Albania and Yugoslavia. Coalition governments were formed in many countries such as Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. The civil war had broken out in Greece, 1946-1949, which ended with the defeat of the communists. In the first post-war elections, the communist parties failed to come to power. In countries like Poland, Czechoslovakia, the sudden death of President Roosevelt. In Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, the Communists came to power with the help of the Soviet Army, which, after the advance against the Nazi forces and the end of the War, continued to remain in their territories. In these countries the communist parties established the dictatorship covered with a democratic veil. They called their countries "people's democracies", implying that their countries were ruled by the people. In essence, all individual liberties and rights were abolished and violated. In this way, the political regime in the eastern countries was formed, which was a consequence of the decisions of Yalta and Potsdam, which predicted the Soviet influence in these countries after the war. The Eastern Bloc was thus established of socialist countries. ## The Truman Doctrine The "policy of the United States to support free peoples who resist the attempt to enslave them by armed minorities or by external pressures", bearing in mind here the S. Association. Addressing Congress on March 12, 1947, he pledged that the US would provide bold economic and military assistance to European countries to prevent them from falling into Moscow's sphere. One of the countries that President Truman was referring to was Greece, which was then experiencing the height of the civil war. Concerned about the possible expansion of the Eastern Bloc towards the West, the USA, through the Truman Doctrine, would intervene to defend freedom and democracy in the countries of Western Europe. Historians consider the Truman Doctrine to be the beginning of the Cold War and the beginning of the policy of "Containment" that is to say, the containment of Soviet expansion. ## Check - Think - Interpret - Investigate Conclude **Check your Knowledge** 1. Timeline. Fill in the blanks - the Truman Doctrine 2. Talk about the economic reconstruction plan for Europe after World War II. 3. Describe the unstable political situation in Eastern Europe after World War II. Think - Interpret - Research 1. Analyze the role of UNRRA, the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine in the reconstruction of Europe. 2. Interpret the phrases: "ships of friendship and aid to free peoples." 3. Evaluate: - Why should the Marshall Plan have prevented the spread of communism in the West? - Is the Marshall Plan a missed opportunity for Europe? **Investigate - Infer** Gather facts about the economic programs that benefited Greece and Albania and make a summary.