Student Question
What are the similarities and differences between the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, and why are they significant?
Quick answer:
The Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine were "two halves of the same walnut" because they functioned as a carrot and stick to oppose communism. The Marshall Plan, the carrot, poured billions of dollars into rebuilding capitalist economies in Europe after World War II. The Truman Doctrine, the stick, promised military support to countries opposing communism. This is connected to today because the US still uses economic aid and military might to promote capitalism.
In the Truman Doctrine, President Truman openly proclaimed in 1947 that the US would provide military aid to any country opposing communism. The Marshall Plan was a multi-billion dollar aid program financed by the United States that helped European nations rebuild after World War II. It aided participant nations for four years, from 1948–1952, and was specifically aimed at creating capitalist economies run according to US business principles.
In both these instances, the United States policy was tailored to contain communism. The Soviet Union credited the Truman Doctrine with beginning the Cold War.
The two strategies could be understood as "two halves of the same walnut" because they were the proverbial carrot and stick. The Marshall Plan was the carrot, inspiring European nations to join the capitalist world under American leadership with what might be understood as the "bribe" or incentive of a great deal of money. As most European...
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economies were devastated at the end of the war, the money was very difficult to resist.
The Truman Doctrine, on the other hand, was the stick meant to intimidate Soviet expansion plans by openly declaring that the US would use its military might to oppose the spread of communism. It also promised to put a stick into the hands of nations who wished to stand against the communist system.
These policies were important because they drew a line in the sand. The Soviets were already trying to polarize the world into two camps, communism or capitalist, and the United States joined the fight as the open champion of capitalist ideology. They connect to today because the United States continues to pursue a policy of tying economic aid to capitalist objectives and of using military might to oppose the spread of socialism or communism, especially in Latin American countries.
Why did President Truman call the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan "two halves of the same walnut"?
The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan represent two methods that the United States used to combat the spread of communism during the Cold War. In order to entice post-World War II Western Europe to embrace capitalism rather than communism, the United States employed the positive incentive of massive foreign aid to rebuild their economies. From 1948 through 1951, the United States provided over 12 billion dollars to the region and helped rebuild it into a place safe for democracy. The Truman Doctrine represents the other half of the country's foreign policy. It was a pledge to use military force if necessary to contain the spread of communism. This was most significantly employed in Korea in the early 1950s and again in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s.
This dual nature of Cold War policy does indeed remain relevant today. In order to forward its foreign policy agenda, the United States still provides billions of dollars a year in foreign aid. Just like with the Marshall Plan, providing large sums of money to help allied nations develop their economies and strengthen their militaries helps to ensure that these countries remain on friendly as well as beneficial terms with the United States. As a nation with a massive and advanced military, the United States also preserves aspects of the Truman Doctrine. In cases when foreign aid and other such incentives do not work, the United States still has a credible threat of using military force in order to achieve its goals overseas.