US Concerns About Communism During the Cold War
Why Was the USA So Worried About Communism?
Roosevelt and Stalin distrusted each other greatly. They had very different beliefs and ideas.
USA:
- Elections: Free democratic elections
- Industry: Capitalist, business and property were privately owned. The world’s healthiest country
- Individual Rights: Freedom from government control was more important than equality; individualism
- People’s Thoughts: Americans firmly believed that other countries should be run in the American way. Many Americans were bitterly opposed to communism.
USSR:
- Elections: One-party dictatorship. All candidates were from the Communist Party
- Industry: Owned by the state, had grown rapidly in the 1920s-30s. The standard of living was lower than in the USA; a communist state
- Individual Rights: Unemployment was rare, and extreme poverty was rarer than in the USA. The rights of individuals were seen as less important than the good of society. Individual lives were tightly controlled
- People’s Thoughts: Soviet leaders believed that other countries should be run in the Communist way. Many people in the USSR were bitterly opposed to capitalism.
The Reaction of the West to Stalin’s Power
The Western powers were alarmed by Stalin’s takeover of Eastern Europe. They agreed that Eastern Europe would be “a Soviet sphere of influence” and that Stalin would heavily influence this region. Stalin saw his policy in Eastern Europe as making himself secure, but Truman could only see the spread of communism. By 1948, Greece and Czechoslovakia were the only Eastern European countries not controlled by communist governments; even Italy and France were vulnerable to communist takeover.
Greece
When the Germans retreated from Greece in 1944, there were two rival groups: the monarchists and the Communists, who wanted to rule the country. The Communists wanted Greece to be a Soviet republic. The monarchists wanted the return of the king of Greece. The British supported the monarchists, and the king returned to power. In 1946, Communists tried to take control of Greece by force. A civil war quickly developed. The British could not afford the cost of such a war. Truman stepped in. By 1950, the royalists were in control of Greece.
The Truman Doctrine
Under the Truman Doctrine, the USA prepared to send money, equipment, and advice to any country which, in the American view, was threatened by a communist takeover.
Containment
American policy whose purpose was to stop Communism from spreading any further.
Marshall Aid
An American initiative to help Western Europe economically with $17 billion. Europe had a ruined economy. The countries of Europe owed $11 billion to the USA. Churchill described Europe as a rubble heap, a breeding ground of hate. Marshall suggested that about $17 billion would be needed to rebuild Europe’s prosperity. In December 1947, Truman put his plan to Congress; for some time, Congress refused to grant this money. Many Americans were concerned by Truman’s involvement in foreign affairs and because it was a lot of money.