Marshall Plan
Harry S Truman was
the 33rd American President who served in office from April 12, 1945 to January 20, 1953. One of the important events during his presidency was the Marshall Plan.
What was
the Marshall Plan? Marshall Plan Facts
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The following fact
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facts on Marshall Plan for kids.
Marshall Plan
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Marshall Plan
Facts - 1: The Marshall Plan
was named for United States Secretary of State George
Marshall. It was largely the creation of State
Department officials, especially George F. Kennan and
William L. Clayton.
Marshall Plan
Facts - 2: After World War 2 the United
States had become increasingly alarmed at the rising power of the
USSR and the spread of Communism in the 'Satellite Nations' behind
the Iron Curtain.
Marshall Plan
Facts - 3: President Harry
Truman made a speech to Congress on March 27, 1947 that
became known as the
Truman Doctrine. His
speech was in response to the Turkish Straits crisis and
Greek Civil War (1946–1949) in which Communist rebels
were only prevented from taking over the country by the
British Army. Truman was also a proponent of the
Domino Theory.
Marshall Plan
Facts - 4: The British, devastated by the
destruction caused to the country in WW2, could no longer afford the
expense of providing military aid. President Truman stated in his
speech that it was the duty of the United States to provide aid to
worn-torn countries and to quash the communist aggression in Turkey
and Greece.
Marshall Plan
Facts - 5: The Truman Doctrine advocated the
policy of Containment that was aimed at restricting USSR
expansion by keeping communism within its present
territory by diplomatic, military and economic actions.
Marshall Plan
Facts - 6: In June 1947, George Marshall went to
Europe. Most major European cities had been badly
damaged by the bombing during WW2 and lay in ruins.
Millions were homeless. Roads, railways and bridges had
been destroyed. Industrial production was hard hit as
was agriculture which had led to serious food shortages.
Marshall Plan
Facts - 7: On June 5, 1947 George Marshall gave a speech to
the graduating class of Harvard University in which he stated that
the US government was prepared to contribute to European recovery.
Marshall Plan
Facts - 8: The Marshall Plan called for the
Europeans to meet and create their own plan for
rebuilding Europe, and that the United States would then
fund this plan.
Marshall Plan
Facts - 9: Marshall's speech had deliberately
included an invitation to the Soviets to attend the
meeting, as excluding them would have been a clear a
sign of distrust and inflame the already growing
tensions of the Cold War. The invitation was purely
diplomatic, he knew that the Russians would decline to
participate
Marshall Plan
Facts - 10: The Marshall Plan had a low profile
in America but received considerable publicity in
Europe. The British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin
contacted French Foreign Minister Georges Bidault to
begin preparing a European response to the US offer.
Continued...
Marshall Plan
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What was the Marshall Plan?
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Marshall Plan
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Marshall Plan
Facts - 11: The USSR, also playing the diplomatic
game, sent the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav
Molotov to Paris to meet with Bevin and Bidault. The
French and the British put forward plans for the
creation of a unified European economy. The idea was
completely incompatible with the strict Soviet economic
policies. Vyacheslav Molotov left Paris, totally
rejecting the plan.
Marshall Plan
Facts - 12: The Soviet press claimed that the
Marshall Plan was an American-run program and denigrated
the idea as "a plan for interference in the domestic
affairs of other countries".
Marshall Plan
Facts - 13:
The USSR and the 'Satellite Nations' of Eastern Europe
established their own economic program called Comecon.
Marshall Plan
Facts - 14: On July 12, 1947 a larger meeting was
convened in Paris with nearly every country of Europe
invited. Sixteen countries accepted the invitation and
the process of long and complex negotiations began.
Marshall Plan
Facts - 15: The 16 countries that signed up to
the Marshall Plan were Austria, Belgium, Denmark,
France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Marshall Plan
Facts - 16: As a result of the reconstruction meeting and
negotiations the 16 European countries sent a reconstruction plan to
Washington asking for $22 billion in aid.
Marshall Plan
Facts - 17: President Truman cut this to $17 billion in the
bill he put to Congress but further cuts were made. The initial aid
was for $5 billion but Congress would eventually donate $12.4
billion over the four years of the Marshall Plan.
Marshall Plan
Facts - 18: 70% of the money was used to buy commodities from
suppliers in the United States. $3.2 billion was spent on food
and fertilizers, $3.5 billion was spent on raw materials, $1.9
billion was spent on machinery and vehicles and $1.6 billion was
spent on fuel.
Marshall Plan
Facts - 19: President Truman signed the Marshall
Plan into law on April 3, 1948 covering foreign aid and
created the Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA) to
manage the Marshall Plan.
Marshall Plan
Facts - 20: The Marshall Plan ended in 1951, as
originally scheduled. The program was not extended due
to the entry of the United States into the
Korean War in 1950
Marshall Plan
Facts for kids
The Marshall Plan:
President Harry Truman Video
The article on the
Marshall Plan provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 33rd American President whose presidency spanned from April 12, 1945 to January 20, 1953.
Marshall Plan
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Interesting Facts about Marshall Plan for kids and schools
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Summary and Definition of the Marshall Plan in US history
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Facts with important dates and key
events
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Facts with important dates and key
events
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Fast, fun, interesting
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Foreign & Domestic
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