To what extent was the USA successful in

containing Communism in Europe 1947-

1949?

Javier Cuevillas

5B
Javier Cuevillas

In the period between 1947 and 1949, the USA had some opportunities to stop Communism

from its spread. It can be said they succeeded in some but not in others. Despite these few failures

their successes were going to be very important not only for Europe but to the world.

The terms success and failure are used because in 1947 Harry S. Truman, president of the

United States, decided to drop the traditional policy of isolation, and to begin a policy of

containment of Communism, due to the number of Eastern European countries which were

taken by the communists. The most important failure of this policy may be the Czechoslovakian

Coup in February 1948. Stalin made non-communist members of the Czechoslovak coalition

government resign. After this, the Czech Communist Party leader demanded the formation of a

Communist- led government. Under pressure from Moscow and some armed interventions, the

Czech president, agreed. Two weeks later, the Czech foreign Minister, was found dead, in

suspicious circumstances. President Truman called the events in Czechoslovakia a coup. He also

said that through the cynical application of force the Soviets had sent shock waves throughout

the civilized world. But did nothing more than that; he just looked how the communists took over

Czechoslovakia.

Despite the way the Americans acted during the events in Czechoslovakia, they managed to

control the spreading of Communism quite well after this. In 1947 the US Secretary of State,

General George Marshall, elaborated the Marshall Plan, a four-year aid programme which

consisted in redistributing $ 17 billion between the applicant European countries. The aim was to

revive the doomed European economies to safeguard the future of the US economy and to keep

social and political stability in Europe; this would bring down support for Communism in Western

Europe. Marshall Plan also allowed the USA to see the financial records of applicant countries.
Javier Cuevillas

However, the US Congress did not pass the Plan until 1948 because of the huge amount of money

needed. Truman used the events in Czechoslovakia to push the bill through.

The Berlin Blockade in 1948 brought a new challenge for the Americans. As agreed in the

post-war conferences, Berlin was divided into four zones. The problem for the Western Powers

was that Berlin was located deep into the Soviet occupation zone. West Germans in Berlin

received their food and energy supplies from the West, which were transported along road, rail

and air corridors. In response to the introduction of a new currency in West Germany, Stalin

began the total blockade of West Berlin on 23-24 June 1948 by closing the roads, railways and

waterways linking West Germany to West Berlin. Stalin hoped that by this he would stop the

formation of an independent state of West Germany. He also hoped Berlin would become a united

and communist city. The West did not tried to defeat the blockade by force, but rather supplied

Berlin from the air. By 1949, it was clear that Stalins gamble was failing and he lifted the blockade

in May. This was a clear success for the USA because they stopped the advance of Communism,

and they did so by peaceful ways.

Leaving aside the unfortunate case of Czechoslovakia, the USA was certainly successful in

controlling the advance of Communism from 1947 to 1949. Whether if the means were the right

ones or not is to be discussed but it is true that history would have been different without the US

containment policy.