American Soviet Relations during Truman Presidency

598 Words3 Pages
At the death of President Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman proudly and boldly took charge of office. Spending almost nine full years in office, Truman would come face to face with many problems in both foreign and domestic affairs. Although he made many changes at home in reinforcing New Deal policies and guiding the American Economy, the international policies specifically towards the Soviet Union would prove to become staples of American foreign policy for generations. As the Cold War began to emerge, American-Soviet relations began to heed a strong tension. Particularly the impact of both the Marshall Plan and the Berlin Blockade played a major role in the two nation’s relationship. This impact that was caused by the Marshall Plan and Berlin Blockade would further brew up the flaming tensions between two of the most powerful nations of that time. The Marshall Plan also known as the European recovery program was a way to foster the European economy after World War II. It was an organized way for European countries to decide what economical support they needed so that the United States would be able to provide it in the most effective way. When Truman signed the Act he made the Economic Cooperation Administration administer it. The major role of the Act would be to promote European production, to bolster European currency, and to facilitate international trade. Furthermore the Act would serve to “contain” Soviet influences in the form of Communist parties in countries such as Czechoslovakia, France, and Italy. The Mutual Security Agency took over the activities of the ECA in 1951. Through the program more than $12 billion was dispersed. Although the Marshall Plan was able to greatly contribute to the economic recovery of Europe, the Soviet Union strongly opposed the Plan from the very beginning. The Berlin blockade also had a great impact on American-Soviet
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