"Empty talk and fantasy cannot resist the cruelty of reality. "In June 1947, when the Marshall Plan was officially launched, Soviet diplomat Molotov pointed out without mercy.
In Molotov's view, the Marshall Plan seemed like a hopeless gamble. However, this plan, which was considered "impossible to succeed", proved to be a miracle in the history of human diplomatic strategy.
It not only maintained the prosperity of the United States and achieved the revival of Europe, but also dragged the Soviet Union, which was supposed to recuperate, into the Cold War, and never had a chance to turn over.
So, what are the underlying reasons behind the Marshall Plan? Why did the Soviet Union come under pressure because of this? On June 5, 1947, the summer breeze blew on the campus of Harvard University, and the graduation ceremony was held as scheduled.
At this graduation ceremony, Marshall, a former five-star general in the United States and now the current secretary of state, officially launched the "Aid to Europe Recovery Program", which is also known as the "Marshall Plan".
Throughout his speech, Marshall emphasized that aiding Europe's revival was the key to "seizing Europe, the center of global strategy." At that time, the world, except for the United States, was having a very difficult time.
The blows of World War II turned Europe from prosperity to ruin, with cities devastated and rural fields deserted and factories silent with no sign of construction.
At the end of 1946, a once-in-a-century cold struck Europe, and under natural and man-made disasters, the people of Western Europe were hungry and cold, and countless people died of hunger and freezing. In January of the following year, Britain, the former leader of Western Europe, was the first to find it untenable, cutting the coal ration in half for all parts of the country.
Coal is not only the key to heating and starting the steam train, but also a necessity for factory production. However, the United Kingdom** remained resolute in cutting the use of coal, suggesting that "Britain is in an extremely dangerous situation".
The former European powers were in trouble: after the fall of England, France was also in a state of decline. France was once known for its agriculture, but in 1947 the annual production of wheat plummeted by 3.2 million mu, equivalent to 12 years of food for one million people.
Germany was no less immune, with production levels falling below 30 percent in the first two months of 1947, even below the levels of some African countries. In Berlin, cigarettes have replaced money as real "money", and as long as there are cigarettes, almost anything can be bought.
This was the harsh reality in Europe at the time.
Britain, France and Germany, the three most powerful European countries, are not doing well economically, and other countries are even worse. Western Europe is in deep trouble, but it cannot "sit still", but in order to revive the economy, it needs to buy supplies from other countries.
At that time, the only one that could provide assistance was the United States. After the end of World War II and before the official implementation of the Marshall Plan, Western Europe borrowed a total of $7.5 billion from the United States, which was a huge amount of money and caused a headache for the United States.
Because the loan was like water spilled out, the economy of Western Europe did not improve significantly after receiving the bailout, and even came to the brink of collapse. How is the United States good?
On the one hand, if Europe's economy continues to be sluggish, the $7.5 billion loan may really be lost, and not a single cent will be recovered. If the United States continues to aid Europe and give its economy some improvement, it will be possible to recover the loans, even if only a small part.
The economic crisis in various parts of Western Europe triggered political turmoil, which became implemented by the United States"The Marshall Plan"The main reason. At that time, the European people were dissatisfied with ** due to economic difficulties, which led to continuous riots in various places.
However, the European bourgeoisie ** also lacked funds, and they began to turn to the Communist Party for help, hoping to rely on other parties to stabilize the situation. Thus, in the early years after the end of World War II, the influence of the Communist Party gradually increased in Western European countries.
In April 1947, Renault car workers in France went on strike under the leadership of the Communist Party, followed by other countries such as Italy. Under the impetus of the workers' movement, the communist parties of all countries almost all controlled the key sectors of the country, and the position of the bourgeois parties became precarious.
The United States was very concerned about the situation, and Marshall was even worried"The communist parties of Western Europe joined forces with the Soviet Union to seize power"。
Marshall knew that in order to prevent the expansion of communism, it was necessary to revitalize the economy of Western Europe. However, he could not directly say that the Marshall Plan was intended to confront the Communists.
So, at the commencement ceremony of Harvard University, he used the phrase "the United States should do everything in its power to help restore economic order to the world" and announced that he would continue to provide financial assistance to Western European countries.
With the introduction of the Marshall Plan, the inevitable confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union and the ** of the two camps appeared. For Western European countries, the Marshall Plan was like a rain shower after a long drought, bringing hope.
After hearing about Marshall's speech, British Foreign Secretary Bevin sang the praises of Marshall's achievements with great praise: "Although it used to be said that American English is not as mellow as that of the British, Mr. Marshall's words are unique, and he has brought about the greatest speech in history with the most inspiring words!" ”
Bevin not only praised Marshall's speaking skills and plans, but also expressed his appreciation for him in novel ways.
Vincent Oriol was a Frenchman at the time, and he decided to go all out to support the American plan. He expressed his determination with three "without hesitation": "The French people will immediately accept the revival plan to aid Europe; The French team will make every effort to promote the smooth progress of the plan; France will strongly support the decision of the United States. ”
These analogies read powerfully and give a sense of the French people's desire for assistance. In June 1947, Britain and France met in Paris, and they invited the Soviet Union to join the "Marshall Plan".
Although Britain and France were very eager, the attitude of the Soviet Union was somewhat ambiguous, and although they accepted the invitation, they never took practical action.
Despite the fact that the Soviets were living in the same poverty, they did not make it clear whether they would participate in the program. Obviously, the Americans did not want the USSR to get involved. As for Britain and France, what they think is unknown.
In late June, the representatives of the three countries met, but in the end they broke up. At the meeting, the words of Soviet diplomat Molotov were full of questions: "Will the United States really devote itself to a plan that benefits Europe?" ”
Won't the United States use this plan to interfere in the internal affairs of Western European countries? "I was concerned that receiving aid from the Marshall Plan would lead the Soviet Union away from socialism. "The whole meeting was full of bickering, the three languages were intertwined, and the translators were busy.
Molotov held out for three days, and together with Eastern Europe, resolutely resisted the aid of the Marshall Plan. In the economic situation at the time, Molotov's rejection of the Marshall Plan may have been unwise.
The economic situation of the USSR was not much stronger than that of Britain and France. However, over the next four years, the US Congress provided 131 to Western Europe$500 million, 90% of which is free.
If the Soviet Union could benefit from this, it could accelerate the pace of domestic industrialization. However, judging by the political landscape at the time, a tough refusal was sensible. As a member of the socialist camp, accepting funds from the "boss" of the capitalist camp is a huge blow to the entire socialist camp.
Therefore, in that era, Molotov's decision was impeccable. However, as the plan progressed, the Marshall Plan gradually revealed its bad side, and the Soviet Union fell into chaos as a result.
The success of the Marshall Plan exceeded the expectations of the Soviet Union, and in just a few years, the economy of Western Europe recovered rapidly, and the foreign world continued to grow. In 1952, the fourth year of the Marshall Plan, the total industrial output of Western Europe had already exceeded the total industrial output before the war.
After another three years, Western Europe's industrial output even lagged behind that of the United States. The economic recovery made the politics of Western Europe more stable, which was a disaster for the Soviet Union, which wanted to control Western Europe.
The power of the bourgeoisie gradually increased, the communist parties in France and Italy almost disappeared, and the Soviet Union almost lost its influence in Western Europe. At the same time, as aid progressed, the countries of Western Europe became dependent on the United States, and Western Europe and the United States were closely linked, and the leadership of the United States in the capitalist world could not be shaken.
The United States in the '50s was already quite prosperous, but it is incredible that the United States provided only a fraction of the aid money in the Marshall Plan compared to the country's gross domestic product.
In 1946, the gross national product of the United States was more than $200 billion, and the Marshall Plan accounted for only 6 percent of that amount. As the American scholar Spanier put it"The United States has consolidated its position in the bourgeoisie at a very small cost. And this money is even less than what Americans spend on alcohol. "
However, it was this insignificant sum of money that almost completely curbed the development of the USSR. In the early days of the Cold War, the Soviet Union's general strategy was to "ensure security," while the Marshall Plan proposed by the United States clearly had the connotation of "expansion."
The ** who made the plan argued that the USSR had always claimed to be a European country, and if the USSR refused to accept the Marshall Plan, then the USSR could be given a "**European" responsibility.
The Marshall Plan appeared to be an economic aid to the Soviet Union, but in fact it was a hidden murderous motive. The United States attempted to divide the Soviet Union's influence in Eastern Europe and to turn Eastern European countries to the United States.
The Soviets signed in a panic"Molotov plan", signed hundreds of agreements with Bulgaria, Hungary and other countries. From now on,"Molotov plan"It is undoubtedly the beginning of the Soviet Union's own grave digging, which made these countries completely dependent on the Soviet Union for their living needs, and economic exchanges with the outside world were almost zero. "
Molotov plan"It marked the culmination of the Cold War and eventually the formation of a bipolar pattern.
However, the disparity in economic power between the Soviet Union and Europe and the United States made them overly aggressive in the implementation of the "Molotov Plan", which deeply traumatized the Soviet economy and laid the hidden danger for its future disintegration.
The implementation of the Marshall Plan brought almost all of Western Europe under the control of the United States, and the United States seized the opportunity to establish a NATO military organization, and the spearhead was directed at the Soviet Union. During the decades-long Cold War, the United States, with its unparalleled economic strength and huge political influence, carried out all-round containment of the countries of the socialist camp led by the Soviet Union.
In order to confront the Soviet Union, it had to invest a large amount of manpower, material resources, and financial resources in military construction, which eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. From the perspective of the history of human development, the Marshall Plan is undoubtedly one of the most successful economic programs in diplomatic strategy.
By sending surplus domestic grain and industrial equipment to Western Europe, the United States not only solved the problem of overcapacity, but also achieved sustained economic prosperity. And this economic means has also enabled the shrewd United States to achieve multifaceted political goals.
Communism, which had been rooted on the European continent for a hundred years, was uprooted, the rule of the bourgeoisie was consolidated, and the United States officially became the leader of the capitalist world.
However, the Marshall Plan was a hypocritical slogan. Although it is under the banner of "keeping peace" and "fighting poverty", it does not invest money in the poorest regions of the world, but helps those front-line countries in the fight against communism.
How can this not be seen as deception? At the same time, the Soviet Union was dragged into the whirlpool of the Cold War, missing the best opportunity to recuperate and recuperate, and could only contend with a powerful opponent at all times.