The Iron Curtain Speech and The Marshall Plan

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses and analyzes Winston Churchill's famous 1946 speech referring to Russia's power and the Iron Curtain. The paper then goes on to analyze the Marshall Plan of 1947, in which George Marshall's primary intent (on behalf of Harry Truman) was economic in nature with the focus being on the restructuring and rebuilding of Europe by means of financial aid and assistance. The paper compares and contrasts the intent and outcome of the two speeches.

Table of Contents:
Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech, 1946
The Marshall Plan, 1947
Analysis and Contrast

From the Paper:

"Many analysts have viewed the Iron Curtain speech of Winston Churchill during post war era as an evident form of warmongering. He made assumptions and pre-conclusive statements about a cold war that might happen between the US and its allies against communist Russia and it did. Even at the time when he was no longer the Prime minister of the UK, Churchill is still being revered by nations as an influential figure in the post war era. His thoughts and presumptions were in his accustomed ruthless statement of reality. The "Iron Curtain" speech gave Stalin a pretext for mobilizing the Soviet people against their former allies (Vladislov Suvok, Inside Kremlin's Cold War). Churchill's statements in the Iron Curtain speech speaks of his influence among nations and must have preceded policies integrated in US' Marshall Plan in accordance to the containment of Russian power and Communism in Europe. Analyzing both circumstances, should there have been no Iron Curtain Speech lay the possibility that Russian people would still be induced to the idea that the US and other European countries, beyond the borders of communist ideology would still be considered an ally of Russia. And that the US with its initial reluctance to believe the conclusion of Churchill might still consider other means in resolving issues of power containment of Russia in Europe."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Winston S. Churchill: Iron Curtain Speech, March 5, 1946; Modern History Sourcebook; Extracted; April 23, 2006; Website; http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/churchill-iron.html
• The Marshall Plan, 1947; Modern History Sourcebook; Extracted April, 23, 2006; Website; http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1947marshallplan1.html
• Churchill Speech A Lesson for the Present (2006) William Horsley, BBC (2006); Extracted; April 23, 2006 ; Website ; http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4776444.stm
• Stalin Used Churchill Speech...(2002) Vladimir Zubok, Inside Kremlin's Cold War; Extracted April 23, 2006; Website ; http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/episodes/02/reflections/
• The Marshall Plan Myth( 1997) Jeffrey Tucker, The Free Market (1997) Extracted; April 23, 2006; Website ; http://www.mises.org/freemarket_detail.asp?control=120

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