In the devastated aftermath of
World War II, as Soviet Russia pursued its steadily advancing expansionist
policies, the United States emerged on the historical stage as the greatest
superpower representing the Western Bloc.
In this
section, we will quickly recap the historic moves the US put into play to break
the Soviet influence in Europe and rebuild the continent under its wings;
starting with the Truman
Doctrine, the Marshall Plan,
the Western European Union,
and undoubtedly the strongest military shield of all, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).
Subsequently, we will cover the critical integration steps that laid the
foundations of modern Europe, such as the Council of Europe, the European Coal and Steel Community (Schuman Plan),
and the European Economic
Community (EEC).
The Truman Doctrine (1947)
The first
major step in the construction of the Western Bloc, the Truman Doctrine, was shaped
around a historic memorandum presented by Great Britain. When Britain announced
that it could no longer afford to support its allies in the Mediterranean, an
urgent plan was drafted in 1947 by US President Harry S. Truman to counter the
threat of Soviet Russia.
The primary
goal of this doctrine was to enable America to provide direct financial and military
aid to states under the “threat of communism.” However, this plan held a much
greater significance in political history: with this move, the US was
permanently abandoning the famous Monroe Doctrine of isolationism it had
maintained since 1823. The first and most crucial
testing ground for this plan was Greece (and, of course, Turkey). A massive aid
package, $300 million for Greece, which was grappling with a civil war and the
risk of falling to communists, and $100 million for Turkey, which was feeling
the breath of Soviet pressure over the Straits, was provided to build a
military and economic barricade against Soviet expansionism.
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| Joseph Stalin, Harry S. Truman, and Winston Churchill in Potsdam, July 1945 |
The Marshall Plan (1948)
We have
now come to that famous term we all frequently encounter on the internet, in
documentaries, or history books, but often do not fully understand the details
of: The Marshall Plan.
Prepared
by then-US Secretary of State George C. Marshall following World War II, this
massive program aimed to provide financial aid to European countries to help
them get back on their feet. Enacted in 1948, this plan essentially had two
complementary main objectives:
To repair the ruined
economies of European nations and ensure their development through external
aid.
To build a definitive
barrier against the spread of communism in Western Europe, which fed on poverty
and despair.
Under the
Marshall aid spanning a four-year period, a massive fund totalling $11.4 billion was transferred to
16 European countries, including Türkiye. The countries taking the biggest share
of this pie were Britain, France, West Germany, and Italy, proportional to the
size of their economies. Furthermore, the US did not just hand out the money
and step aside; it required European countries to cooperate and manage these
funds jointly. To this end, the Organization for European Economic
Cooperation (OEEC) was established, planting the very first seeds of
economic integration for what is today the European Union.
The Continent’s First Military Shield: The Western European Union (1948)
Economic
development was vital, but an unarmed Europe could never be safe from Soviet
tanks. Realizing this reality, Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and
Luxembourg came together on March 17, 1948, to establish the Western
European Union. This alliance went down in history as the first military
precaution taken on the European continent by their own initiative against
the Soviet threat, serving as a direct precursor to the soon-to-be-established
NATO.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization. (NATO 1949)
Now we come to the most
important part, that massive military alliance which remains at the very centre
of almost every global political crisis and debate even today: NATO
During the founding phase, the
US had to overcome a legal hurdle to join a military alliance in Europe during
peacetime. This is where the historic resolution drafted by Senator Arthur
Vandenberg came into play. Once the US Senate authorized participation in
“regional partnerships” concerning America’s security and based on mutual aid,
the threshold was crossed, and on April 4, 1949, NATO was officially
established among 12 Western countries. The Western world was now united under
a single military umbrella against the Soviets.
Türkiye’s
NATO Journey: An Epic Written in Korea
For Turkey, the process of joining NATO began rather painfully. Feeling the heat of the Soviet threat, Türkiye’s initial membership applications in 1950 and 1951 were unfortunately rejected by Western allies. However, Türkiye’s fate changed with the Korean War that broke out on the other side of the world. The legendary heroism and military success demonstrated by the Turkish brigade in Korea practically smashed open the doors to NATO membership. As a result, Türkiye was officially admitted to NATO in 1952.
Today, the very Türkiye
whose application was once rejected possesses the second-largest army in NATO
and stands as one of the alliance's most critical and unshakeable forces. And
just as we mentioned at the beginning, much like in the Cold War years, NATO
continues to be the greatest focal point of global politics and security
debates today.
Political and Economic Integration: The Birth of Modern Europe
Having
secured its military defence with NATO, Europe also had to unite economically
and politically to ensure it would never again be dragged into devastating
internal wars and to build a strong shield of prosperity against communism. The
building blocks of the long road to today’s European Union were laid precisely
during this era:
Council of Europe May 5, 1949
Founded
with the participation of 10 nations: Belgium, the UK, Denmark, France, the
Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, Italy, Luxembourg, and Norway. The primary
objective was to protect the shared democratic values of member states and
foster much tighter cooperation for their economic development. Operating
across a wide range of fields from human rights and media to local democracies
and health, one of the council’s most revolutionary steps was the establishment
of the European Court of Human Rights, which continues to operate in
Strasbourg today.
European Coal and Steel Community (Schuman Plan) April 18, 1951
In line
with the historic plan announced by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman on
May 9, 1950, this community was established at the Paris Conference by West
Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy. Placing the
production of coal and steel, the primary raw materials of war, under the
control of a single supranational body was the most concrete guarantee of
peace. With French diplomat and economist Jean Monnet serving as its first
president, this community, alongside the European Atomic Energy Community
(EURATOM) established in 1957, gave immense momentum to the European
integration process.
European Economic Community (EEC) March 25, 1957
Brought to life by the historic Treaty of Rome among the 6 founding members (Belgium, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy). The goal was not merely to create a Customs Union eliminating tariffs to allow the free movement of goods, but to build an economic and monetary union by developing common policies in various fields such as agriculture, transport, competition, and foreign policy. This historic step forms the very heart of today’s European Union.
With the institutional construction of the Western Bloc
covered, we are concluding this first and tensest Europe-centric era of the
Cold War. Now, we turn our course to another boiling cauldron of the global
chessboard, a region that will set the stage for brand-new crises and wars: developments in the Middle East.
