Title: The Marshall Plan Speech: Rhetoric and Diplomacy – America in Class – resources for history & literature teachers from the National Humanities Center
Headings: The Marshall Plan Speech: Rhetoric and Diplomacy
The Marshall Plan Speech: Rhetoric and Diplomacy
What rhetorical and diplomatic challenges did Secretary of State George Marshall face as he delivered his 1947 Marshall Plan speech?
Understanding
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Teacher’s Note
Teacher’s Guide
Background
Background Questions
Text Analysis
Introduction
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Narrative or Statement of Facts
Close Reading Questions
Argument
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Rebuttal
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Conclusion
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Follow-Up Assignment
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Content: The War left Europe devastated. People throughout the continent were poor; starvation was widespread. Countries did not have the money to rebuild roads, bridges, factories, and homes. Banks and other financial institutions were in ruins. European nations simply lacked the capacity to rebuild their economies on their own. By 1947 it had become clear to policy makers in Washington and overseas that something needed to be done to address the plight of Europe. America took its first step in that direction when President Truman persuaded Congress to allocate funds to aid the government of Greece as it fought a civil war against a home-grown Communist resistance. The principle upon which that aid was based came to be known as the Truman Doctrine, a policy under which America pledged to support free peoples who were resisting subjugation by Communists or totalitarian forces. In the spring of 1947 foreign ministers from Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union met in Moscow to work out solutions to Europe’s economic woes.