wanted to accept it. The Marshall Plan offered aid in the form of Name money, food, machinery, medicine, farm animals, and other materials. To accept the aid, European countries would have to participate by joining together and deciding just what they needed.

Containment Beginning in 1948, seventeen European countries took advantage of the Marshall Plan aid. These were all independent countries in By Sharon Fabian Western Europe. They included countries from Iceland to West Germany and Austria as well as Greece and Turkey. The Ghostbusters had Containment Units that strapped onto their backs like school The countries of Eastern Europe that were behind the Iron Curtain backpacks. When they found a bad ghost, said, "No, thanks." Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union said that the they zapped him into a Containment Unit. Marshall Plan was a plot created by the United States in order to There the ghost was "contained," and he interfere in European affairs. The Soviet Union developed its own couldn't bother anyone on the outside. This economic assistance program for the Communist countries. was their method of keeping the bad guys under control. Through the Marshall Plan, the United States continued to provide assistance to its European allies through 1952. By that time, Western In the late 1940's, the United States used the European countries were well on the way to recovery. idea of containment to keep Communism from spreading. It was right after World War The United States economy was also doing well. The Marshall Plan II, and Communism was spreading among had created more business for American companies that supplied the the countries near the Soviet Union. The United States and Western products for Marshall Plan aid. It had provided business for shipping Europe were afraid of it spreading even further. This was no job for companies too. the fictional Ghostbusters and their backpack-style Containment Units. President Harry Truman of the United States came up with a The Marshall Plan was a success. Europe was on the way to recovery. real plan. The Communist countries were recovering too, but the spread of Communism seemed to have stopped. At least for now, Communism President Truman's idea was to support the countries of Europe with seemed to be contained behind the Iron Curtain. economic aid. The United States would provide money and supplies to the countries that had been so badly damaged by the war. This would help them recover their strength more quickly. Then they Containment would not have to worry about being taken over by Communists. Truman said that this would help to contain Communism within the Questions countries of Eastern Europe where it was already established.

Truman's plan began with the countries of Greece and Turkey. Both 1. The situation described in this article took place ______. Greece and Turkey needed to rebuild after the war, and they did not A. during World War II have the money to do it themselves. In a speech to Congress, Truman B. after World War I said that Communist rebels were threatening the governments of both C. after World War II Greece and Turkey. He said that, without our help, both countries D. during World War I could be taken over by Communism. He asked Congress for $400,000,000 to assist Greece and Turkey.

Next, Truman's Secretary of State, George C. Marshall, developed a detailed plan that would extend aid to any European country that 8. The word containment means ______. Name A. prevent from spreading B. giving money C. military defeat D. reducing the size 2. At that time, ______was President of the United States. A. Marshall B. Truman After World War II, the United States decided to use economic aid to C. Stalin contain Communism. What other choices might the US have had? D. None of the above Why do you think it chose to give economic aid? 3. The Marshall Plan was written by ______. A. the Secretary of State B. the President C. the Secretary of Defense D. the Secretary of the Treasury 4. The Marshall Plan provided ______to ______. A. military support, European countries B. economic assistance, Communist countries C. military support, Communist countries D. economic assistance, European countries 5. Which happened first? A. World War II B. Truman's speech to Congress C. Stalin refused Marshall Plan aid D. Marshall Plan aid to European countries 6. All of the following countries accepted Marshall Plan aid, except ______. A. Austria B. West Germany C. Soviet Union D. Iceland 7. This article is mainly about ______. A. a plan for the defeat of Communism B. a plan for economic recovery and the defeat of Communism C. a plan for economic recovery in the United States D. a plan for economic recovery and containment of Communism