Fear of Communism

Fearing the spread of communism, the United States not only sat defensively, but also took an offensive position in the fight against the spread of communism. The United States put into action the Economic Recovery Plan 1947, also known as the Marshall Plan. This plan sent billions towards reconstruction of Western European economies in hope that economic stability would translate to political stability. As the policy continued to be exercised, a new fear began to form with the start of the Korean war. The paranoia began to rise with the possibility that the “Soviet-directed aggression” in Korea was just a distraction meant to pull the attention of the United States away from Western Europe and towards the East, leaving Europe vulnerable to the Soviets and a possible invasion. However, the Marshall plan succeeded in rebuilding the economies of Western Europe, therefore strengthening their political structures and preventing them from falling to communist takeovers .