Page 339 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol IV

1640 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

The Soviet Response to the Truman Doctrine

In early 1947, the British government announced that To-day we can see the results of this policy—complete
it could no longer financially support Greece in fighting bankruptcy.British troops failed to bring peace and tran-
off an insurrection by Communist guerillas.At the same quility to tormented Greece. The Greek people have
time, there were fears that the Soviet Union intended to plunged into the abyss of new sufferings,of hunger and
expand into Turkey. Diplomats were concerned that if poverty. Civil war takes on ever fiercer forms.
Soviet power moved into the Mediterranean, the Middle Was not the presence of foreign troops on Greek
East would then be at risk of Communist takeover.In an territory instrumental in bringing about this state of
address that put forth a policy that came to be known as affairs? Does not Britain, who proclaimed herself the
the “Truman Doctrine,” President Truman asked Con- guardian of Greece, bear responsibility for the bank-
gress for $400 million to aid Greece and Turkey. The ruptcy of her charge?
extract below is the Soviet response. The American President’s message completely
glosses over these questions. The U.S.A. does not
The pathetic appeal of the Tsaldaris Government to
wish to criticise Britain, since she herself intends to
the U.S.A. is clear evidence of the bankruptcy of the
follow the British example.Truman’s statement makes
political regime in Greece. But the matter does not lie
it clear that the U.S.A. does not intend to deviate from
solely with the Greek Monarchists and their friends,
the course of British policy in Greece. So one cannot
now cracked up to American Congressman as the
expect better results.
direct descendents of the heroes of Thermopylae: it is
The U.S. Government has no intention of acting in
well known that the real masters of Greece have
the Greek question as one might have expected a
been and are the British military authorities.
member of UNO, concerned about the fate of another
British troops have been on Greek territory since
member, to act. It is obvious that in Washington they
1944. On Churchill’s initiative, Britain took on her-
do not wish to take into account the obligations
self the responsibility for “stabilising” political condi-
assumed by the U.S. Government regarding UNO.Tru-
tions in Greece. The British authorities did not
man did not even consider it necessary to wait for the
confine themselves to perpetuating the rule of the
findings of the Security Council Commission specially
reactionary, anti-democratic forces in Greece, making
sent to Greece to investigate the situation on the spot.
no scruple in supporting ex-collaborators with the
Truman, indeed, failed to reckon either with the
Germans.The entire political and economic activities
international organisation or with the sovereignty of
under a number of short-lived Greek Governments
Greece.What will be left of Greek sovereignty when
have been carried on under close British control and
the “American military and civilian personnel” gets to
direction.
An Expanding Empire to the Baltic coast, where he established his “window on
The character of the empire was partially transformed the West”—the new capital of Saint Petersburg.With Rus-
during the reign of Peter I (the Great) (1682–1725) and sia’s arrival as a European power, the czar now styled
that of his successors. The thrust of the Petrine reforms himself Imperator, while the country was renamed from
was making Russia militarily competitive with European Rus to the latinized Rossiia. A weakened Orthodox
powers, but in order for this to be achieved the social and Church no longer constituted the empire’s main source
cultural foundations of the autocratic regime had to be of legitimacy, which would now emanate from the man-
altered. Peter introduced a standing army, a civil service, ifest destiny to expand and the specifically Russian mis-
and a European-style technical-scientific infrastructure. sion civilisatrice of the state itself. However, Peter’s
On this basis, he eventually won the Great Northern War reforms continued to rely on autocratic means—tributary
(1700–1721) against Sweden and gave Russia an outlet extraction, mass population transfers, and a newly