- Concerned about Marshall Aid, and not very much about Truman Doctrine
- Those who accepted Marshall Aid would have to align economic policy with US interests
- This would threaten control over eastern Europe
- Marshall Aid brought rise to ideological conflict as a capitalist US-centric alliance was created to control the USSR
- Communist leaders met in Sep 1947, discussing the threat of capitalism and established Cominform (an organisation that made sure all European communist governments follow the model example of Russia) and unite nations under Russia
- Used this as a chance to tighten control over Czechoslovakia which was the only country with some political freedom from USSR
- USA refused to provide USSR money to cover costs for it to occupy Eastern Germany in 1945
- Allies wanted to boost German recovery while Stalin used German resources used for that recovery for the rebuilding of the USSR
- Britain and US zones were merged as one single economic unit named Bizonia , with France joining later on. Stalin feared that the Allies were trying to force him out of his zone of Berlin
- In March 1947, the zones were merged politically as well in secret. Stalin knew about this from his spies in the British intelligence and foreign office
- USA extended the Marshall Aid to western zones, Stalin inspected shipments of goods that entered West Berlin
- A common currency for the four zones was created, but the Soviets rejected its use in the eastern zones
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