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Another main point for the Russian or communist containment was the Amnitrated European Recovery Program (ERP). Through this programme, seventeen west European states received recovery aid. The Soviet didn't want to have this aid. Poland and Czech could not get it because of the Soviet pressure. From 1948 to 1952 the participating states acquired fourteen billion Dollars through ERP. The majority of the money was used for the urgent needs that nations had. In exchange for ERP subsidies, the US expected cooperation from beneficiary countries. For that job they founded an organisation in 1948 called the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation, OEEC.
All these institutes worked successfully until the sixties. At that time the US finances got worse with Vietnam armament. With the aid of the German bank not to exchange Dollar into Gold the system of Bretton Woods could be stabilized and the US finances got better.
In 1973 the US freed the exchange rate in Europe. For more than 20 years the US controlled and stabilised the western exchange rates. Through this fact many states got a new economy boom.
Another way of controlling the expansion of Communism was by military force. The Soviets made a blockade of Berlin after a conference between the four occupying forces failed. The US made an air force bridge; they had been willing to fight for freedom and democracy in Europe.
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