News on this March 14th in 1948 came by way of commentary on the Marshall Plan for reconstruction of Europe. Branded by some as an unwarranted blank check to the former European allies with no obligation to pay back, while looked on by others as competition with the Soviet Union to win friends and influence governments.
And in 1948 the Cold War was gaining momentum. With Communist Parties springing up and gaining sizable popularly in France and Italy, independence movements starting up in Africa and the Middle East. Fear the Soviets would take advantage of these newly established nations to gain footholds of influence, the notion of providing aid seemed more an act of achieving a delicate political balance than rebuilding a devastated Europe.
And the controversy was alive and well, not only on Capitol Hill, but also on Main Street America.
So this broadcast, part of the series Clifton Utley News And Comments, from March 14, 1948, sought to give some background and perspective on the issue concerning Europe. One of the interesting points Utley brings up is the idea that; would this have been an issue had it been posed in 1945, instead of 1948? You get an idea the world changed rapidly in only three years. We were still dealing with mass hunger and displacement of people, but we were now faced with a rapidly changing political climate.
All of which make the Post-World War 2 period in Europe, and in fact the world, one of the more fascinating in history.
If you’ve spent any time poking around social media and visiting websites the one thing that may hit you is how unique Past Daily actually is. It’s music you may not be familiar with or have forgotten about – it’s history without turning it into an “eat your vegetables” exercise – it’s people from the past; iconic and notorious who you may have read about or heard about but never actually heard what they had to say. It’s the occasional odd observation on life and living the day-to-day which may prompt you to nod or wince. One thing Past Daily is not is boring. The world is in a constant state of change and it’s good to be reminded that, very often, we’ve been on this road before and have experienced the same results. Sometimes we’ve learned from them, but a lot of times we haven’t -so the reminder that life is this gigantic adventure that very often has some good things attached to can be a comfort and a relief. That’s why Past Daily is here – we’re not here to hustle you for money for things you don’t want or need – we’re not here to trash anybody or anything or get you outraged – we’re here to turn you on to things that might, just possibly, add something to your life. That’s the deal and that’s why becoming a subscriber to Patreon – or even kicking in a few bucks via PayPal or Buy Me A Coffee is crucial and your way of keeping us up and running every day. It’s expensive to keep us going – but we’re committed to giving you the best and most unique. So, long story short – click on the “Become A Subscriber” box below, or click on the Buy Me A Coffee link on top and help become part of the solution – it’s easy and painless – honest.
