Dean Acheson And U.S. Policy Towards Germany In The Early Cold War (1947-1953)

Dean Acheson was the fifty-first Secretary of state of the United States, he also was the major policy makers of American foreign policy in the early period of the cold war, and he participated in and led a lot of the major foreign policy of the United States in the early cold war, including the policy towards Germany. Served as the assistant Secretary of state and Deputy Secretary of state, he is mainly responsible for European, affairs, so after he became the Secretary of state, Acheson took a considerable part of the energy into the development of policy in Europe. As the defeated country of the Second World War, the engine of the European Renaissance, the forefront of the United States against the Soviet Union, Germany was in a key position in the America’s postwar plan. In the period he held an important position, Acheson participated in and led the American foreign policy formulation and implementation actively, and he was one of the U.S. German policy’s main decision makers during the cold war. The U.S. German policy he participated in and led pushed the restoration of sovereignty and European integration in postwar Germany. He played a constructive role in the Europe’s economic revival and the construction of regional security framework. Besides, he also laid a solid foundation for the all-out confrontation between the U.S. and Soviet Union during the nearly forty years.This paper expounds and analyzes the main issue through four chapters. In the first chapter, the author mainly introduces and analyzes Acheson’s growth environment, family background and diplomatic idea, tries to find the personal factor during the American diplomatic decision-making process. The second chapter discusses the Acheson’s idea and implementation of the Marshall Plan, analyzes Acheson’s policy to Germany in the framework of the Marshall Plan. In the third chapter, Based on the analysis of Acheson’s personal view and Practice under the background of the first Berlin Crisis, the author proves his impact and contribution in the process of the first Berlin Crisis’ solution. In the chapter four, Depended on the analysis of Acheson’s different view and diplomatic action on the Germany’s rearmament before and after the Korean War, the author tries to clarify Acheson’s influence and contribution in the Germany’s rearmament and Common Defense.