...The Truman Doctrine Joseph Woodall Strayer University Professor John Cronin POL 300 – Contemporary International Problems August 05, 2012 The Truman Doctrine The Truman Doctrine was a policy of containment to prevent Soviet expansion. It was introduced by President Harry Truman in 1947, in response to the Soviet Union’s aggressive expansionist actions. The origins of the doctrine were forged through providing military and financial aid to countries such as Turkey and Greece to combat Communism. The Truman Doctrine would ultimately be the basis of United States strategy during the Cold War. Turkey & Greece On March 12, 1947, President Truman introduced the doctrine that was destined to bear his name. In the body of his doctrine he described the struggle between Communism and the free world. One way of life is based upon the will of the majority, and is distinguished by free institutions, representative government, free elections, guarantees of individual liberty, freedom of speech and religion, and freedom from political oppression. The second way of life is based upon the will of a minority forcibly imposed upon the majority. It relies upon terror and oppression, a controlled press and radio, fixed elections, and the suppression of personal freedoms. (Truman, 1947. p.178). Using the doctrine as a prerequisite for intervention into nations that were under Communist threat, the United States became involved in Greece and Turkey. Since the...
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...Why did the USA get involved in Asia in 1950? (30) After the end of the Second World War, the two war time allies the USA and Soviet Union became involved in a war of ideologies, the cold war. The US saw communism as a threat to democracy and capitalism. Therefore the US set out a new foreign policy, the policy of containment, in the Truman doctrine. There were however other reasons for the USA’s involvement such as their military confidence, UN agreement, domestic pressure which called for Truman to be more tough on communism and their economic interest in Japan which led to the US government’s decision to intervene in the Korean War. One of the main reasons for the US’s involvement was due to the ‘Policy of Containment’. The aim was for the USA to work with its allies to contain the spread of communism in eastern Europe and Asia using political, economic and if necessary military pressure to prevent the spread of the every growing ideology of communism. The US’s main worry was the communism would spread as most of the eastern European countries were devastated by the war were weak and communism could easily spread through these weakened countries such as Hungary. Europe was divided by ‘an Iron curtain’, the west with capitalism views, and the east with growing communism views. Furthermore, China had fallen to Communism under Mao, which may have been a huge wake up call for President Truman. In addition, Mao had signed the treaty of friendship with Stalin; therefore the spread...
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...2015 The Truman Doctrine Foreign Policy was established by President Harry Truman on March of 1947. In the Doctrine it is stated that the United States would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent those countries from falling under the influence of the Soviet Union. The idea was to prevent Soviet Union’s influence as much as possible. Essentially, this was Truman ways of retaliating towards Josef Stalin and The Soviet Union aggression in Eastern Europe. In the Doctrine, Truman noted that “it will be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities and outside pressures.” The main audience was wide: this was a clear and strong message to the Soviet Union; a message to Europe, that the U.S. would not tolerate Soviet’s aggression; also a message to the people of Greece and Turkey that the U.S. would side with them; and lastly a message to Congress and the American people that the U.S. would put in a formal policy to prevent the spread of worldwide communism. The U.S will do anything it can to let too many people fall under the rules of communism. Basically it was the message – to the Soviets to “back off” The Doctrine shaped American Foreign Policy for the next several decades and would result in the Korean War, Vietnam, policies in Asia, Africa and in particular, the stand-off over Cuba in the early 1960s. We did see it coming then, but the real Cold War was fought economically...
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...How far do you agree that the origins of the Cold War were mainly due to Stalin´s foreign policy of expansionism? Soviet actions after 1945 were seen in the West as part of a concerned attempt to expand the communist world. The collapse of Nazi Germany in 1945 had left a power vacuum in large part of central and Eastern Europe which Stalin, using the presence of the Red Army, took advantage of in order to strengthen the position of the USSR and spread communism. When looking at the events of the early years of the Cold War there would seem to be much evidence to support this. Development of the Cold War, in the five years between 1945 and 1950, could be argued as taking place for a number of reasons and due to various individuals. It could be easy to simply site Stalin as the main reason responsible for its outbreak and growth, clear through his approach on communist expansion, use of Red Army and inability to uphold agreements. However, for a war of any king to develop, there is always more than one party involved and the USA and its President Harry Truman could also be said to have contributed to the development of the Cold War; partly because of being aggressive to Stalin- taking an Iron Fist on dealings with Russia through polices such as the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan. Issues such as Britain and Churchill´s Iron Curtain Speech can also be seen as hindering relations between the two superpowers in the Cold War, and therefore playing a role in its development. ...
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...The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy: The Truman Doctrine Mark Newsome Strayer University Politics 300 Dr. Sussie Okoro 16 March 2014 The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy: The Truman Doctrine Harry S. Truman was President of the United States from 1945-1953. President Truman presidency was marked throughout by important foreign policy initiatives. Central to almost everything Truman undertook in his foreign policy was the desire to prevent the expansion of influence of the Soviet Union. At the end of World War II it was immediately apparent that Russia was trying to draw as many countries as it could into its influence, if not total control. The United States became extremely alarmed as country after country did indeed fall under Russia’s communist influences. At the time, the United States Government was under suspicion that Russia was supporting the Greek Communist was effort and worried that if Communists won in the Greek civil war, the Soviets would eventually influence Greek policy (state.gov, p1). In light of the appearance of Soviet meddling in Greek and Turkish affairs, and the withdrawal of British assistance to Greece provided the motivation for the Truman Administration to reorient American foreign policy. The Truman Doctrine was the name given to a policy announced by then United States President Harry Truman on March 12th 1947. The Truman Doctrine was a very simple warning clearly made to the Soviet Union, though the country was not mentioned by name. The United...
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...The Truman Doctrine * Britain could no longer afford its traditional international rule. Greece and Turkey were both facing communist pressures, so G.B. asked the U.S. to fill in. * As the leader of the “free world,” the U.S. must now shoulder the responsibility of supporting “freedom-loving peoples” wherever communism threatened them. * “The Truman Doctrine is the U.S. policy of CONTAINMENT.” * Because of the Truman Doctrine we might find ourselves in an array of fights. The Marshall Plan * Marshall pledged the U.S. to contribute billions of dollars to finance the economic recovery of Europe. * A policy not against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, and chaos – a New Deal for Europe. * The Soviet Union refused to participate – solidifying division. * Indirect way of spreading capitalism. NATO * In that same year, the U.S. Canada, and ten western European nations est. the North Atlantic Treaty Organization pledging mutual defense against Soviet attack. * Western Alliance of Nations * Future Defense Alliance * The Soviets responded with the Warsaw Pact – a formal eastern European alliance. Chairman Mao * Communist led by Mao Zedong emerged victorious in the Chinese civil war. * Blocked from the U.N. The Korean War * Occupied by Japan during WWII, Korea had been divided in 1945. * In June 1950, the North Korean army invaded South Korea, hoping to reunify the country under communism...
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...How did the Cold War develop between 1944-53? 1947 – Truman Doctrine (March) Marshall Plan (June) 1948 – Communist regime established in Czechoslovakia (Feb) Berlin blockade begins (June) US relationship with Europe after WWII: * Truman was under pressure to adopt a more hard-line approach towards communism following Kennan’s Telegram and Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ speech and the threat of communist takeover in Greece. * No suggestion that the US envisaged any long-term military or political entanglement in Europe beyond the time it took to establish political and economic reconstruction there. * Each side regarded the other as a threat to national security and being expansionist and a global strategic threat. * By September 1946 the emergence of the Cold War was seemingly irreversible. Why Truman introduced his Doctrine (first step containment?) * Keep the SU from aiding the Greek communist movement * Protect democracy and freedom in response to Soviet aggression and ideological expansionism in Eastern Europe * Demonise SU and Communism * Threaten and provoke USSR * Truman wanted a Cold War because that would justify the US’s role as a defender of the freedom and function as world power * Develop the US’s global economic power – if the US is protector, other sates would be militarily and economically dependent of the US – close trade relations. Truman emphasised in his doctrine the differences between Capitalism...
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...with the view that, in the years 1945 – 1950, the Cold War developed as a result of US and Soviet security needs? Explain your answer, using sources 7, 8 and 9 and your own knowledge of the issues related to this controversy. (40 marks) | Agree | Disagree | Source 7 | * Blames the US for its need to have total control of all democratic countries and zones ‘sphere of…’ * Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan & German and Japanese ‘rehabilitation’ * Truman’s response was violent ‘hydrogen bomb…’ * SEATO – America’s ‘alliance system’ | | Source 8 | * Each side felt they had to adopt these safety measures in order to protect their security * The Russians had to help Eastern Europe and the Americans had to help the West * Each side felt the other was a threat of Communism or Capitalism – felt like they had to protect their ideologies | | Source 9 | | * The Cold War developed as a result of conflicted ideals and interests * Both powers wanted an increase in their global power * Each side had no fear of war ‘armed to the teeth’ * Each side used underhanded methods to get their way * Neither side understood the government and the people of its enemy | The view that, in the years 1945 – 1950, the Cold War developed as a result of US and Soviet security needs is partly true as both sides feared what the other would do in order to gain global power; however, some could argue that the Cold War developed as a result of conflicted ideals and ‘diametrically...
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...How successful was the USA’s policy of containment? The policy of containment was not a success, As after the war, The USA aimed to quarantine communism to the only place it existed, Russia. However soon despite this, communism spread and communist dictatorship controlled most of Eastern Europe, soon after this the most populated state on earth, China, fell to a communist regime, as well as the creation of communist states in Vietnam and Korea. This consistent creation of communist states and the failure of the USA to prevent this, shows how ultimately, despite apparent success in some of Europe and Asia, the Policy of Containment failed in its primary function, to contain and prevent the spread of communism and therefore it was not a success. However it is arguable that in some ways the USA’s Policy of Containment was a great success in preventing the spread of communism early on during the Cold War. One piece of evidence that supports the argument that the USA had early success with their policy of containment is The Greek Civil War. The USA’s decision to intervene due to the “strategic significance of Greece in the Balkans and the Mediterranean” arguably was successful. With this clear threat of communist expansion into Western Europe, Truman called for congress to uphold the Truman Doctrine and provide funding to aid the battle against the spread of communism that clearly threatened the USA’s interests in Europe. This resulted in $400 million dollars of funding being...
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...Development of the Cold War, in the five years between 1945 and 1950, could be argued as taking place for a number of reasons and due to various individuals. It could be easy to simply site Stalin as the main reason responsible for it’s outbreak and growth, clear through his approach on communist expansion, use of Red Army and inability to uphold agreements. However for a war of any kind to develop there is always more than one party involved and the USA and it’s president Truman could also be said to have contributed to the developing of Cold War, arguably being equally aggressive as Stalin – taking an Iron fist on dealings with Russia through policies such as the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, as well as his direction over the US involvement in the Korean War. However issues such as Britain and Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech, as well as the birth of McCarthyism in America, can also be seen as hindering relations between the two superpowers of the Cold War and therefore playing a role in it’s development. Whether Stalin was to blame for the Cold War can also be judged and evaluated through the use of sources, offering a number of interpretations, from extreme Orthodox and Revisionist views to the more diplomatic reasonings of the post revisionist stance. It is correct to say that development of the Cold War, between 1945 and 50, was definitely impacted and heightened through provocative, and at times, aggressive actions on foreign policy, taken by Stalin. An example...
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...view that the development of the Cold War in the period 1945-50 was the result of Stalin’s foreign policy? Development of the Cold War, in the five years between 1945 and 1950, could be argued as taking place for a number of reasons and due to various individuals. It could be easy to simply site Stalin as the main reason responsible for it’s outbreak and growth, clear through his approach on communist expansion, use of Red Army and inability to uphold agreements. However for a war of any kind to develop there is always more than one party involved and the USA and it’s president Truman could also be said to have contributed to the developing of Cold War, arguably being equally aggressive as Stalin – taking an Iron fist on dealings with Russia through policies such as the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, as well as his direction over the US involvement in the Korean War. However issues such as Britain and Churchill’s Iron Curtain Speech, as well as the birth of McCarthyism in America, can also be seen as hindering relations between the two superpowers of the Cold War and therefore playing a role in it’s development. Whether Stalin was to blame for the Cold War can also be judged and evaluated through the use of sources, offering a number of interpretations, from extreme Orthodox and Revisionist views to the more diplomatic reasonings of the post revisionist stance. It is correct to say that development of the Cold War, between 1945 and 50, was definitely impacted...
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...Cold War Ideology and Policies HIS/135 Sunday March 13, 2011 Kelly Strub Gianoula Pavalakos The cold war was a non-violent conflict that took place between the USSR and the United States in 1945. Even though both countries were allies in WWII they never were friendly with each other. Even with this going on neither country actually wanted to go to war with one another. In all reality it was Hitler that made the two countries become allies. By the near end of WWII all alliances as well as the international relations changed very drastically. Britain, United States, France and the USSR were the most powerful as well as prominent allies during WWII. When WWII was finally finished these was complete devastation to the economy as well as their environment. When Stalin ruled the USSR he tried to use the fact that Europe was in a weakened state by taking advantage. He tried to do this by expanding their communist territories. Due to the France as well as Britain decided to slide with the United States. In 1947, the US adopted the Truman Doctrine and then the Marshall Place to stop the USSR from taking over Greece and Turkey by providing economic aid (Davidson, 2006). The idea behind the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan was containment rather than a violent war. However, Stalin was not contained. Stalin’s aggressions against Hungary in 1947 and Czechoslovakia in 1948 increased hostilities between the USSR and its former allies. These aggressive acts caused the...
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...The Cold War was an indirect interaction between the U.S.A and the Soviet Union. The different ideas of government were one of the main reasons of why there was a war between the U.S and the Soviet Union. Not only that, many factors came along with the war, starting from 1945 other Countries and Nuclear weapons created tension between them. Economic competitions, policies, and plans also contributed to the creation of the Cold War and the finalization of it in 1991. The presidents at the time also influenced in big decisions making, and lead to a better or worse situation not only in the U.S and the Soviet Union, but also in many countries that were involved. During the late 19th Centaury the Soviet Union (USSR) was encouraging the pro-communist...
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...“The Truman Doctrine” says, “More than 1,000 villages had been burned, 85% of children were tubercular” (Truman). Europe was in bad shape during the Cold War. Ayers, et al. defines the Cold War as an era of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union conflicting mainly communism( Ayers, et al. 8--) President Truman led the United States during the beginning of the Cold War. President Eisenhower took office after Truman which left President Kennedy as the last president to lead during the Cold War. These leaders created many policies and uses of aid during their time in office to stop the spread of communism. While all of the U.S. Cold War Presidents dealt with the containment of communism, Truman emphasized giving economic aid, Eisenhower emphasized more military use, and Kennedy emphasized the idea of Flexible Response. All three presidents main goal was the containment of communism. American Anthem Reconstruction to the President says the containment policy was implemented to stop the spreading of communism. This policy was created by George F. Kennan in the late...
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...Why did the US become militarily involved in Korea? In June 1950, 90,000 soldiers from the communist Korean People’s Army crossed the 38th Parallel into South Korea. The most important reason for a military response from the US was the document NSC 68, which stated that they must meet communism wherever it arises. Due to this document, it was the US assumption that the invasion on South Korea was not a Civil War due to the events in Korea, and the permanent divide in 1948. However, there was also US domestic policies, and Truman’s fear of being accused of being ‘soft on communism,’ as well as the US based organisation, the UN, which was a new institution, which Truman had to support. Furthermore, containment in Europe and Asia and the threat to the balance of power in these continents prompted US retaliation, as did the threat to Japan and the US defence perimeter. NSC 68 highlights the importance of the defeat of Communism due to the threat of the ‘destruction of civilisation itself,’ and that the ‘peace of the free world’ is in peril. Due to the US assumptions that communism is evil, which is demonstrated in countries such as Czechoslovakia, where political parties and freedom of speech were banned, Hungary, where political opposition meant imprisonment, and Bulgaria, when any opposition was executed, Truman understood the importance of this document. It recommended rearmament and increase of defence, as well as ‘keeping the US public fully informed and cognizant of...
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