...Truman Foreign Policy “Let’s Keep Score” The First Couple of Things He Did • 1. UN Established June 26, 1945 (Tie) ▫ ▫ ▫ ▫ April 1945, 50 Nations met in San Francisco HQ in New York Permanent Members-US, UK, China, USSR, France Trygve Lie-1st UN Secretary General • 2. US Drops Atomic Bombs (Win) ▫ Hiroshima August 6th ▫ Nagasaki August 9th 3. German Occupation (Tie) • Potsdam Conference-splits Germany into 4 Occupation Zones ▫ US, UK, France (West Germany) ▫ USSR (East Germany • Also Split Berlin (4 Zones) • Promised to crush NAZI party ▫ Nuremberg Trials-sentenced 11 to death 4. Japanese Occupation (Win) • Only US controlled the rebuilding of Japan ▫ Did not want to split Japan like Germany • Create a Democratic government • Supreme Commander Douglas MacArthur ▫ He wrote the constitution ▫ Not militaristic! ▫ No more weapons/army 5. Eastern Europe (Loss) • Right after the war, Stalin takes the Baltic States ▫ Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia • Stalin’s Promise of Free Elections in Eastern Europe ▫ Went back on promises at Yalta • Iron Curtain Speech-Winston Churchill, Missouri • “An iron curtain has descended across Europe…” 6. Containment Policy • Authored by George Kennan • Fundamentally changes US Foreign Policy forever • Learned our lesson from WWII ▫ Appeasement @ Munich ▫ Soviets want to expand, we need to push them back! Truman Doctrine • Announced March 12, 1947 • “It must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples from conquest...
Words: 577 - Pages: 3
...The Truman Doctrine [Student’s Name] [Name of Institution] [Date] The Truman Doctrine Introduction The fall of the Soviet empire has presented various political and economic opportunities and threats to the world, for these reasons it’s considered one of the major events taking place since the Second World War. The Soviet fall besides various internal factors has been facilitated by US and Western counter parts to attempt to contain further Communism. The Truman doctrine was a US strategy to halt expansion of Soviet Union in the course of the Cold War. In this doctrine the then US President Harry S. Truman vowed to contain the spread of communism in the world particularly in Europe. This doctrine encouraged the US to back every country with both economic and military assistance if the Soviet Union or communism threats its stability. The aim of this paper is to review The Truman Doctrine was one of the significant historical approaches deployed between 1945 and 2008 that has had both negative and positive outcomes for the world. Historical Background In order to analyze the Truman doctrine and its different elements, it is necessary to consider the complex historical context in which it originated, and one that explains how a president such as Harry Truman, laid the foundations seated on the principles of the emerging American political realism after the Second World War (Bostdorff, 2008). The creation of international organizations like the UN itself and its Security...
Words: 2775 - Pages: 12
...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...
Words: 1214 - Pages: 5
...From the Truman Doctrine to the Bush Doctrine | Contemporary History | | An overview and comparative analysis of two decisive American foreign policy doctrines breed from fear that impacted the world. | Fear and the reaction to it has been a driving force throughout human evolution, it has helped shape both our physical and social development. Fear and the reaction to it in politics, has helped create and shape everything from our borders and languages, to our technology and religion. At its very best it serves as a common uniting factor that all people share. At its worst it has lead to some of our greatest wars. The Truman and Bush Doctrines are two such policy sets rooted in fears that helped shape the world we know today. On the 12th of March 1947, then President Harry S. Truman addressed a joint session of Congress requesting $400 million in military funding and other foreign aid to support the struggling nations of Turkey and Greece. Truman implored Congress to act quickly to provide aid and support to both nations. Truman described the current state of affairs in Greece as an environment of “political chaos” and that its internal security and very survival were threatened by “terrorist activities of several thousand armed men, led by Communists…” (Truman, 1947) In this speech lay the foundation for the resulting Cold War, and idea that the spread of Communism should be halted and contained. With further analysis of this same speech one can also locate early...
Words: 1077 - Pages: 5
...The Truman Doctrine Shortly after World War II had ended the Cold War began in 1945. The Cold War was fought between the United States and the U.S.S.R. The Cold War got its name because it never got “hot” with action of an actual battle. It was more of a verbal fighting and threating to blow up each other but never actually doing it. When the United States decided to drop a bomb on Japan, the U.S.S.R was mad the United States had secretly developed the bomb. Then Russia started spreading communism and the Truman Doctrine helped stop the spread of communism. According to www.historylearningsite.co.uk/truman_doctrine, The Truman doctrine happened March 12, 1947. It was a speech by President Harry S. Truman. The Truman Doctrine gave economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey because they were threatened by communism. At this point in time there was already a policy trying to contain communism called the Containment Policy. The Containment Policy was a reaction to a series of moves by the Soviet Union to expand communist influence in Eastern European, China, Korea, and Vietnam. Similar to the containment policy the Truman doctrine of the United States was to “support free people who are resisting being conquered by armed minorities or by outside pressures”, which was said directly by President Truman. Truman had to convince congress that a crisis in two far away countries would threaten the security of the United States, and that four hundred million dollars was needed to save...
Words: 980 - Pages: 4
...against Japan, the founding of the United Nations, the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, and the Truman Doctrine to contain communism. President Truman was avidly participating in foreign affairs. This paper is going to focus on the topics surrounding the Truman Doctrine. “At the end of WWII it was immediately apparent that Russia meant to draw as many countries as it could into its sphere of influence, if not into actual dominance” (Spalding, 2005). Both the British and the Americans became alarmed as country after country did, indeed, fall under Russian influence. During the War, the British had been a moderating force in the middle and Far East. But the cost of the war had drained them. As hostilities ended in the joint effort to defeat Hitler, Russia's intentions very soon became obvious. President Harry Truman, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill, after many conferences, decided that steps had to be taken to stem the advance of Communism. Churchill had long been suspicious of the Soviets, and it did not take long for Truman to achieve the same level of mistrust. This led to Truman’s crusade to contain the expansion of communism throughout the world. Truman was hard-nosed when it came to the Soviet Union. He had never liked, nor trusted, Stalin, and he did not believe that Communism was anything other than dictatorship. The U.S. just defeated the Nazi’s with the fall of Hitler. Truman had an initiative when he became President; he let the Soviet leaders know that he would not...
Words: 1175 - Pages: 5
...Introduction The U.S. involvement in post WWII Korea raised challenging questions within the Truman administration concerning U.S. policy in the Far East and fostered heated debates within the administration concerning wartime strategy. WWII followed Clausewitz’ idea of the total war where all of a country’s resources should be utilized in waging war since the enemy would surely do the same. Following WWII Americans were used to the idea of large armies, clear objectives, and decisive victories; however these ideas would be reconsidered in the years following WWII leading up to the Korean War. During the Korean War the idea of total war became less popular and ideas which were more in line with Sun Tzu’s idea of a limited war became the policy of the Truman administration. There are many possible reasons why Truman chose to conduct a limited war in Korea. One possible reason for Truman’s policy might have been “China’s entry into the Korean War in November put an abrupt end to any immediate hopes of trying to separate Moscow and Peking.” (Strategies of Containment, P-116) In 1950 American forces were not prepared to engage in a total war with China and the Soviet Union and Truman and MacArthur both realized these deficiencies within the U.S. military. The scope of my argument in this essay will not be about what type of war, limited or total, is best because there are certain instances where a limited war is desired and there are times when total war is required. ...
Words: 2112 - Pages: 9
...The Truman Doctrine provided a platform that would serve the United States in our progress towards foreign policy for many years; stressing our role as leaders in freedom. Developing a strategic plan to assist Greece changed our isolationistic practice and helped create a realistic recovery for much of Europe and through declaration of leadership and our unrelenting need to protect the virtue of democracy; we formed an alliance with Greece at their most vulnerable and made it clear that enemies would be fought with our military backing. Foreign policy was given the spotlight by way of the presidential doctrine, which served as an official decree towards the goals and purpose that would be the President’s focus regarding international relations. After WWII, the United States was aware of the push from the Soviet Union to protect themselves from invasion by converting Western Europe into communist countries. The spread of communism was, and still remains, a threat to the United States and our belief that freedom and democracy is our human right; so in response to the conflicts in Europe, President Truman approached Congress with what became the Truman Doctrine. The Truman Doctrine can best be defined as a practice in containment. Written with the intent to provide economic support to Greece and Turkey for assistance against communist pressures; there is an underlying promise towards fighting the spread of communism that will support the United States and our thoughts on foreign...
Words: 1220 - Pages: 5
...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...
Words: 1779 - Pages: 8
...had brought upon. The 1948 presidential election was the first election after the Second World War and would dictate the domestic policy for the next thirty years. Harry Truman and the campaign the will be crafted will be one of offering dynamic policy alternatives to the opposition and campaigning for those set of ideas. Main Body The 1948 Presidential election was a state and national...
Words: 584 - Pages: 3
...Ning Chansavath Wk 3 short essay March 18, 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...
Words: 396 - Pages: 2
...Thesis: The U.S had many policies that affected the cold war. A few of these policies were Containment, Truman Doctrine, and the NSC-68. During the Cold War the United States came up with away to isolate or contain the spread of communism and it was known as Containment. According to Quizlet this policy “stated that communism should be kept from spreading, but not attacked at its source. Intended to keep other countries from falling under the control of the USSR.” The policy affected the American foreign policy by causing tension. This policy also affected the cold war by causing relations with the U.S and the Soviet Union to be very untrustworthy and antagonistic. Ultimately this would lead for aid and support when avoiding communist....
Words: 368 - Pages: 2
...cartoon from 1947 Truman Doctrine The Truman Doctrine was created in response to the Communist/Soviet takeover of many countries in Eastern Europe. The British government had been fending off Soviet interference in Greece, but in February, 1947, they announced they could no longer afford to keep their soldiers there. President Truman realized if the Soviets were not contained, they would continue to take over yet another country. On March 12, 1947, President Truman spoke to Congress regarding this crisis. This speech has become known as the Truman Doctrine. President Truman told Congress that the nations of the world were faced with a choice: A choice of good or evil, capitalism or communism, dictatorship or democracy, and freedom or oppression. President Truman believed the United States was obligated to get involved to protect freedom and democracy. One of the best known lines from his speech demonstrates what Truman wanted the Doctrine to become: “…the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures” In his speech, the President attempted to convince Congress of the necessity to confront the Soviets. He demonstrated this with the analogy of the domino theory. He said that if America let one country fall to Communism, more countries would follow like a line of dominos. Although some Republicans were concerned that the Truman Doctrine was a...
Words: 475 - Pages: 2
...The Truman Doctrine arose from a speech delivered by President Truman before a joint session of Congress on March 12, 1947. The Truman Doctrine is “the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. The immediate cause for the speech was a recent announcement by the British Government that, as of March 31, it would no longer provide military and economic assistance to the Greek Government in its civil war against the Greek Communist Party. Truman asked Congress to support the Greek Government against the Communists. He also asked Congress to provide assistance for Turkey, since that nation had previously been dependent on British aid. The reason President Truman made this request was due to the United States belief that the Soviet Union had joined forces with the Greek Communist in their war efforts. (Randolph) President Truman was concerned that the Communists would prevail and further have an opportunity to influence Greek policies. As a result of the declining relationship, President Truman seized the opportunity to revive America’s foreign policy. During the joint session of Congress President Truman requested Congress provide $400,000,000 worth of aid to both the Greek and Turkish Governments and support the dispatch of American civilian and military personnel and equipment to the region. During his speech he gave two solid reasons for his request; first argument...
Words: 1174 - Pages: 5
...“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...
Words: 816 - Pages: 4
