...The Truman Doctrine Background, Truman's Speech to Congress, Results The Truman Doctrine and Containment Links Spartacus page An interview with Clark Clifford (1998) Did Truman cause the Cold War? Background Events The Truman Doctrine was a response to a crisis. Behind it lay the Communist/Soviet takeover of many of the countries of eastern Europe by ‘salami tactics’ – which, Truman alleged, was in breach of Stalin’s promises at the Yalta Conference. Then, in February 1947, the British government – which had been helping the Greek government resist Communist rebels – announced that it could no longer afford to keep its soldiers there. It seemed to Truman and his advisers that, of they did nothing, it was only a matter of time before the communists took over YET ANOTHER country. Background Truman’s Speech to Congress, March 1947 On 12 March 1947, President Truman spoke to Congress. His speech is very famous. What he said became known later as the ‘Truman Doctrine’. Truman began by outlining the situation in Greece. ‘Assistance is imperative if Greece is to survive as a free nation’, he told Congress. ‘Greece must have assistance if it is to become a self-supporting and self-respecting democracy.’ Without help, Greece would fall to Communism. Nearby Turkey, he added, was in a similar situation. Getting involved in Greece, Truman knew, would go against the belief of many...
Words: 2758 - Pages: 12
...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 [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
...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
...for the start of the Cold War has been debated for many years and is very complex. The Iron Curtain Speech by Winston Churchill plays a key role for future actions taken by the United States. The introduction of the Truman Doctrine is an example of a reactionary measure undertaken by the Allies that may not have occurred if Churchill did not give his famous speech. This essay will argue that the actions taken by the Western Allies between 1945 and 1948, albeit aggressive, were merely reactive, precautionary and preventative measures in response to the aggressive actions already taken by the Soviet Union. The outbreak of the Cold War can be tied to the aggressive nature of the Soviet’s actions behind the “Iron Curtain”, not the reactive, aggressive measures taken by the remaining Western Allies. The Iron Curtain Speech given by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was a warning to the United States public that if precautionary measures were not taken, another ruthless leader and country would dominate Europe and possibly other parts of the world with their policies. In the months prior to giving his famous speech, “public trust of Soviet intentions reached 54 percent positive” in the United States. However leading up to the speech, Soviet actions behind what Churchill would...
Words: 1444 - Pages: 6
...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
...It can be said that 'Without great power rivalry and the ideological differences the Cold War between the USA and the USSR would not have happened'. The main reason for this view would be that if great power rivalry and the ideological difference did not exist then other factors such as the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences, the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan would not have occurred. Furthermore, it can be said that if great power rivalry and ideological differences did not exist that alliances and organisations such as NATO and the Warsaw Pact. All of these factors are linked together with the main two factors of great power rivalry and ideological differences, therefore it can be said that without these two factors the war would not have occurred. In addition, some may say that great power rivalry and ideology link to personalities of Stalin, Roosevelt, Truman and Churchill as they clearly shows a relation through certain situations as some have said that if Roosevelt had not have died, the Cold War would not have developed as much as it did, but the Cold War did develop through Truman’s deliberate contrasting personality. Before the Cold War, the USSR was a one party state dominated by Stalin. Individuals did not have the choice to choose alternative politicians in free elections; industry and agriculture was owned by the state. In the 1930s, Stalin had transformed the USSR into a modern industrial state through the Five Year Plans, Collectivisation and the Purges. The...
Words: 960 - Pages: 4
...War. How and why did the United States implement “Containment” in Europe from 1945-1950? It all began at Yalta Conference, wartime meeting with the heads of government from the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union. Franklin Roosevelt, president of the United states, Winston Churchill representing Great Britain and Joseph Stalin the Soviet Union, otherwise known as the “Big Three.” Here they discussed how the world was going to be divided peacefully and fairly regarding mutual and individual interests. The division of Europe is known as the Spheres of Influence. The United States wanted access to markets worldwide and influence in Latin America. Great Britain wanted the Mediterranean, the Middle East and also retain its colonies. The Soviet Union wanted influence in Eastern Europe. Also, Stalin had agreed at Yalta to allow free elections in Eastern Europe. This was one of a few agreements he did not honor. Stalin had broken every agreement he had made in Yalta. The creation of the atomic bomb was also another conflict of trust between the three unions, especially distrust from the Soviet Union towards the United States and Great Britain. Secretly the United States and Great Britain had developed the bomb for use against Germany. An example of the lack of trust, the Anglo-Americans did not tell Stalin about the bomb after they tested it and had successful results. But Stalin already knew about the atomic bomb, even before Truman stepped into office...
Words: 734 - Pages: 3
...In 1945, Harry S. Truman, the Vice President of the United States, was eminent by means of the unexpected decease of Franklin D. Roosevelt to be the next President of the US. For the duration of Harry S. Truman’s point in time as the President, he faced numerous obstacles, nevertheless created several doctrines as solutions toward these obstacles. His mainly famous involvement to date is the Truman Doctrine, which focused on top of containing the development of communism all over the place. It was meant in a straight line at the Soviets, led by means of Joseph Stalin whom had been a supporter of the United States throughout World War II. Nonetheless, USSR and the USA were alienated by an enormous ideological gap. As a result the single thing that detained the partners mutually was the need to eliminate Adolf Hitler and wipe out his army of Nazis. Knowing their essential differences, Adolf Hitler was at last beaten in 1945. Truman passionately detested communism and felt with the purpose of that it was the US obligation to obstruct the development of those principles. Throughout the Cold War, the US established harmony and detained back the Soviet development in addition to build financial and political solidity in the course of the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan as well as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This Cold War started for the reason that Stalin started to shatter the agreements among partners that were established at the 1945 meeting at Yalta. The single...
Words: 1004 - Pages: 5
...conference, there were disagreements about what to do with Germany, about the reparations and about the soviet policy in Eastern Europe. Stalin achieved the domination of these countries (Eastern Europe). Churchill described the border between the soviet countries and the West, as the “iron curtain”. Stalin established a strict regime and imprisoned all the people who opposed the communist rule. I believe that this aggressive expansionism caused the cold war. MAIN BODY During the cold war, there was distrust between the USA and the URSS. There was a propaganda (political) war which created tension. This war would last for 30 years. The Western countries had accepted Stalin’s control over the Eastern countries but they never expected such a complete communist domination. While Stalin saw this domination as the only way to be secure, Truman saw it as the spread of communism. In 1948 Greece and Czechoslovakia were the only countries not controlled by Stalin. There were two groups in Greece, the monarchist and the communists. The communists supported Stalin, but the monarchists wanted the return of the king of Greece. Churchill send British troops to supervise free elections (they supported the monarchists), and the king returned to power. The communists tried to take control of Greece by force, and the USA supported Britain to protect the government (Stalin did not control it). The American intervention was the beginning of the “Truman doctrine”. The USA sent economic support and...
Words: 378 - Pages: 2
...Topic: Containment At the end of WWII both the Soviet Union and The United States were defined super powers. They were equal in terms of economics, and military power, and each was always striving to be the more superior country. The two countries did not trust one another based on their different views of the world, capitalism versus communism. The United States pushed for capitalism and democracy through out the world, while the Soviet Union felt that communism was better politics because it would enhance their economy and up their status. This relationship gave birth to their clash known as The Cold War, in which the USSR tried to spread their ideas about government and socialist economy, while The United States tried to contain it. In 1946, G.F. Kennan, and American Diplomat stationed in Moscow, wrote the Long Telegram that gave an outline on his views about the Soviet Union. Shortly before it was scribed and sent to Washington, the U.S. Treasury questioned the U.S. Embassy in Moscow about why the Soviet’s were not in support of the new World Bank. This is what prompted Kennan to write the telegram. In it he tells that the Soviet Union does not seek “peaceful coexistence” between communism and capitalism, that according to them capitalism was untrustworthy and could not influence the USSR. He also wrote of their other views, and how they desired to go about their expansion of communism, but the overall theme was that according to the Soviet Union communism was the answer...
Words: 840 - Pages: 4
...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. It is correct to say that the development of the Cold War was definitely impacted and heightened through provocative, and at times, aggressive actions on foreign policy taken by Stalin. An example of Stalin´s confrontational actions, in terms of foreign policy, is his part in the events which took place in the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences (1945); two meetings which were intended to sort...
Words: 1779 - Pages: 8
...Growing up farming with poor eyesight wasn't easy, but to then go to WW1 the most bloody war so far because of the trench warfare. Stabbing, punching, and shooting, mostly done by trench shotguns. These where what you had in WW1, so imagine fighting like that with poor vision and glasses that didn't even help that much. After surviving that he went on to do amazing things in life and continue to help by being a judge in Missouri. After being a judge for many years he was elected to vice president in 1945 and to senate in 1948. In 1948 he won the election over Thomas Dewey. He took over during WW2 so he had a lot to handle when he was elected. There was something going on that Truman did not know about though, there was atomic bombs that were...
Words: 406 - Pages: 2
...To what extent were rival ideologies responsible for the breakdown of the relationship between the two superpowers between 1945 and 1949? It was the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan that really split Europe and made the concept of an Iron Curtain permanent during 1947/8. It was the final breakdown of the Allied cooperation over Germany that led to tensions and permanent divisions in the centre of Europe in 1948/9 as witnessed by the Berlin blockade and Allied airlift. It was the explosion of the Soviet atom bomb and American membership of NATO that created a bi-polar nuclear world during and after 1949. rival ideologies Under President Woodrow Wilson the US had committed itself to liberal internationalism, which promoted democracy and the free enterprise system, while the communist emphasis was upon a world wide class revolution to bring about the socialist future. These conflicting views were less important in the 1920s and 1930s because the Soviet Union was a weak military power and the main threat seemed to come from the right wing ideology of Fascism. However the defeat of these powers by 1945 reopened the ideological sense of difference between the Americans and Russians. hard line anti-Russian views became more influential in Washington by 1945 and George Kennan’s famous “Long Telegram” in 1946 also reinforced the idea that the communists were ideologically hostile to US interests and needed to be contained. Although...
Words: 1959 - Pages: 8
