With the cessation of World War II and continental Europe left in smoking shambles as it was barely two decades prior, communism seemed like an irresistible temptation to countries left ravaged by the war and forsaken by a capitalist system. Ergo, the United States, center of the capitalist west and sworn enemy of communism, devoted itself through the adaption of numerous policies to containing this perceived threat. Consequently, the policies constructed to enforce communist containment were the most significant developing factors of the United States in a postwar world with tremendous impact on both foreign and domestic fronts.
When one thinks of the latter half of the twentieth century, the immediate response is to turn to the Cold War, and when the Cold War comes to mind, a typical route is to make the connection to foreign relations. The Cold War had an unprecedented impact on the nation’s foreign policy as officials began to adapt a more definite interventionist approach in the name of containing communism. The containment frenzy began during Harry S. Truman’s presidency when General George C. Marshall summarized the lessons learned from World War II in For the Common Defense. He advised that the United States militarize itself so it wouldn’t be ill-prepared in case of World War III. Since technological innovations had collapsed what was once considered hemispheric defense of the United States, “the security of the Nation, when challenged by an armed enemy, [now] requires the services of virtually all able-bodied male citizens within the effective military age group” (qtd. in Johnson 213). A cornerstone of containment was set in the Marshall Plan which was also known as the European Recovery Program. This plan provided $13...
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...Ed. Michael P. Johnson. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. 221-224. Print.
Murrin, John, et al. Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People, Vol. 2: Since 1863. 6th ed. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.
Nitze, Paul. NSC-68. U.S. Objectives and Programs for National Security. Reading the American Past, Volume II: From 1865: Selected Historical Documents. Ed. Michael P. Johnson. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. 217-221. Print.
Parry-Giles, Shawn J. “Militarizing America’s Propaganda.” Critical Reflections on the Cold War: Linking Rhetoric and History. Ed. Martin J. Medhurst, and H.W. Brands. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press, 2000. 95-133. Print.
Truman, Harry S. Special Message to the Congress on Greece and Turkey: The Truman Doctrine. AmericanPresidencyProject.com. Gerhard Peters, 2013. Web. 2 December 2013.
The alliance formed between the US and USSR during the second world war was not strong enough to overcome the decades of uneasiness which existed between the two ideologically polar opposite countries. With their German enemy defeated, the two emerging nuclear superpowers no longer had any common ground on which to base a political, economical, or any other type of relationship. Tensions ran high as the USSR sought to expand Soviet influence throughout Europe while the US and other Western European nations made their opposition to such actions well known. The Eastern countries already under Soviet rule yearned for their independence, while the Western countries were willing to go to great lengths to limit Soviet expansion. "Containment of 'world revolution' became the watchword of American foreign policy throughout the 1950s a...
The question was whether the USA should pursue the same policy regarding communism in the Far East as in Europe, or should it concentrate on making sure that the Soviets couldn?t expand westward? Despite being a little too optimistic, MacArthur?s decisive policy addressed the global threat of communism better because it acknowledged that the U.S. shouldn?t just ignore one communist sector of the world, and because it recognized that we should eliminate an enemy that we are inevitably bound to come into conflict with.
One of the biggest fears of the American people is that the concept of communism contrasts drastically from the concept of capitalism, which the United States was essentially founded upon. The United States, as the public believed, was not a land of perfect communal equality, but rather a land of equal opportunity. However, what made communism so dangerous can be succinctly described by Eisenhower who compared the spread of communism as the domino effect. As his secretary of state, Dulles, put it, the propagation of communism “would constitute a threat to the sovereignty and independence” of America (Doc B). In addition, the Cold War also planted the seeds of rational fear of a global nuclear war. As Russia caught up to the United States in terms of technological advancements, they successfully developed the atomic bomb as well as the hydrogen bomb, which caused Americans to believe that the USSR would use these weapons of mass destruction to forcefully extend their ideologies to the USA. In fact, Americans were so frantic about a potential nuclear disaster that it...
During the cold war, the United States engaged in many aggressive policies both at home and abroad, in which to fight communism and the spread of communist ideas. Faced with a new challenge and new global responsibilities the U.S. needed to retain what it had fought so strongly for in World War II. It needed to contain the communist ideas pouring from the Soviet Union while preventing communist influence at home, without triggering World War III. With the policies of containment, McCarthyism, and brinkmanship, the United States hoped to effectively stop the spread of communism and their newest threat, the Soviet Union.
The type of policy known as containment was the foreign policy that the United States of America used between the times of 1947 (two years after World War Two) until 1989 (he fall of the Berlin Wall). The definition of containment in this case is strategies whether it was diplomatically, militarily or economically to contain the forming and progression of communism and to give America an influential advantage abroad. The policy of containment all started out with what was known as the Yalta conference, which consisted of Franklin D Roosevelt, the president of the United States at the time, Winston Churchill, the prime minister of the United kingdom, and Joseph Stain, leader of the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics). It was during this conference that the three men came to an agreement that these three countries would separate the world into three different parts and have their influence on those three parts. This was known as the sphere of influence and it was divided like this; The United States would have control of influence the western hemisphere meaning all of the Americ...
The purpose of this paper is to explicate the United States’ foreign policies during the 1950s and 1960s. In order to accomplish present objectives, this essay will advance as follows: Parts 1, 2, and 3 will define the foreign policies of “containment,” “brinkmanship,” and “domino theory,” explain how it influenced U.S. involvement in Korea, Cuba, and Vietnam, and will elucidate the results of interventions, respectively, and ultimately, Part 4 will bring this essay to a closure.
During the 1960s through the 1990s the United States was involved in a diplomatic standoff with the Soviet Union. Both nations were preparing nuclear weapons to immediate the other. Throughout the world communism was being spread by the power Soviet forces and the United States created the Truman Doctrine to stop the spread of communism in Turkey and Greece. They continued to combat the spread through wars and “rebellions”. Through the extent of the Cold War, the United States made it their mission to stop the spread of communism. This plan both worked and failed in diplomacy throughout Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
The pattern of US action was impressively consistent. Washington’s perception of “communist” dangers and tendencies rested upon exceedingly broad, loose, and often-irresponsible criteria. Most so called “communists” were civilian reformers, more akin to European social democrat than to Soviet KGB operatives. More over, even those who declared opposition to the United States did so only after Washington adopted blatantly hostile policies. Much of what happened was the result of exaggeration, misperception, and misunderstanding between countries.
Foner, Eric. "Chapter 9." Give Me Liberty!: An American History. Brief Third ed. Vol. One. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. N. pag. Print.
Now that the idea of a global war has been established, it is important to establish the role of the United States (USA). One of the most important documents in establishing this was the ‘Truman Doctrine’. President Harry S. Truman (1945-53) outlined what would become the basis of US foreign policy for the duration of the Cold War. This was the policy of containment – trying to keep communism from spreading to the rest of the world. His speech to Congress in March 19...
With this book, a major element of American history was analyzed. The Cold War is rampant with American foreign policy and influential in shaping the modern world. Strategies of Containment outlines American policy from the end of World War II until present day. Gaddis outlines the policies of presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, including policies influenced by others such as George Kennan, John Dulles, and Henry Kissinger. The author, John Lewis Gaddis has written many books on the Cold War and is an avid researcher in the field. Some of his other works include: The United States and the Origins of the Cold War, 1941-1947, The Long Peace: Inquiries into the History of the Cold War, We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History, The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past, Surprise, Security, and the American Experience, and The Cold War: A New History. Dr. Gaddis received his PhD from the University of Texas in 1968; he currently is on a leave of absence, but he is a professor at Yale . At the University, his focus is Cold War history. Gaddis is one of the few men who have actually done a complete biography of George Kennan, and Gaddis even won a Pulitzer Prize in 2012.
In the era of both Red Scares, from the 40s to the 60s, anti-communism ideals were running rampant; during this time, many government actions and actions from the people either enhanced or degraded the fear of communism, and it is truly expressed by Richard M. Freeland, M. J. Heale, and Landon R. Y. Storrs describing this period of U.S. history. They take a stand about what caused it and what contributed, with Heale seeking more of a government approach, Freeland with a broader aspect focusing on how the world brought about this change in the United States, and Storrs being more akin to civilian actions which ultimately affected the entirety of the United States and the issues with the New Deal era. Whereas all of these issues that the authors
America’s Policy of Containment was introduced by George Kennan in 1947. This policy had a few good points but many more bad points.Kennan's depiction of communism as a "malignant parasite" that had to be contained by all possible measures became the basis of the Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, and National Security Act in 1947. In his Inaugural Address of January 20, 1949, Truman made four points about his "program for peace and freedom": to support the UN, the European Recovery Program, the collective defence of the North Atlantic, and a “bold new program” for technical aid to poor nations. Because of his programs, "the future of mankind will be assured in a world of justice, harmony and peace." Containment was not just a policy. It was a way of life.
After World War Two the United States and Soviet Union quickly became enemies due to different ideals. The Soviet Union supported communism while the United States supported capitalism and democracy. Communism was an economic system where the state owned all means of production, and goods and services were shared. Under communist rule free elections were prohibited and media was censored. The United States did not agree with this system of government. They strived for the world to have capitalist and democratic systems for government. Capitalism allowed private ownership and investment; and in a democratic state the people chose who represented them (Beck). The United States established a goal to contain communism and this policy was known as containment. Containment had specific principles including: supporting countries financially, using adroit and vigilant counter-force, and containment of Russian expansive tendencies including little communication (Kennan). The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 tested these principles. Even though the United States had a major goal of containing communism during the Cold War, the actions of U.S. president John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis differed greatly in practice from the principles of containment.
The Vietnam War was an extension of Cold War An Ideological conflict between Capitalism and Communism. In this protracted war scores of critical events happened and many proxy wars were fought between Nations belonging either of the Capitalist/ Communist bloc. The contrasting ideas of West and East about Government and economy was the driving force between the than two major forces of the World. The Western Nations were in favor of bringing democratic system of Government and Capitalist economy in the newly liberated Nations whereas, Russia considered it to its right specially on Eastern European countries. United States considered Communist's expansion more threatening in 1949, when Mao communists took control of China. Truman and Acheson inaugurated a plan called "Containment". Through this plan United States sent a message to all the newly liberated Nations and Europe that it will deploy all its resources in defending these Nations against expansionist Communist bloc. Its all-economic, Technical, Military assistances to such countries would be meant to block Communism. It considered Soviet expansion a fear for itself and its Allies. It therefore further made a Master Plan to build the dwindling economies as well as North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In this purview United States continued its involvement in the World politics, to maintain its role as World leader. To show the Third World that United States was willing and capable to standup to communism anywhere in the World.