Communism Dbq Essay

Containing Communism: Did It Work?
Victorious in the previous World Wars of the twentieth century, America became a new superpower. The American economy became a dominant force during this century, featuring a major shift from its industrial roots near the end of the century. Throughout the mid-1900s, however, there was a challenge to this seemingly unstoppable American force—communism. Americans feared the prospect of a world ruled by idealistic zealots whose existence threatened the wealth accumulated through American capitalism; therefore, in a bid that exemplified American hubris, the United States attempted to stave off communism and prevent the disease from infecting other countries across the world. In perspective, the directive of

the American government during this communist era, from 1945-1975, proved to be futile.

A lack of American commitment to combating communism across the world planted the seeds for failure, especially when other factors, ranging from misappropriation of funding to the extraordinary willpower of communist insurgencies, resulted in the creation of a major communist power centered in Asia.
Initially, the United States was dedicated to controlling communism. It was the policy of America, as stated by President Harry Truman in 1947, that communism will not be tolerated; rather, America would dedicate her resources to promoting the freedom of peoples who are fighting for their independence across the globe (Document B). The express dedication of Americans may have defeated communism, had it not been for a decline for that sentiment as time passed. Only two decades later, with the war against communism raging, Richard Nixon announced his intention to change American policy

towards communism. President Nixon indicated that America will no longer provide unwavering support for anti-communist nations struggling to defend themselves from communism (Document K). Such a drastic shift in U.S. foreign policy must have precipitated from an already existing belief; consequently, American efforts to combat communism were doomed to failure from the beginning. Without the express commitment of Americans to fight communism, the country could not fight this worldwide epidemic. Moreover, the change in policy demonstrated that American power extended only as far as her citizens would tolerate. This idea would have provided an effective strategy throughout the war. Communist nations could prolong this Cold War, resulting in stifling discord among the people in order to foster a less combative policy against communism. The United States strategy was, most simply, not effective because of the whimsical nature of her people. Used to a quick solution to wars, instead of a decades long battle, America was not in a position of power to deflect the threats of communism indefinitely—dooming their effort from the start.
During the dawn of the Cold War, despite a strong American dedication to the effort, the efforts proved fruitless because of misappropriation of vital funding.

President Truman distinguished his policy of dismantling communism, not through military means, but through the form of economic aid to countries under communist threat (Document B). However, while Truman may have preached universal funding for nations in need, American financial commitments exemplify otherwise. Between 1948- 1952, American provided billions in assistance to traditional allies, including the United Kingdom and France; conversely, many weaker nations received a fraction of the funding allocated to America’s closest allies (Document C). The hypocrisy of the United States, coupled with underfunding, were indicative of a failed strategy to contain the future spread of communism. First, the basic issue here is the lack of funding provided to countries who desperately needed U.S. aid. By providing minuscule amounts of funding, democratic countries were destined for failure. Without the economic aid of the United States, countries would continue to fall to the sheer enormity of the communist movement. Therefore, the misallocation of funds was a fundamental misstep of the government in their efforts to combat communism. Secondly, the United States was portrayed as a betrayer across the globe. Publically, the leader of the United States promised money to countries combatting communist insurgencies; however,

privately, the country did not provide the funds promised, rather, they provided enormous aid to close allies who were not under dire threat from communism. The United States’ portrayal as a country who has different positions depending on the audience would have undoubtedly spurred many bystanders to action; however, these bystanders likely would have contributed to the communist insurgencies. The people would be motivated to combat the continuance of a government that mirrored the United States, instead preferring a new form of government with the promising allure of equality for all and a government that works for the small. A lack of basic funding to deter the communist ideology and the new generation of insurrectionists undoubtedly proved that the United States’ effectiveness in combatting communism was waning.
While the United States government committed troops and money to the war effort against communism, analysts overlooked an important factor—the sheer will of the people. An apt depiction of this situation can be found in a British Political Cartoon in 1956. In this cartoon, a dead body lie on the ground, with an inscribed message of “Help for Hungary: A Resolution from the U.N.O” attached to a wreath. Moving on from the runner, a communist insurgent can be seen charging forward (Document G). The political cartoon exemplifies the ineffectiveness of not only the United States, but the worldwide organization they helped to create, the United Nations. While politicians debated strategies to combat communism, the insurgents in these countries had no such issues. Bureaucracy did not bog down many of the revolutionists fighting within embattled countries. Many times, the United States and worldwide political leaders attempted to stymie the spread of communism by repeated commitments of money and soldiers, however, this could not overcome the pure commitment that communist insurgents gave to their cause—their souls. The emboldened nature of communists is captured perfectly by the words of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, where he responded to a U.S. blockade of the island with the unifying declaration, “…we will resist” (Document H). In this statement, Castro defined Cuban-American relations for decades. He dared to resist the might of the American military, a path many American wartime analysts would not have dared to resist. As American convictions relating to communist determent policies wane, nations around the world would surely fall under the iron grip of communism. Therefore, the United States may have been the most powerful nation on Earth, but they cannot overcome the pure devotion of pro-communist fighters.
Finally, the attempt to halt the spread of communism was hindered from the beginning because of where the world’s communist superpowers resided. The large majority, from the Soviet Union to China were located on the Asian continent and Eastern Europe. As a result, these countries had strategic positions in terms of mutual defense, as evidenced by former Secretary of State John Dulles’ statement that described how arms constructed in Eastern Europe were transported across Asia’s communist countries with ease to supply North Vietnam during the Vietnam War (Document F). In the end, the United States’ mission to immediately halt the spread of communism was fundamentally flawed because the communist nations had the strategic advantage. With the United States located on the opposite side of the world and the communist nations being located in a large group, the United States could not possibly sustain any prolonged anti-communist campaign. If any resistance to communist’s insurgencies arose, these nations could quickly send aid, militarily or financially, to the ailing country and prop up the regime. The United States, as long as communists remained in absolute power over the continent of Asia, could not overcome the sheer supremacy of communism in Asia—slating the American effort of absolute containment of communism for failure.
During the twentieth century, America became the most powerful nation on the face of the Earth; her military and financial power were second to none, except one nation. This nation, the Soviet Union, spawned a worldwide revolution that spawned the formation of communist nation, an ideology reviled by all Americans. The American government attempted to choke the life out of the communist movement; however, the attempt ultimately failed. An increasingly hostile public, as well as deficits in American strategy, doomed any American attempt to stop a movement catapulted forward by passionate revolutionists.