Development & Impact of the Cold War: Containment
"I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. I believe that we must assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way. I believe that our help should be primarily through economic stability and orderly political process."
President Harry S. Truman, March 12, 1947, in an Address Recommending aid to Greece and Turkey
Background
By the end of 1946 serious differences had emerged between the West and the Soviet Union regarding the fate of postwar Germany and Eastern Europe. To most Americans, the Soviets seemed bent on dominating much of the European continent in a manner reminiscent of that of Nazi Germany. President Truman concluded that the Soviet Union was behaving like a bully and that the best way of dealing with a bully was to stand up to him.
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By the end of 1947 it was clear that the United States was becoming involved in European affairs to an unprecedented extent. The strategy by this time had a name, which first appeared in an influential journal article by George Kennan. According to Kennan, a prominent State Department official who had spent years living in the Soviet Union, any aggressive moves on Stalin's part needed to be met with a policy of "containment"—firm resistance in the hope that, if communism were prevented from spreading, the Soviet system would ultimately change from within.
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This strategy, however, meant a radical new direction for U.S. foreign policy. The United States did not have a long tradition of direct intervention in European and Asian affairs. President Truman sought to prepare Americans for their new international role by announcing the so-called "Truman Doctrine" in 1947. The United States, he told Congress, should take responsibility for defending "free peoples" throughout the world from communist aggression. This policy first took concrete form as a substantial package of economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey, which were thought to be threatened by Soviet expansionist tendencies.
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However, Truman and his advisers believed communism to be more than merely a military threat. Postwar Europe remained economically devastated in 1947, leading to fears that communist parties might succeed in taking power through legal means in places like France, Germany, and Italy. In order to assist in Europe's recovery, the administration proposed the Marshall Plan—named for Secretary of State George C. Marshall, who introduced the concept in a June 1947 speech at Harvard University. The program was officially launched in 1948, and by the end of 1951 more than 13 billion dollars had been sent to Europe. While some economic historians have questioned how effective it was in actually promoting economic recovery, it certainly generated considerable good will toward the United States among the nations of Europe.
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Not everyone saw the adoption of "containment" as a positive development. Some Republicans, like Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio, argued that the United States could become overextended by committing itself to the security of other countries. Columnist Walter Lippman, on the other hand, believed that containment would ultimately result in a "cold war" between the United States and the Soviet Union. Of course, this is precisely the term that would come to apply to the entire period between 1945 and 1989.
Class Activity
Instructions
- Read the following embedded file titled "Conditions In Greece and Turkey - 1947.pdf" (below).
- In groups of 3, answer the following set of discussion questions (one group should produce all three sets of discussion questions) underneath the embedded file:
Discussion Questions
Conditions in Greece 1947 - Pt. 1
1. What were some of the problems facing Greece and Turkey in 1947? 2. What did many of the problems facing Greece and Turkey in 1947 stem from? 3. How would you describe what is meant by a "political vacuum"? 4. Why was it important to the United States that the spread of communism be halted before it reached Greece? |
Conditions in Greece 1947 - Pt. 2
1. Why did the Greek people have a difficult time of "making both ends meet"? 2. What does it mean for a child to be tubercular? 3. Referring back to the Introduction, who was the "militant minority" that President Truman refers to? 4. What effect did the militant minority have on the recovery of Greece? What are some ways in which this minority could have exploited human "want and misery"? |
Conditions in Turkey 1947
1. What countries made up the Axis powers? What countries made up the Allied powers? 2. What effects would inflation and lower agricultural output have on the Turkish people? 3. What forms of Soviet pressure led Turkey to seek assistance from the United States? 4. What sort of aid did Turkey receive from the United States? |
Task 1: Understanding Containment
Instructions
Instructions
- Read following 2 embedded documents titled "Understanding Containment.pdf" and "Excerpts from X.pdf" (below).
- Complete the following questionnaire titled "Understanding Containment - Questions.docx".
- Save and title your file "Understanding Containment - Questions (your name).docx (or Pages).
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The Truman Doctrine & The Marshall Plan
In the years after the end of the Second World War, the Soviet Union sought to extend its sphere of influence throughout central Europe not only by actually intervening in other countries (such as Czechoslovakia) but by supporting communist insurgencies in Greece and Turkey. Britain had been sending monetary aid to both nations to prevent communist takeovers, but because its economy had been greatly weakened by the war, it could no longer do so, and it asked the U.S. to assume the financial responsibility. President Truman went to Congress and requested $400 million in aid to the two nations; he also recommended that the U.S. should support free peoples throughout the world who were “resisting takeovers by armed minorities.” This view became known as the “Truman Doctrine.”
What is the "Truman Doctrine"? In a speech made to the U.S. Congress in 12 March 1947, President Truman put forward the idea that the U.S. has obligation "to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures”. The speech marked a radical change in U.S. foreign policy (moving away from isolationism) and was first put into practice during the instability in Greece and Turkey in 1947. |
The Importance of the "Truman Doctrine"
The Truman Doctrine was milestone in American history for at least four reasons.
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Task 2: The Truman Doctrine 1
Instructions:
Questions:
1. Truman addressed a “joint session” of Congress (both the House of Representatives and the Senate) regarding this crisis. What evidence did he give to suggest that Greece was in extreme need of assistance?
2. Why did Truman recommend the United States take on the financial responsibility of aiding Greece, rather than having Britain or the United Nations do so?
3. Truman also made note of the situation in Turkey. According to Truman, how was the situation in Turkey different from that in Greece? In what ways was it the same?
4. Truman notes, “I believe it must be the policy of the United States to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. I believe that we must assist free people to work out their own destinies in their own way.” How did Truman suggest the U.S. should assist nations to achieve this goal?
5. What amount did Truman request Congress provide for assistance to Greece and Turkey? What other requests did Truman make of Congress regarding these two nations?
6. Why did Truman contend that it was the United States’ obligation to provide this assistance?
7. What were some comparisons between that Truman gave between the democratic way of life and the communist way of life?
Democratic way of life
1.
2.
3.
4.
Communist way of life
1.
2.
3.
4.
Instructions:
- Go to the following website (http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=175) and read President Truman’s speech to Congress requesting financial assistance for Greece and Turkey.
- Answer the questions (below) from the document titled "Truman Doctrine Questions.docx".
Questions:
1. Truman addressed a “joint session” of Congress (both the House of Representatives and the Senate) regarding this crisis. What evidence did he give to suggest that Greece was in extreme need of assistance?
2. Why did Truman recommend the United States take on the financial responsibility of aiding Greece, rather than having Britain or the United Nations do so?
3. Truman also made note of the situation in Turkey. According to Truman, how was the situation in Turkey different from that in Greece? In what ways was it the same?
4. Truman notes, “I believe it must be the policy of the United States to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. I believe that we must assist free people to work out their own destinies in their own way.” How did Truman suggest the U.S. should assist nations to achieve this goal?
5. What amount did Truman request Congress provide for assistance to Greece and Turkey? What other requests did Truman make of Congress regarding these two nations?
6. Why did Truman contend that it was the United States’ obligation to provide this assistance?
7. What were some comparisons between that Truman gave between the democratic way of life and the communist way of life?
Democratic way of life
1.
2.
3.
4.
Communist way of life
1.
2.
3.
4.
Task 3: The Truman Doctrine 2
Instructions
Instructions
- Go to the following website (http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=852) and read Henry A. Wallace's response to President Truman's March 12, 1947 speech to the U.S. Congress.
- Complete the following table (see below) titled “Arguments For vs. Arguments Against the Truman Doctrine” (class activity)
- Prepare a front-page editorial spread regarding the extent of U.S. policy in the affairs of other nation by using the following headline in your editorial: Should the United States be financially involved? Should it be involved militarily?
- Download the document titled "Truman Doctrine - Debate.docx" for more information on Henry A. Wallace's background and the newspaper editorial task.
Task 4: The Marshall Plan
"...the people of this country are distant from the troubled areas of the earth and it is hard for them to comprehend the plight and consequent reactions of the long-suffering peoples, and the effect of those reactions on their governments in connection with our efforts to promote peace in the world."
Speech by George C. Marshall, June 5, 1947
"...the people of this country are distant from the troubled areas of the earth and it is hard for them to comprehend the plight and consequent reactions of the long-suffering peoples, and the effect of those reactions on their governments in connection with our efforts to promote peace in the world."
Speech by George C. Marshall, June 5, 1947
Instructions
- Read the following documents titled "Marshall Speech.pdf" and "Vursell Speech.pdf"
- Using the information from the two speeches and the following political cartoons (see below), students will create a persuasive piece of news article explaining why the Marshall Plan should or should not be undertaken. They should demonstrate an understanding of the different positions and explain their opinion clearly.
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Political Cartoons about the Marshall Plan
Effects of the Marshall Plan
When Marshall presented a plan to offer extensive economic aid to all nations of Europe in June 1947:
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The Marshall Plan proved to be a great success.
How the U.S. benefited:
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Soviet Response
Stalin bitterly criticized both the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, which the Soviets considered a prime example of American "dollar imperialism". Stalin considered the aid as part of an American plan for world domination on the basis of economic dependence, which would give the Americans political control. As a result, Stalin continued to maintain his grip on Eastern Europe by actively expanding Soviet influence in the region and prohibiting them to participate in the Marshall Plan.
Task 5: The Soviet Response
Instructions:
3. Copy and complete the following table below in full details (again, using all the information from the sources provided).
Task 5: The Soviet Response
Instructions:
- Read the following:
- Pages 26 to 30 of the text History - 20th Century World: The Cold War (purple text)
- The scanned text page titled "The Soviet Expansion of Europe - 1945-1949.pdf"
- The two scanned pages titled "pg 82.pdf" and "pg 83.pdf"
- Go to the BBC GCSE Bitesize website and read the following topic titled "Soviet power in Eastern Europe"
3. Copy and complete the following table below in full details (again, using all the information from the sources provided).
Exam Questions
Paper 2: Topic 5 - The Cold War
May Exams
Paper 3 Questions
Paper 2: Topic 5 - The Cold War
May Exams
- For what reasons, and with what results, did the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan affect Cold War development? (May 2008)
- Explain the meaning of two of the following and show how each affected the development of the Cold War: containment; brinkmanship; non-alignment; détente. (May 2008)
- Define and analyse the importance of two of the following: (a) the formation of NATO (b) the Warsaw Pact (c) non-alignment (d) détente. (TZ1 May 2009)
- Examine the role and importance of fear and suspicion in the development of the Cold War between 1953 and 1975. (TZ1 May 2009)
- What were the reasons for, and results of, the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan? (TZ2 May 2009)
- Define, and analyse the importance of, two of the following: (a) containment (b) COMECON (c) détente (d) east European satellite states. (TZ2 May 2009)
- Analyse the role of mutual distrust in the development of the Cold War between 1953 and 1975. (TZ2 May 2009)
- Evaluate the role of the policies of the United States in the origins of the Cold War between 1945 and 1949. (TZ1 May 2010)
- To what extent were the policies of the United States responsible for the outbreak and development of the Cold War between 1945 and 1949? (TZ2 May 2010)
- Assess the role of Truman and Stalin in the origins and development of the Cold War. (TZ1 May 2012)
- “The sovietization of Eastern and Central Europe after the Second World War was undertaken as a defensive measure by the Soviet Union.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? (TZ1 May 2012)
- By what methods, and with what results, did the USSR impose control on Eastern Europe between 1945 and 1956? (TZ2 May 2012)
- Identify and explain the significance of two of the following in the development of the Cold War: COMECON; Marshall Plan; NATO; Warsaw Pact. (Nov 2005)
- Compare and contrast the economic policies and military alliances of the USSR and USA after 1947. (Nov 2006)
- “The breakdown of East-West relations was due to the failure of both sides to appreciate the fears of the other.” With reference to the period 1945–53, to what extent do you agree with this statement? (Nov 2007)
- How effective was the United States policy of containment up to 1962? (Nov 2007)
- “The importance of ideology as the major cause of the Cold War has been greatly exaggerated.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? (Nov 2008)
- “The events of 1945 marked both the high point and the breakdown of East–West relations.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? (Nov 2009)
Paper 3 Questions
- “The Cold War both helped and hindered the recovery of post Second World War western Europe.” To what extent do you agree with this judgment? (May 2006)