After Great Britain made the US aware that it was no longer able to support the fight against communism in Greece and Turkey, President Truman gave a speech to Congress known as the Truman Doctrine.The doctrine, which was given in March of 1947, called the US to aid the governments of Greece and Turkey both militarily and financially with the goal of containing the communist ideals being spread through them.
In Greece, the government was in danger of communist rebellions in its civil war against the Greek Communist party. Additionally, Turkey was in danger of adopting communism because of Soviet expansion through the Mediterranean region.
Truman advised that the US should protect other nations militarily so that they wouldn't be attacked by the communists. Since Great Britain was no longer able to finance its military aid in containing communism in the Mediterranean, the US Congress responded with $400 million to support the military aid in Greece and Turkey.
Truman's reasoning behind putting so much effort into aiding Greece and Turkey was that the US had an obligation to help free people against "totalitarian regimes" that would hinder "international peace and hence the security of the United States."
The doctrine demonstrated the US's newfound leadership and abandonment of its isolationist ideals after World War II. Because of this, many believe that the Truman Doctrine announced the Cold War.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/truman-doctrine-is-announced
https://www.britannica.com/event/Truman-Doctrine
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/truman-doctrine
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/trudoc.asp
https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/lesson-plans/harry-truman-and-truman-doctrine
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/postwarera/postwar-era/a/start-of-the-cold-war-part-2
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI liked the detail you provided about the Truman Doctrine. Another important aspect that went hand in hand with the Truman Doctrine was the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan, drafted by George Marshall, provided more than $15 billion in aid to European nations. This was enacted following the devastation of Europe in World War II, and it served to finance rebuilding and reconstruction efforts in Europe. Another goal of the Marshall plan was to stop the spread of communism on Europe; it would be reconstructed with help from a democratic nation. Although many nations benefited, those who fought with the US and the Allied powers received more economic help.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/marshall-plan-1