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Assignment 2: Current Events and U.S. Diplomacy
Due Week 9 and worth 135 points
Draw from the information gained in your first research paper and expand your research to follow up in a new paper. Write three to four (3-4) new pages that address the following:
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Running header: TRUMAN DOCTRINE 1
Truman Doctrine
Melissa Stowe
Strayer University
08/14/2020
TRUMAN DOCTRINE 2
The Truman Doctrine
The doctrine was a policy that was used by America to manage the Soviet geopolitical
during the period of the cold war. Truman doctrine was introduced to congress by the
then-president Harry S. Truman in the year 1947. However, it was further developed in the
year 1948 when the president pledged to mitigate the uprising of the communists in both
Greek and Turkey. There is a need to understand the Truman doctrine as it became the basis
of American foreign policy (“Milestones: 1945–1952,” 2017). Therefore, this paper will
discuss the doctrine and its implications to other nations.
Under the principles of the doctrine, direct military conquest was not allowed by
congress. However, financial aid was approved to support the militaries of Turkey and
Greece. The Communist government that was threatened during this period was supported by
money and equipment to fight in the war. President Harry S. Truman advocated for the
support to free people who were being pressured by the outside armed groups. Historians
regard the speech by Truman as the initiating factor of the cold war. After the formation of
the doctrine, a military alliance was formed in the year 1949. The address by Truman was
made during the Greek Civil war. The president insisted that if the Greek and Turkey would
not have received the support they required to fight in the war, then they would fall to the
communists. Greek and Turkey falling to communism would have impacts in the region.
In May 1947, the president signed the Truman doctrine into law that was to be used
by the country. As a result of this, America donated $400 million as economic and military
aid to Greece and Turkey. However, the aid that was provided by the Americans acted as a
replacement of the British aid that was not in the position to support the war. Before 1947 the
British had the policy to contain the opposition to communist in Greece (“Truman Doctrine
and the Marshall Plan (article),” 2017). Truman doctrine was formally extended to form the
TRUMAN DOCTRINE 3
American cold war policy that was used around the world. Moreover, the doctrine also
shifted the foreign policy of America to the containment of communist pressures. The
introduction of the doctrine by President Truman has impacts on both America and other
nations of the world.
As a result of the doctrine, the Greeks were able to defeat the communist nations. The
Americans provided support to the Greeks that they were to use to fight the pressure groups
that were influencing the operation. Another consequence of the Truman doctrine is that it
increased the rift between the Soviet Union and the United States of America. The Soviet
Union supported communism while the United States was opposed to such organizations. As
a result of the pressure from these factors, the world was divided into two groups, communist
and non-communist groups.
Furthermore, the doctrine enabled the United States of America to be involved in European
affairs. The American Foreign Policy that was created due to the doctrine was used to form
NATO, which is a military alliance. The alliance was used to solve problems of the European
countries that had existed. Also, the policy enabled the United States to decide on the
Marshall and Stalin set up (“Truman Doctrine: Origins and significance, 1947,” 2018). The
plan was to help the European countries that were willing to participate in the organization.
Initially, the country was not decided on whom to support, but the doctrine gave them a
significant boost on whom to support.
Also, another consequence of the doctrine is that after World War II, China was not
safe due to the pressures of communist nations. The doctrine was used to aid China in
fighting the war they had with North Korea. The US also urged the United Nations to help
China fight its enemies. Moreover, in the 9/11 attacks by the United States to Afghanistan
and Iraq, the doctrine was used. As a result of this war, more causalities were recorded, but
TRUMAN DOCTRINE 4
the United States was preventing the invasion of the other groups. Additionally, the doctrine
also has impacts on other European countries that supported communism. Italy and France
are communist countries that we’re encouraged to keep out of the movement (“Marshall Plan
and Molotov plan | History of western civilization II,” 2018). The move was to keep the
opposition groups that were in Eastern Europe not to exist.
In conclusion, the Truman doctrine was advanced by President Harry S. Truman in
1947. The purpose of the doctrine was to quest the rising powers of the communist countries.
Through the doctrine, the United States was able to support the Greeks during their civil war
with $ 400 million. One benefit of the doctrine is that it maintained the political stability of
the Middle East. Through the support they provided to Greek during the civil war that they
had, it prevented interruptions by the communist countries. Moreover, the doctrine enabled
countries to be independent and free from invasions by the communists. Therefore, the
doctrine obeyed political independence and democracy of individual countries. Also, the
benefit of the doctrine is that it leads to the formation of NATO, which is a military alliance.
The union has been in existence since the introduction of the Truman doctrine. However,
though the doctrine has its benefits, it also has its limitations. One of the drawbacks of the
doctrine is that it strained the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union advocated for communism while America was against, thus leading to the
rift between the two.
The increased tension in the world as a result of the doctrine intervention on
communism proved that there were divisions in the world. Marshall Plan that was introduced
by the doctrine made the other European countries to have drifted on the policies of the
United States. Other countries that advocated for communism looked for avenues that they
could use to fight back the American ideologies. Due to the rifts that were occurring in the
TRUMAN DOCTRINE 5
world, there was a rise in the cold war that occurred between the communist and
non-communists. Therefore, the Truman doctrine is an essential factor in the rise of the cold
war in the world.
References The Marshall Plan and Molotov plan | History of western civilization II. (2018). Lumen
Learning – Simple Book Production. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldhistory2/chapter/the- marshall-plan-and-molotov-plan/
Milestones: 1945–1952. (2017). Office of the Historian. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/truman-doctrine
The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan (article). (2017). Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/postwarera/postwar- era/a/start-of-the-cold-war-part-2
The Truman Doctrine: Origins and significance, 1947. (2018). SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-1-349-20503-5_3