Causes Of The Truman Doctrine

The United States was in the midst of a massive World War that shook Europe and threatened the very principles of freedom and Democracy. On April 12 1945, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who has dealt with the majority of the war, died of an Intracerebral Hemorrhage leaving Harry S. Truman to finish the global war and handle the future issues of the Cold War that will rise as consequence of World War II. World War II was in the final stages as Nazi German was surrounded and the allies were slowly closing in on Berlin; however, Truman soon engaged in conflicts concerning the spread of communism by Soviet Russia. Tensions began to rise between the Democratic West and Communist East, as the United States and Soviet Russia were the only two nations
The Truman Doctrine was established on May, 12 1947, in Truman’s speech to congress concerning the Greece. The Truman promised to economically and militarily aid all free people facing threats of subjugation. The doctrine itself was not a major turning point in short term foreign policy, as he had established similar ideas in containment months earlier; however, it was important in rallying the publics support, as it was heavily publicized. Public support would overall make actions easier to pass foreign policies, as it thinly united the Republican and Democratic parties. Anti-communist in both parties were forced to put aside their skepticism and support Truman. The unity that Truman created would instill anti-communism, its containment, and it’s down fall, as these policies would be supported throughout eight presidents after him, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Regan, and George Bush, and the remainder of the Cold War. The Truman Doctrine also caused the creation of the Marshal Plan. The European economy lay in ruins and economic reconstruction was slow. These were the conditions in which Communism grew, as its principles appeal to people who were under extreme hardship, as Communism is supposed to support the basic needs of everyone equally. Truman recognized this threat and quickly moved to sign the Marshal plan. The Marshall Plan’s was an Economic Assistance Act strived to stabilize Europe both economically and politically. The plan focused on Capitalist ideals and free market to bolster economic production and defer people from supporting communist parties in their country. Harry Truman signed the Marshall Plan on April 3 1948. The United States ended up providing 13 billion dollars in aid to Europe. The funding prevented Germany, Greece, Turkey, and many other countries from going