The Cold War and Us Diplomacy
The Cold World and U.S. Diplomacy
The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy
On April 12, 1945, Harry S. Truman, the Vice President of the United States, was elevated by the sudden death of Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Presidency of the United States. During Harry S. Truman’s time in the Presidential office he faced many obstacles, yet formed many doctrines as solutions to these obstacles. His most notable contribution to date is the Truman Doctrine, which focused on containing the expansion of communism everywhere. It was aimed directly at the Soviets, led by Joseph Stalin whom had been an ally of the US during World War II. However, “the USSR and the USA were separated by a huge ideological gulf. So the only thing that held the allies together was the need to destroy Hitler and the Nazis. Given their underlying differences – when Hitler was finally defeated in 1945 – a Cold War was perhaps inevitable”. (Yalta). Truman vehemently despised communism and felt that it was America’s duty block the expansion of those ideals. During the Cold War, Truman and the United States established peace and held back Soviet expansion and built economic and political stability through the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The Cold War began because Stalin began to break the agreements with allies established at the 1945 conference at Yalta. The one major agreement made during the conference, was that free or democratic elections were to take place in East Europe. Instead, however, Communist regimes that were obedient to Moscow were put into place and also had many troops in Eastern Europe. It was as Churchill Stated in 1946 in Fulton, “that Soviets rang down an “Iron Curtain” to cut off East Europe. It was beginning to be very apparent that “Moscow was closing off East Europe into brutal Soviet satellites and partitioning the peaceful, open world we had envisioned”. (Truman Doctrine)
In a speech to Congress on March 12, 1947 Truman stated,
The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy
On April 12, 1945, Harry S. Truman, the Vice President of the United States, was elevated by the sudden death of Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Presidency of the United States. During Harry S. Truman’s time in the Presidential office he faced many obstacles, yet formed many doctrines as solutions to these obstacles. His most notable contribution to date is the Truman Doctrine, which focused on containing the expansion of communism everywhere. It was aimed directly at the Soviets, led by Joseph Stalin whom had been an ally of the US during World War II. However, “the USSR and the USA were separated by a huge ideological gulf. So the only thing that held the allies together was the need to destroy Hitler and the Nazis. Given their underlying differences – when Hitler was finally defeated in 1945 – a Cold War was perhaps inevitable”. (Yalta). Truman vehemently despised communism and felt that it was America’s duty block the expansion of those ideals. During the Cold War, Truman and the United States established peace and held back Soviet expansion and built economic and political stability through the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The Cold War began because Stalin began to break the agreements with allies established at the 1945 conference at Yalta. The one major agreement made during the conference, was that free or democratic elections were to take place in East Europe. Instead, however, Communist regimes that were obedient to Moscow were put into place and also had many troops in Eastern Europe. It was as Churchill Stated in 1946 in Fulton, “that Soviets rang down an “Iron Curtain” to cut off East Europe. It was beginning to be very apparent that “Moscow was closing off East Europe into brutal Soviet satellites and partitioning the peaceful, open world we had envisioned”. (Truman Doctrine)
In a speech to Congress on March 12, 1947 Truman stated,
References: Roskin, M.G. & Berry, N.O. (2010). IR: The new world of international relations: Eighth ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson Education. Retrieved from http://www.johndclare.net/Basics_ColdWar.htm Retrieved from http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWyalta.htm Retrieved from http://www.marshallfoundation.org/TheMarshallPlan.htm