Truman Doctrine essay

Question: Assess the significance of the Truman Doctrine for the

origins and development of the Cold War.
The Truman Doctrine, introduced by American President Harry S.
Truman in March 1947 was extremely significant for the origin and
perpetuation of the Cold War. The doctrine was not only a bold
reversal of Americas isolationist foreign policy prior to WWII, but it
brought about an ideological veneration for a capitalism and
democracy that resonated in the West throughout the Cold War. The
Intention of the new ideology was to strategically protect democracy
and free markets from oppression in USA and its allies, and to create
a collective Western Anti-communist, pro patriotic sentiment in the
West. The consequences of the Doctrine are far reaching and were
ongoing, enabling the eventuation of many Cold War events.
The Truman Doctrine was integral in ending the USAs era of
isolationism, and ushering in the era of aggressive foreign policy,
which has continued to this day. Truman doctrine laid out the plans
for a new stance in foreign relations, the policy of containment,
outlined in Trumans speech in 1947. Containment was aimed at
containing and constraining communism to nations that were either
already communist, or were under the USSRs sphere of influence.
The scope of this new policy was quite broad, and would be
motivations for USAs intervention in overseas conflicts, such as the
early cold war campaigns of the Korean War, and the aid to Greece
and Turkey, as well as the Vietnam war, and occupation of
Afghanistan later in the cold war. Containment was significant in the
perpetuation of cold war tensions, evident in Thomas G. Patersons
assessment of the Doctrine: Military establishment (Led to) a
dangerous weapons race put a damper on diplomacy. Another
fundamental section of the Truman Doctrine was the Marshall plan.
The Marshall plan was another preventative measure to contain
communism, carried out by delivering monetary aid to Western
Europe, to support in their recovery of infrastructure and the
economy following WWII. The Motive of the USA was to prevent
communist ideology from flourishing out of despair in these
countries, as it was believed that communism was borne from a
state of economic decay. Under the Marshall plan, the USA gave a
total of over $12 billion of aid to Western Europe, including Britain,
France and Western Germany. The USA also gave $250 million to
Greece and $150 million to Turkey, to a build-up of their armed
forces. The policy of containment was integral in the consolidation of
Western power and anti communist sentiment, and the development
of the Cold War.
The Truman Doctrine was significant, as its implications dictated the
direction of the Cold War. Many impacts eventuated from Americas
stance on communism. Firstly, the Marshall plan helped to engrain

the deep divide between Eastern and Western Europe, which

became known as the iron Curtain. This idea was consolidated by
the introduction of treaties on both sides of the cold war. Treaties
such as SEATO, ANZUS, and the Baghdad pact were all caused by
the Truman doctrine, as the motives for the creation of the treaties
were to protect the defence of the West, in order to contain
communism. NATO was a treaty that was brought about by the
policy reforms of the Truman doctrine that was vital in the first few
decades of the cold war. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was
formed in April 1949, and consisted of 12 nations from the North
Atlantic. Its aim was to provide continuous self help and mutual
aid meaning that if there was an attack on one signatory, all
members would be obliged to defend against the attacker. This had
lasting implications on the Cold War, as is centrally coordinated the
west, massively consolidating its power. This increase in Power was
devastating defeat for soviet policy, according to Michael Kort, as
it institutionalised the Cold War and reinforced the East-west divide.
The response of the USSR to the aspects of the Truman Doctrine was
equally as hostile. The Comecon was established in retaliation to
NATO, the Warsaw Pact was formed, and the USSR enriched the KGB
to meet the strength of the CIA, to name a few aspects of the
Molotov Plan. The Brezhnev Doctrine was a response to the USA
policy of Containment. These examples reiterate the significance of
the Truman Doctrine in causing intensified conflict and tension in the
Cold War
The Truman Doctrine was centred on the Western ideology, and its
polices were centred on upholding and enforcing these values
amongst the population of the West. As Ideology was a fundamental
part of the Cold War, it can be said that the Doctrine was a key
determinant of the direction that the USA would take the Cold war.
The Truman Doctrine promoted patriotic values, by idolising western
values and promoting the media to produce pro-American, Procapitalist Propaganda. An example of this is the anti-communist
Comic books of the late 1940s to early 1950s that idealised the
American Dream and demonised the socialist ideology, such as Is
this tomorrow? America Under Communism from 1948. This
demonization of communism extended well past the indoctrination
of the American Youth, seen in the rise of McCarthyism in the early
1950s. Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy, encouraged by the
political ideals of the Truman Doctrine, evoked mass hysteria within
the US population, and was responsible for spreading an immense
fear of communism, this was impactful for not only the victims of
the communist witch hunt, but for the Cold Wars development as
a whole, as it perpetuated the fear of communism in the West,
enabling the West to take stronger action against Communism.
The Truman Doctrine was immensely important in the Origin and
Development of the Cold War, as it enabled for the tensions

between the USSR and the West to deepen. The policy of

Containment sparked the beginning of the Military arms race and
defence measures of the USA, to which the USSR was quick to
shadow. The doctrine was responsible for the engraining of the
divide between east and West Europe, through treaties such as
NATO, and the Marshall plan. The War of Ideologies was sustained
by the attitudes of the Doctrine, and the nature of politics in the arly
Cold War era. Overall, the Truman Doctrine was integral in basis and
furtherance of the Cold War.