The Success of the U.S. Foreign Policy
During the period of 1945-1963, the U.S. strived to bring a halt to the spread of communism in Europe and Asia. As president Harry Truman stated before a joint session of Congress in 1947, “The policy of the United States is to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures”. The U.S. undoubtedly stuck to this policy throughout the Cold War years. The Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, and North Atlantic Treaty all supported the above quotation. Although there were many bumps along the way, in the end the U.S. succeeded in successfully containing communist expansion.
The Truman Doctrine, which was delivered on March 12, 1947, set a new course for American foreign policy. President Truman spoke in front of Congress about Greece and Turkey’s struggle to stop communist forces in their countries. He said that the fight they were engaging in was the fight that all free people had to confront. In expressing his views on helping the people of Greece and Turkey, Truman stated, “I believe that we must assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way”. As a result of Truman’s address, Congress voted to aid Greece and Turkey with $400 million.
About a year later, Congress approved George C. Marshall’s plan that would give approximately $13 billion in grants and loans to Western European nations. The program supplied food, fuel, medical supplies, and money to the struggling countries. Not only did the Marshall Plan benefit the countries receiving aid, it also helped the U.S. greatly. The prosperity the plan stimulated helped the American economy by increasing trade. More importantly, the good relationships that the aid created worked against the expansion of communism.
The North Atlantic Treaty is another example of how the U.S. and its allies combated Communist aggression. As stated in article 5 of the 1949 treaty, “The Parties agree that an...