Table of Contents
An opening
Etymology of the Policy of Containment
Truman Doctrine
Policy of Containment, ‘Case studies’
The conflict in Korea (known as the Korean War) began in 1950 and ended in 1953.
Cuba:
Vietnam:
Afghanistan:
Aftermath: The Fall of Soviet Communism
In conclusion
The American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), also known by the American War of Independence (also called the American War of Independence), was the moment when the United States declared its independence. It was here that the American founding fathers established a clear and consistent national policy. This policy was maintained for the first 200 years of American history. It was the policy independenceism and not-interventionsim. This meant the United States did away with alliances with other states to avoid being drawn in to wars not related directly to territorial self defense. However, they also maintained a limited diplomacy. The United States’ non-interventiosnism policy avoided many potential conflicts. For example, when Alexander II of Russia suppressed the 1863 January Uprising, Napoleon III of France asked for the United States to support the protest. But it was [United States] decined. The United States intervened during the Spanish-American War. This resulted in the United States taking control of Guam, Puerto Rico and Philipines. The United States continued to implement its non-interventionist foreign policies even after the First World War. In its initial stages, the United States Congress ignored Woodrow Wilson’s conditions in the Treaty of Versailles. Even in the first years of World War II, America’s Congress continued to be averse to interventionism and isolationism. However, Europe was moving closer to war in late 1930s and the Congress did everything possible to stop it. It wasn’t until after the Second World War that the US’s foreign policies were characterized by full-scale interferenceism. This meant that the US was involved directly in the affairs of other countries. In order to combat the threat of Communism in an economically weak and vulnerable Europe, the US provided monetary assistance immediately after the war ended. The Marshall Plan was clearly identified by this label on the financial packages. It was actually the first step towards implementing the ‘Truman Doctrine,’ which was under the umbrella of the policy Containment. This Cold War foreign policy was meant to prevent the spread and expansion of Communism. This was an element of the Cold War. It was a reaction to the Soviet Union’s attempts to increase communist influence across Eastern Europe, China and South Korea. Containment was considered a middle ground between detente’ and rollback’. Although the Cold War ended in 1991 it marked the end for the containment policy. The U.S. however maintained bases in Russia’s surrounding areas such as Iceland and Germany. The triumph of the Containment policy was an incentivizing factor in a multipolar world. This is one in which a few large regions create increasingly distinct models of politics and society. Our sense is that the Americas, Europe and China-centric Asia are already on their way to becoming the three principal ‘poles’ of a multipolar order, with perhaps India and the Emirate states together having the potential to be a future ‘pole.’ Independent, mid-sized countries like Russia, the UK and Japan may struggle for influence in this kind of world through lack of economic size or hard power required to match the larger ‘poles.’IntroductionThe US-led global political order of the contemporary world came at the virtue of the triumph of US foreign policy that witnessed fall of the Soviet Communism. There was a silver lining to the global devastation that Fascism caused, and the victory of the Allies over it was. It also offered the hope that the superpowers would maintain good relations, but this illusion soon faded due to the Soviet support of communist insurgencies throughout the world and the Stalinization. In 1947, Britain pulled out from the eastern Mediterranean after its economy was weakened. This would result in the exclusion of both Greece, which was experiencing a communist-inspired civil conflict, and Turkey. As a national leader, Truman asked Congress to approve aid for Greece and Turkey. He also stated that the United States would continue to support peoples resisting communist aggression. The Truman Doctrine is a policy that obligates the United States to support unworthy regimes and takes on more responsibility than it can bear. The Truman Doctrine, however, was initially limited in its application. The United States used economic assistance to help its foreign policy. The European Recovery Program, commonly known as the Marshall Plan was the foundation of this policy. This program, also called the Marshall Plan and the most successful, was created in 1948 by Congress. Over the next five decades, $13 Billion worth of aid was poured into western Europe. (Although aid was also available to Eastern-bloc members, Stalin forced them to withdraw. This plan brought economic vitality back to the region and strengthened the communist parties. This policy, called Containment by George F. Kennan, was a result of the Truman Doctrine (later the Marshall Plan) and the decision that the West German zones would be a pillar to strength. The U.S.’s 1949 creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance of 12 (later 16), nations, was a logical conclusion to this policy. The U.S followed containment in Korea, Nuclear-Proliferation, Space-Race, Science and Technology, Cuba, Vietnam and Afghanistan and these big global changes during these years saw the world transition from a bipolar world to a multipolar world. The United States is still a powerful economic and military power, but rising countries like China, India and Brazil have challenged that dominance. The Policy of Containment – Etymology French Premier Georges Clemenceau urged for a Sanitary Cordon, a circle of non-communist nations, in March 1919. Woodrow Wilson, the U.S. president, called for a “quarantine” to replace communism. The United States was confluencing countries to establish the World Bank and IMF. However, the Soviet Union was strongly opposed to both monetary bodies. They claimed they were governed to demonstrate the US’ superiority and fulfill their national interests through economic subjugation, domination, and dominance. The Central Intelligence Agency was increasingly used by the government to provide detailed information on Communist movements in order to contain them. The National Security Act of 1947 established the CIA to conduct espionage abroad. Some of this was visible, but more of it was secret. In November 1948, Truman approved NSC 20/4, a classified declaration of containment policy. This was the first comprehensive US security policy statement. In 1949, the Soviet Union conducted its first nuclear test. The National Security Council was prompted to create a revised security policy. It was completed in April 1950 and became NSC 68. It determined that massive military buildup was needed to counter the Soviet threat. This is the right time to highlight George Frost Kennan (1902-16-1904 – March 17, 2005), an American diplomat historian. He is most well-known for advocating a policy of containment against Soviet expansion during Cold War. He was a prolific lecturer and author of scholarly histories on the USSR-USSR relations. He was also one of the group of foreign policy elders known as ‘The Wise Men’ (Walter Issacson’s book on eminent US leader and East Coast foreign policy officials)[footnoteRef:3]. Under Truman’s reign, he served as the US ambassador to Soviet Union. His writings as well as those of George C. Marshall and Dean Acheson in the late 1940s inspired the Truman Doctrine. It was the U.S.’s foreign policy to ‘contain’ the Soviet Union. His 1946 telegram from Moscow and the 1947 article titled the Long Telegram’ (under the pseudonym Mr. X), argued against the expansionist nature of the Soviet regime and required that it be ‘contained within strategic areas of critical importance to the United States. These texts were a justification for Truman’s anti-Soviet policies. Kennan was a key player in the creation of the definitive Cold War programs, institutions, and the Marshall Plan. The Truman Doctrine. American foreign-policy measures needed to counter the Soviet Union’s geopolitical extension during Cold War. After serving as vice president, Harry S. Truman was elected 33rd president (1945-1953). The ‘Truman Doctrine” followed. He created NATO and the Truman Doctrine. [footnoteRef.4] Truman was dependent on the support of both the Republicans and the Democrats to pass any legislation. Truman began the process by having key congressional figures meet with him, Secretary George Marshall, Undersecretary of state Dean Acheson, and other officials. Acheson presented the “domino thesis” in the most stark terms. He described a communist nation as a rotten Apple that could spread its illness to entire barrels. Republican leaders were impressed by Truman’s presentation and suggested that he appear before Congress.
Truman made his appearance before Congress on March 12, 1947. He spoke for eighteen minutes and stated that the United States must support those who resist attempted subjugation from armed minorities or outside pressures. We must help free people to make their own decisions. My view is that economic and financial assistance should be the primary means of our help. This strategy, commonly known as the Marshall Plan, was established by Congress in 1948. The ‘Economic Cooperation Administration,’ which spent approximately $13 Billion over five years to aid western Europe. “Case Study” of the Polic of ContainmentThe Korean War. The South Korean government resulting from this war promulgated an official constitution, and Syngman Rhee was elected president on the 20th of July 1948. The U.S. fought to contain the North Korean communist invasion and entered the Korean War. General Douglas MacArthur advanced to North Korea across the 38th Parallel. The Chinese sent in an army to defeat the U.N. forces and pushed them below the 38th Parallel. This interpretation allowed this episode to confirm the wisdom behind the containment doctrine and not rollback. Later, the Communists found a way to get around the original frontier. Truman was critical of MacArthur’s success and decided to pursue a policy called ‘limited warfare’.
Cuba: During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis top Washington officials discussed the possibility of using rollback as a means to eliminate Soviet nuclear-missiles that were threatening America. There was fear of a war until a compromise was reached. The Soviets would not publicly withdraw their nuclear weapons. In return, the United States would secretly eliminate its missiles in Turkey. To avoid an invasion of Cuba. President John F. Kennedy enacted the policy to contain Cuba. This policy was in effect until 2015. Vietnam: The Vietnam War was already nine years old when the 1964 US presidential election took place. Lyndon B. Johnson (Democratic nominee) won with a large margin thanks to his endorsement of the policy Containment, particularly during the Vietnam War. Johnson created a group called The Wise Men, which consisted of older statesmen. Kennan and Acheson were among the group. Nixon, who succeeded Johnson in 1969, called his foreign policy detente. This is a relaxation of tension. While the Soviet Union was still under threat, the policy was grounded on political realism. It considered the national interest first, and not communism or democracy second. Afghanistan:President Jimmy Carter came to office in 1977 and was committed to a foreign policy that emphasized human rights. Containment was once again emphasized as a priority after the Soviet invasion. Intentionally, the Carter Doctrine (1980), echoed the Truman Doctrine’s words. Aftermath: Fall Of Soviet CommunismThe two decades-long war following the 1979 Soviet invasion had led to the complete destruction of Afghanistan’s state institutions, armed forces and economy. Additionally, U.S., allied (including Afghan), forces have dismantled most of the terrorist organizations in Afghanistan that attacked America’s homeland 15 years ago. Given the precarious current situation, the United States and its allies — who together contribute more that $5 billion annually to Kabul in civilian assistance–must make critical decisions about how they will support Afghanistan moving forward. It is clear that the U.S.’s future engagement in Afghanistan remains a key external factor in both the progress of the conflict as well as the formation of the Afghan state. In the 1960s-70s, the Soviet Union’s Communist Party quickly gained power and wealth while millions of Soviet citizens suffered starvation. The Soviet Union’s efforts to industrialize at all cost led to frequent shortages and high prices for food and other consumer goods. Breadlines were common during the 1970s-80s. Soviet citizens had difficulty accessing basic necessities like clothing and shoes. The 1980s saw the United States isolate the Soviet economy from the rest and drive oil prices down to their lowest level in decades. The Soviet Union lost control of Eastern Europe when its oil and gas revenues plummeted dramatically. The 1989 political revolution in Poland sparked many peaceful revolutions throughout Eastern Europe and resulted in the fall of Berlin Wall. The USSR was splintered by 1989. Gorbachev quit as the head of USSR on December 25, 1991. The Soviet Union was declared extinct on December 31, 1991. This marked the end to the 1991 Cold War. The Soviet Union’s disintegration into distinct nations and the reemergence and development of Russia made it impossible for pro-U.S. alliances to survive. Climate change and nuclear terrorism were two of the many issues that presented themselves. Zbigniew Brezinski, a scholar, said that the United States had lost many opportunities because it did not have a clear strategic vision. The United States slashed its foreign budget and cold war defense budget over the 1990s. It emphasized domestic economic prosperity and had 526,000 troops stationed abroad in dozens countries. The Cold War marked the peak of the peacetime military-industrial structures, especially in America, as well as large-scale military funding for science. Even though these complexes could have been established as far back as 19th century, their size and influence has increased significantly since the Cold War. Their military-industrial structures have a significant impact on their societies and influence their foreign relations, policy, and society. They hoped for great power cooperation. Historians will remember this as an extraordinary time. They see it as a defining moment. A time of unprecedented global changes, and the beginning and ending of another chapter. ConclusionContainment was a foreign policy strategy followed by the United States during the Cold War. George F. Kennan first proposed the strategy in 1947. He believed that communism should be contained and isolated to prevent it from spreading to other countries. American foreign policy advisers believed that if one country falls to communism then all other countries would follow suit, much like a series of dominoes. This belief was called the Domino theory. The U.S. intervened in Vietnam, Central America and Grenada because of its domino theory and policy of containment. The Cold War was initiated after World War Two. Formerly under Nazi rule, countries were split between the U.S.S.R., France, Poland, and other Nazi-occupied European states. Since the United States was an important ally during the liberation of western Europe, it became heavily involved in the new divided continent. Eastern Europe isn’t being made back free, but being under the military and politics of the Soviet Union. As part of his Truman Doctrine, President Harry Truman adopted the policy of containment in 1947. This meant that America would support the freedom of people who resist being subjugated by armed minorities or other pressures. It included strategic enduring measures, including the establishment NATO and US involvements in Korea, Cuba Vietnam, Vietnam, Afghanistan, which ultimately led the Soviet Union to collapse and the end of bi-polarity. It opened up the possibility of a multipolar future, where smaller regions have developed increasingly distinct models of politics and finance.
