The Truman doctrine was the name given to the foreign policy announced by United States President Harry Truman during a speech delivered on March 12, 1947, in Congress. Although not mentioned directly, it was also a veiled warning given to the Soviet Union for its policy of expanding communism in Europe.
The United States made it known that it would intervene to support any nation that was being threatened by another country to impose its ideology or system of government. An attack against any member of NATO would be considered an attack against her own country.
Harry truman
It was initially presented in the form of economic and political aid for Greece and Turkey, two countries threatened militarily by the USSR. The Truman doctrine set the tone for American foreign policy in the coming decades in the face of international communism.
It signified a political and military commitment by the States to any country that felt threatened. This resulted in the warming of the Cold War, as well as the implementation of the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, which cost about 13 billion dollars.
Causes
- After the end of World War II, Europe was devastated and in a situation of financial and military weakness. Therefore, the fear of communist expansion towards the West and America became clear.
- The Soviet Union and communism advanced rapidly in Eastern Europe and threatened to extend their radius of influence, and even invade Turkey and Greece. This threat reached the United Nations, whose security was endangered.
- Turkey and Greece had previously been supported by Great Britain to fight communist rebel cells. These groups intended to seize power in both countries because of their geopolitical importance.
- British economic and military aid was cut off due to the economic situation in the UK after the war. Then, Great Britain, Turkey and Greece requested help from the United States to avoid falling into the hands of the countries of the communist orbit.
Dangers of Soviet expansionism
- The United States feared that each country conquered by the Communists would become a satellite for Soviet expansionism through neighboring nations, in a kind of “domino effect”.
- If the Soviet Union succeeded in conquering Greece and Turkey, it could then control and dominate the Middle East and all of Europe's trade with Asia through the Black Sea and the Aegean.
- The threats of communism and the express request of help from Europe to the United States caused a turn in American foreign policy.
- The responsibilities of the United States in the world increased by becoming the guarantor of its security and freedom and, consequently, its global power.
- Within the United States, Truman's speech caused alarm in the political and economic establishment, as world peace and democracy were threatened.
- Anti-communist sentiment grew within the American people, and the Truman doctrine immediately gained a following.
- The United States government saw at this juncture the possibility of becoming the only world power, whose power was only disputed by the USSR.
goals
The objectives of the Truman doctrine were as follows:
- Prevent the Soviet Union from dominating the route that leads from Eastern Europe to Western Europe through the maritime channel of the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and then the Mediterranean Sea. The Soviets pressured Turkey to gain control of the Dardanelles (a strait linking Europe and Asia).
- In the strategy of controlling this region, the other key country was Greece, which borders the Aegean Sea. Furthermore, at that time the Greek Communists were waging a civil war that was supported by the Soviet Communists.
- The United States wanted to encircle the maritime power of the Soviets to prevent their warships from having free passage beyond the Black Sea.
- The Truman doctrine was part of a general strategy against the spread of communism in Europe and the world. It included financial aid to allied countries and military support to safeguard their security and system of government.
- The long-term goal of the United States, in addition to curbing communism, was to increase its influence in the world until it became the great economic and military power of today.
Consequences
- The Marshall Plan was implemented, named after Secretary of State George C. Marshall, who developed it in June 1947. The plan was aimed at financially assisting the allied European countries, devastated by World War II. It was also offered to the countries of Eastern Europe, but they rejected it on Stalin's instructions.
- Within the assistance agreements, an aid of 400 million dollars was approved for Greece and Turkey, in May of that same year. Later, both countries became members of NATO.
- Between 1945 and 1953, the financial aid of the United States to the countries aligned with the democratic system was 44.3 billion dollars. Marshall argued that the aid was not directed to any country in particular, and indicated that it did not respond to a certain doctrine, "but against hunger, poverty, despair and chaos."
- These financial aid from the US led to a new role for this country in world geopolitics. Left-wing intellectuals around the world dubbed him the "world's police." The United States went from being a country with a foreign policy rather of isolation, to a clearly interventionist policy.
- Under this doctrine the American way of life and the free market system were also sold as the ideal for the reconstruction of Europe, in addition to being the recipe for the best defense of any other country threatened by communism.
- After helping Turkey and Greece along with the rest of Europe, the United States got involved in other conflicts in Asia (Korea and Vietnam) and Latin America.
- With the implementation of the Truman doctrine as of 1947, US national security acquired a broader dimension, not limited to protecting its territories but also its interests.
References
- The Truman Doctrine. Retrieved May 16, 2018 from historylearningsite.co.uk
- Causes of the Truman Doctrine. Consulted of trumandoctrinewolfpd5.weebly.com
- Christopher McKnight Nichols. Consequences of the Truman Doctrine. Consulted of blog.oup.com
- What were the goals of the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan? Consulted of socratic.org
- The Objectives and Effects of the Popular Truman Doctrine. Consulted of kibin.com
- The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan. Retrieved from history.state.gov
- The Truman Doctrine. Consulted of johndclare.net