Truman Doctrine Free Essays

Truman Doctrine In February of 1947, Britain informed the United States that it could no longer provide financial aid to Greece and Turkey. The U S had been monitoring Greece economically and their political problems, paying close attention to the rise of the Communist-led insurgency known as the National Liberation Front, or the ( Trumanlibrary2011). They were also monitoring events taking in Turkey. We will write a custom essay sample on Truman Doctrine or any similar topic only for you Order Now Turkey’s government was week and they were being pressured by the Soviets to share control of the Dardanelle Straits† ( Trumanlibrary2011). Secretary of State Dean Acheson expressed to Congress and state department officials the omino theory. Acheson made it known that more was at stake than just Greece and Turkey, and that if those key states should fall, Communism would likely spread south to Iran and as far east as India ( Trumanlibrary2011). In March, of 1947, President Truman asked a joint session of Congress for an excessive amount of funds for military and economic assistance for Greece and Turkey and established the Truman Doctrine, that would guide U. S. diplomacy for the next 40 years (Trumanlibrary2011). President Truman declared, â€Å"It must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are esisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures† ( Trumanlibrary2011). Aide to Greece and Turkey by Congress indicate d the beginning of cold war foreign policy. That later was referred to as containment. He also took measures to contain Soviet influence in Europe, including the Marshall Plan and NATO . Containment required detailed information about Communist activity, and the government increasingly relied on the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). As an extra measure of security he also approved a statement of containment policy called NSC 20/4 in November 1948, the first statement of ecurity policy ever created by the United States ( Bowen, 2011). The Soviets first nuclear test in 1949 caused the National Security Council to create a revised security doctrine known as NSC 68( Bowen, 2011). The United States prevented Greece from falling to Communism. It added Greece to its sphere of influence and gained influence in the region. It also supplied the military and economic power to enable the Greek monarchy to defeat an army of communist-led insurgents in 1947- 49 and won a victory that became a mo del for U. S. relations toward civil wars and insurgencies Barnet, 1968) . Almost two decades later the President of the United States was defending his intervention in Vietnam by pointing out Truman’s success in Greece. The American experience in Greece set the pattern for subsequent interventions in internal wars and also suggested the criteria for assessing the success or failure of counter-insurgency operations( Barnet, 1968). Greece was the first major police task which the United States took on in the postwar world. The Marshall plan is sad to be the most successful full scale aid program ever orchestrated Trumanlibrary2011), and was beneficial for the American economy itself as it allowed the European to continue buy American goods while cementing the transatlantic political ties (Gaddis, 1974). With the end of the Cold War, Turkey tried to reposition itself as still useful to the West, opening up its military bases to the United States and its western European allies in 1990 for the United Nations– sanctioned war to liberate Kuwait from an Iraqi invasion. But two things have turned the tide against Turkey’s centrality since then: the 2003 U. S. war on Iraq and the Arab Spring. First, the Arab Spring of 2011-12 has eroded Turkey’s distinction as leader of the democratic Muslim world. Now Egypt and Tunisia are fledgling democracies, Jordan and Morocco have been pressured to liberalize, Iraq had already been dragged bloodily into the democratic world, even Libya has elections scheduled, while Syria and Yemen may even be fully democratic before long. Although Islamism is making inroads in some of these areas after the revolutions, the West, if it plays its cards right, could have a whole host of friendly regimes to work with all over the Middle East. And not all of hem will be as grumpy and difficult as the Turkish government usually is. Moreover, this year Arab Spring–style street politics has begun to make an appearance in Turkey’s large Kurdish communities in a big way (see my recent blog article on the Kurdish Spring). Ankara has not yet figured out how to respond to this, and it is intersecting messily with Syria’s ongoing civi l war, where Kurds are participants with shifting alliances (see my recent blog article on these dynamics). Turkey is now at serious risk of looking unambiguously like one of the Bad Guys in the movement for democracy in the egion, no matter how strongly it sides against Syria. (See my blog article on prospects for the partition of Syria. ) Secondly, earlier, in the Iraq War, the U. S. occupied and established a long-term military presence in Iraq and replaced Saddam Hussein with a democratic (more or less) government that includes an autonomous Kurdish quasi-state in the north. The U. S. treats Iraqi Kurdistan in most respects like an independent state, and Turkey fears it is potentially sympathetic to Turkey’s deeply popular but brutally repressed Kurdish separatists just over the border and their armed resistance. Because of the Kurdish entity, which came into existence gradually in the decade between the two Iraq wars under U. S. nurturing, and for other reasons, Turkey was not so accommodating to the U. S. -and-allied military during that second Gulf War. Then, as Israel and the U. S. (NATO, not so enthusiastically) have swiveled their gunsights over to Iran as the next great Satan to be defeated, Turkey, though it borders Iran, is not really needed at all anymore. Iraqi Kurdistan and the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan are the new staging grounds for U. S. and Israeli cold war and covert ops against Iran. For Turkey, this stings: Azerbaijan, a fellow Sunni Muslim and Turkic-speaking nation, did not turn out to be as staunch a Turkish ally as was hoped, and now Azerbaijan’s new B. F. F. s seem to be Israel and America. The consolidation of alliances between the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) and between the US and Japan, as well as the strengthening of ties between Japan and the ROK in recent years, has further intensified tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the world’s only region that has remnants of the Cold War, and made it an urgent task to promote denuclearization on the peninsula and aintain its peace and stability. In late 2010 and early 2011, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the US, two key rivals in the region, had some engagements under the brokering of China, which to some extent eased tensions on the peninsula. In the meantime, the DPRK embraced a restrained attitude toward the joint military exercises conducted between the US and the ROK and expressed its willingness for engagement with Washington and Seoul and the unconditional resumption of the stalled Six-Party Talks. It even said it would agree to discuss its uranium enrichment plan during talks. In response, the US put forward a plan for three-stage talks, with talks between the two Koreas first and then consultations between itself and Pyongyang. Only after that, it said, would the six-way talks be resumed. At the same time, warmer ties between China and the US, Japan and the ROK since the start of this year, together with its improving ties with the DPRK, have brought some positive effects to the evolution of the Korean Peninsula situations. However, the stances between the US, the ROK and Japan on one side and the DPRK on the other have so far remained widely divergent on how to resume he Six-Party Talks, which also comprises China and Russia. In particular, Washington and Seoul still remain suspicious of Pyongyang’s motive in returning to the long-stalled talks, demanding Pyongyang take concrete actions to show its sincerity before the restarting of the multilateral talks. Since last year, some positive trends have emerged within the DPRK, such as the greater impo rtance it has attached to reforms and improving people’s livelihoods. To ensure a smooth transition of political power and extricate itself from lingering economic and security dilemmas, the ountry has made goodwill gestures to China in the hope of acquiring more support from its neighbor, as indicated by the three visits to China by its supreme leader Kim Jong-il since last May. By Zhang Tuosheng China Daily, June 16, 2011 In conclusion, at the time, Congressmen, government officials, journalists and other elements debated the merits of the Truman Doctrine, and its still being debated today. Defenders have seen Truman address as the turning point when Americans abandoned isolationism and accepted their responsibilities as a world power. Critics have seen it as the beginning of the United States becoming a orld policeman, committing resources and manpower all over the world in an attempt to contain a mythical, international Communist conspiracy† (Gaddis, 1974). The Trum an Doctrine became the way to keep a nation free of communist influence. Although it was targeted for Turkey and Greece, it was envisioned for a broader reach. This was made very clear when he requested as part of a general policy to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. His doctrine was the first step in the containment strategy of the Soviet Union esigned to prevent the spread of communist influence in Western Europe (Gaddis, 1974). References HYPERLINK â€Å"http://www. foreignaffairs. com/†http://www. foreignaffairs. com, John Lewis Gaddis, 1974 (Gaddis, 1974) Mary Baldwin College, Prof. Gordon L. Bowen, Ph. D. , Foundations of U. S. Cold War Policies:The Truman Doctrine ( Bowen, 2011) HYPERLINK â€Å"http://www. trumanlibrary. org/whistlestop/study_collections/doctrine/large/index. php†http://www. trumanlibrary. org/whistlestop/study_collections/doctrine/large/index. php ( Trumanlibrary2011) Inter vention and Revolution ,The United States in the Third World. , Richard How to cite Truman Doctrine, Essay examples Truman Doctrine Free Essays Truman Doctrine Ryan Hauppa A. Plan of Investigation The following questions will be investigated: What were the events and decisions that led to the development of the Truman Doctrine? What was its effect on US Foreign Policy and its impact on Greece, Turkey and Europe? Research will be conducted concerning the Post World War II Treaties as Potsdam, Soviet Union aggression, and the Greek and Turkey Crisis. These events prompted the development of the Truman Doctrine – the US foreign policy to contain the spread of Communism. We will write a custom essay sample on Truman Doctrine or any similar topic only for you Order Now Truman’s 1947 Address that introduced the doctrine to the world, his own personal thoughts, and the support and criticism of the policy will be examined. The doctrine will be analyzed as to how it shaped future American policies and programs as the Marshall Plan and led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War over forty years later. (Word Count -143) B. Summary of Evidence World War II devastated Europe. Millions of people died. Many of those remaining were starving and in need of food and shelter since the farms and cities of many countries were destroyed. Billions of dollars were spent. Countries were nearly bankrupt. Europe was in economic, social, and political devastation. After the surrender of Germany in 1945, the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union met first at Yalta and later at Potsdam in Germany. They met to resolve war reparations and boundaries of Germany. As part of the agreements, Germany was divided into East and West. The Eastern portion was controlled by the Soviet Union and the West by the United States, United Kingdom, and France. Berlin, the capital, which is inside Eastern Germany, was also divided by the four countries. Pemberton 50) In 1945 and 1946, Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, had been taking over new countries including Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Czechoslovakia by establishing governments favorable to him. (CNN Cold War Appendix Maps) The Soviet Union focused next on Greece and Turkey. In February of 1947, Great Britain informed the United States in a â€Å"State Department Telegr am† that that they could no longer provide financial aid to the governments of Greece and Turkey since they did not have the money and resources. Both governments were being threatened by Communist insurgents. (Truman Library Telegram 1) Truman pledged that â€Å"it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures† in a â€Å"Address of the President of the United States† in March of 1947. (Truman Address 1) The economic aid program was costly amounting to total of more than $400 million for the two countries to aid the pro-democracy governments and oppose the Communists. The policy was later called the Truman Doctrine. Congress was divided over the program. Democrats wanted to give diplomacy and the newly formed United Nations a chance while Republicans were isolationist and concerned that the program was too costly. Despite a divided Congress, the program was adopted since both eventually were more concerned over the spread of Communism in the region. The Cold War confrontation had begun. The United States and its principles of freedom, capitalism, and democracy were fighting philosophically and economically against Communism and the Soviet Union. Donovan 286) Truman and George Marshall, his Secretary of State, then prepared for even greater aid for the rest of Europe. Their objective was to rebuild Western Europe and prevent a Communism take over of the remaining free nations. The policy was called the Marshall Plan, the European Economic Recovery Program. Over $13 billion in aid was provided in 1947. (Truman Memoirs 111) The Cold War was expanded. Stalin tried to disrupt the United States and it s allies in 1948 and 1949 by shutting down access to Berlin. Truman responded by airlifting supplies into the city until access as again. (Pemberton 102) Afterward, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed in 1949 to defend Western Europe militarily against a Soviet invasion as response by the United States in the Cold War. The Soviet Union in turn allied the Eastern European nations under the Warsaw Pact. (Pemberton 104) The Berlin Wall, the symbol of the Cold War, was built in 1961 and later torn down in 1989 after many years of conflict. The Soviet Union ultimately collapsed in 1991. (Word Count – 567) C. Evaluation of Sources The most important source in investigating the topic of the Truman Doctrine is President Truman’s Memoirs. The actual 1947 â€Å"Presidential Address Recommending for Assistance to Greece and Turkey† and critical government documents as the â€Å"State Department Telegrams for Greece, Turkey and the USSR are included. Truman gives his own personal viewpoints of what happened while he was President. The researcher can obtain a clear view from the president himself. From his writings, you can tell that Truman was a hard working, â€Å"tell it like it is† man. When he made a decision, he stuck with it and moved on. The decision to proceed with the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan was difficult and not very popular, but Truman did it because he thought it was the right thing to do. The limitation of the source is that it was written by Truman and may make him look too favorable. The other source most used was the book written by Robert Donovan, The Presidency of Harry Truman 1945-1958 Conflict Crisis. Mr. Donovan was a journalist at the White House during the Truman presidency. He provided critical firsthand insights into the actual events through his notes and research from the actual participants. His research into the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan was more thorough and comprehensive than most of the other sources used that were cited in the research paper. Mr. Donovan provides an excellent historical perspective of the pros and cons of Truman’s and his staff’s decisions. The limitation of the source is that the book was written in 1977 so it does not include the perspective after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Soviet Union and Communism in Europe. Word Count – 285) D. Analysis Truman in his Memoirs describes his 1947 Address as follows: â€Å"This was, I believe, the turning point in America’s foreign policy, which now declared that wherever aggression, direct or indirect, threatened by peace, the security of the United States was involved†¦After I delivered the speech the world reaction proved that t his approach had been the right one†. Truman went on further to describe in other addresses â€Å"the alternate ways of life†¦ One way is based on the will of the majority, and is distinguished by free institutions, representative government, free elections, guarantees of individual liberty, freedom of speech and religion and freedom from political oppression†¦The second way of life is based upon the will of the minority forcibly imposed upon the majority. It relies upon terror and oppression, a controlled press and radio, fixed elections and the suppression of personal freedoms†. (106) Truman believes that the United States and its democratic way of life is better then the Soviet Union and its evil oppressive way of life. He wanted to make sure that the world understood his commitment by his strong language. The Communists should not quickly take over free countries and threaten the United States and its allies. His own divided Congress should beware of the past policies of isolationism and the hope that diplomacy and the United Nations could solve the crisis. The Soviet Union already had taken over the Eastern European countries in violation of the Yalta and Potsdam agreements. The Greece and Turkey crisis was critical to victory in the Cold War. If either Greece or Turkey fell to the Soviet Union, the other would follow. More nations would tumble â€Å"as a row of falling dominoes† extending Soviet domination to Europe, the Middle East oil fields, and Africa. (Hamby 391) (CNN Cold War Appendix Maps) Communism could have spread very quickly worldwide, but it did not. The Truman Doctrine is the epitome of the containment of Communism. (Donovan 284) Greece, Turkey, Europe, and even Russia, the former Soviet Union, are currently free and democratic nations. Europe was in economic, political, and social devastation after World War II. Winston Churchill once declared, â€Å"What is Europe now? It is a rubble-heap, a charnel house, a breeding ground of pestilence and hate. † It was the perfect time for the Soviet Union to support Communism. (Goldman 66) At over $13 billion, it was aid on a much greater scale. The Truman Doctrine prompted the Marshall Plan. Truman in his Memoirs claimed that the plan was developed to do the following: (1) Counter increasing pressure of Communist imperialism, and (2) Rebuild Europe. By rebuilding Europe, America would help to establish that healthy economic balance which is essential to the peace of the world. 111) Rebuilding Europe was not only a national security issue but also a national economic issue. At the end of World War II, the United States was a major exporter. (Donovan 287) Without a strong Europe, the United States would likely have had a poor economy for many years because of lack of trade with Europe. Instead, the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan led to over fifty years of prosperity for Europe and the United States and the end of the Cold War. (Word Count – 534) E. Conclusion With the Truman Doctrine, the United States entered a new era of foreign policy. Great Britain, France, and Germany were no longer the colonial powers. The United States was the most powerful free nation in the world. The balance of power changed. Over the next forty years, the United States and the Soviet Union fought a Cold War for a way of life. The United States spent trillions of dollars, but the spread of Communism in Europe was contained. The result would have never have occurred had it not been for Truman’s bold move in Greece and Turkey. The cost was great, but the cost would have been greater if United States lost. Europe could have turned Communist. Instead, the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union collapsed. Russia has enacted democratic reforms and a capitalist economy, which is ultimate proof of the success of the Truman Doctrine. (Word Count – 148) F. List of Sources Donovan, Robert, The Presidency of Harry Truman 1945-1958 Conflict Crisis, Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1977. Goldman, Eric Frederick, The Crucial Decade and After: America, 1945-1960, New York: Random House Inc. , 1956. Hamby, Alonzo L, A Life of Harry S. Truman, Man of the People, New York: Oxford University Press Inc, 1995. Pemberton, William, Harry S. Truman, Fair Dealer Cold Warrior, Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1989. State Department, â€Å"Summary of Telegrams for Greece, Poland and USSR,† 25 February 1947, Truman Presidential Museum and Library, 15 April 2003 Truman, Harry S. , â€Å"Address of the President of the United States: Recommendation of Assistance to Greece and Turkey,† 12 March 1947 Truman Presidential Museum and Library, 15 April 2003 Truman, Harry S. , Memoirs of Harry S. Truman, vol. 2. Garden City, Time, Inc. 1956. Woelfel, Scott, â€Å"Interactive Maps,† Cold War, CNN Interactive, April 1999 Oct 15, 2005 G. Appendix How to cite Truman Doctrine, Papers