Truman Doctrine

We explain what the Truman Doctrine was and what importance it had at the beginning of the Cold War. Also, the historical context.

The Truman Doctrine was formulated by the American president in a speech before Congress.
Summary of Contents

What was the Truman Doctrine?

The so-called Truman Doctrine was the first major expression of the US policy of “containing” communism during the Cold War. It was formulated on March 12, 1947 by the then president of the United States, Harry S. Truman, in a speech before the US Congress.

In his speech, Truman stated that the United States should help “free peoples” who resisted internal insurrections or external aggressions.. With this speech, Truman got approval to send economic and military aid to the governments of Greece and Turkey so that they could confront the communist insurrections and the pressures from the Soviet Union (USSR).

The Truman Doctrine It aimed to prevent the spread of communism and the international influence of the Soviet Union. In the context of this doctrine, President Truman also supported the Marshall Plan, a program for the economic recovery of Western Europe, and decided to send American troops to fight North Korea in the Korean War (1950-1953).

Key points

  • The Truman Doctrine was a policy of “containment” of communism promoted by American President Harry S. Truman at the beginning of the Cold War.
  • The Truman Doctrine consisted of supporting democratic governments from the United States that were facing communist insurrections or pressure from the Soviet Union.
  • The Truman Doctrine was formulated in a speech before the US Congress on March 12, 1947, in which President Truman requested economic and military aid for the governments of Greece and Türkiye.
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See also: Chronology of the Cold War

The historical context

After the end of the Second World War (1939-1945), the two main allied powers, The United States and the Soviet Union began to compete for hegemony in Europe and in the rest of the world. This confrontation was called the Cold War. In February 1946, the American diplomat George Kennan expressed in the so-called “long telegram” the idea that a policy of “containment” of communism had to be implemented to prevent it from expanding.

In 1946 the Greek civil war began between the monarchical government, supported by the United Kingdom, and the Greek Communist Party, supported by the Soviet Union. On the other hand, The Soviet Union attempted to force the Turkish government to allow it to set up military bases. and have transit rights in the Turkish straits (the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles).

The event that motivated Harry S. Truman's speech before the United States Congress was the British government's announcement that it would stop providing economic and military aid to the Greek government for March 31, 1947. The American administration considered that it should intervene in support of the governments of Greece and Türkiye to prevent the spread of communism and defend the interests of the United States.

See also: End of World War II

The Truman Doctrine speech

Harry Truman proposed to Congress to send aid to the Greek and Turkish governments against Soviet communism.

In a speech before the US Congress On March 12, 1947, Harry S. Truman made the following statement:

“I believe that the policy of the United States should be to support free peoples who are resisting attempts at subjugation by armed minorities or external pressures.”nas.”

This policy became known as the Truman Doctrine.

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This doctrine meant supporting democratic governments that were threatened by internal or external authoritarian forces, which In practice it meant providing economic and military aid to governments facing communist insurrections or pressure from the Soviet Union..

Truman's speech had as its immediate objective get $400 million in aid for the governments of Greece and Türkiyecountries that the United Kingdom could no longer help. A civil war was raging in Greece between the pro-Western conservative government and communist guerrillas, while Turkey was under pressure from the Soviet Union.

Republican Senator Arthur Vandenberg, a supporter of approving aid, advised Truman to scare the American people to get Congressional support. This is what Truman tried to do when In his speech he presented a world divided into two antagonistic ways of life: one based on freedom and the other on tyranny..

Congress finally approved economic aid and sending civilian and military personnel to Greece and Türkiye, which became the first act of the American policy of “containment” of communism.

References

  • Britannica, Encyclopaedia (2022). Cold War. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
  • Britannica, Encyclopaedia (2023). Truman Doctrine. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
  • Powaski, R. E. (2000). The Cold War: United States and the Soviet Union, 1917-1991. Criticism.
  • United States Department of State (sf). The Truman Doctrine, 1947. Office of the Historian. https://history.state.gov/
  • Veiga, F., Da Cal, E. & Duarte, A. (2006). The simulated peace. A story of the Cold War. Alliance.

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