Introduction
Harry S. Truman was the 33 rd American president who served in office from 1945-1953. He started serving during the World War II at a time when the Cold War was just beginning. He left many a legacy among which was the establishment of the Truman Doctrine as a foreign policy to counter communism forces from the Soviet Union and China. He was also the founder of the United Nations among other establishments. He continued most of Franklin, D. Roosevelt’ New Deal through his proposals after having served as vice president during his term. Truman strongly believed that such a foreign policy would go a long way in liberating free people from totalitarian regimes that used undue influences on them with greater consequences of threatening international peace as well as the country’s internal security (Baime, 2017).
The Greek and Turkish Cold War Crises
Britain had been supporting the royalist Greece through economic and military aid against communist influences from 1944 taking over from the Axis Powers . Towards the end of 1946, however, it could not continue with its assistance due to a weakening economy. In December of the same year, Konstantinos Tsaldaris, Britain’s Prime Minister visited Washington to ask the U.S. to assist Greece. When WWII ended, Turkey faced a crisis when the Soviet government pressurized it to allow a free passage to its ships through the Turkish Straits. It resisted such requests resulting to naval attempts from the Soviet. Britain had been supporting Turkey until 1947. As such, its withdrawal of support from the two countries threatened peace in the region which was rich in oil and ports. Furthermore, these countries had a long-standing rivalry which escalated the looming tension (Hasanli, 2011). Further, Hasanli (2011) agrees that there was a threat that Turkey could succumb to the Soviet’s pressures and endanger Greece or the latter could be lost to communism leading to a domino effect in Turkey. As such, the two countries were under threat from Soviet Communism.
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Doctrines that the President Followed
The Truman Doctrine guided the president's decision on this situation that threatened regional peace. Bostdorff (2008) describes it as an American foreign policy that acted to forestall the geopolitical expansion of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Its objective was to assist those countries that faced communist threats from the Soviet Union. It aimed at helping free people who were resisting threats from armed minorities as well as external pressures. This assistance would then help them in managing their affairs in their respective countries without undue influences. Through economic and financial aid, the doctrine purposed to establish economic and political stability. As such, President Truman promised to assist both countries with the objective of containing the looming threats in the two regions. This decision led to further development of the doctrine on March 12, 1947. There was no direct military involvement from the United States, but the two countries received only financial aid to develop their economies as well as operate their militaries.
Effects of these efforts for the U.S. and other countries
The Truman Doctrine defined the United States foreign policy during the Cold War while dealing with other countries. Bostdorff (2008) further explains that it was a popular commitment of its kind, whose sort the government had not undertaken before. It led to various global initiatives that the country undertook throughout the period. The reason for its endurance lies in the fact that it had a cultural perspective that addressed concerns regarding insecurity in the world due to communism. Frye and Gorak (2003) points out that for the United States, there was unanimous support for providing foreign aid to other countries through nation-building initiatives as well as modernization programs and thus a positive development from its isolationist trends. It also stopped the loss of military lives due to the lack of military combat between the U.S. and the Soviet. The economy of the U.S. also became stronger than that of the Soviet as a result of the containment policy. Unstable countries under the threat of communism benefited as they could use the foreign aid to undertake economic development.
Conclusion
The Truman Doctrine was a big step towards the achievement of a globalist commitment regarding foreign policy. Bostdorff (2008) concurs that it greatly contributed in warding off the communist threats posed by the Soviet Union, providing capacity-building to those nations under threat. Its facilitative nature ensured that the U.S. did not directly engage in military efforts to fight communism, as this would otherwise lead to more catastrophic outcomes. It only provided economic and other financial support to the affected nations. It thus led to economic progress in the United States and the recipient countries which benefitted their communities. However, the doctrine made other countries to overlook the United States’ use of nuclear weapons and also led to a more divided Europe through the Marshall Plan, by making the West European countries to believe in this realm.
References
Baime, A. J. (2017). The accidental president: Harry S. Truman and the four months that
changed the world (6 th ed.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Hasanli, J. (2011). Stalin and the Turkish crisis of the Cold War, 1945-1953 (5 th ed.).
Lanham: Lexington Books.
Bostdorff, D. M. (2008). Proclaiming the Truman Doctrine: The Cold War call to arms
(1 st ed.).Texas A & M University Press.
Frye, N., & Gorak, J. (2003). Northrop Frye on modern culture (6 th ed.). University of Toronto
Press.
