POL 300 Internal Problems
Truman doctrines
The presidential doctrines were introduced during the Cold War. The doctrines explained what the presidents stood for during this time of the war. President Harry Truman defined the United States foreign policy and how it applied to it being a super power. The content of the speech of the president to the congress is believed to have been the major cause of the Cold War. His speech is believed by historians to have led to the U.S being able to contain the war. The president was quoted as saying that he believed that it was the U.S policy to help protect the people from harm and that everyone is entitled to freedom. This policy came to be adopted by the American for the next generations. The speech by the president was strongly criticized and faced strong opposition from the congress. Despite the opposition, Truman was able to achieve consensus from the congress which aimed at quelling the treats from the communist. Truman doctrine has been since then used to explain American foreign policy (Denise, 2008).
After the second World War, the military and the White House foreign policies were moving in two different directions. The United States wanted to demobilize the military after the war. While this was happening, Truman wanted to handle communist threats with the use of military power. This move by the president was not welcomed by the congress since some believed that it would divide the world into two parts, that is the communist and non-communist. Senator Robert Taft stated that involving themselves in the war would lead into war between America and the Soviet Union that was not called for at that moment.
Truman Doctrine an act of Containment:
For the purpose and objective of ensuring that the Communist policies and government does not spread beyond the limited number of nations, United States resolved at helping the various European countries economically and enabling them standing financially stable without seeking the help of Soviet Republic. The end of world war two brought about the rise of two super powers in form of United States of America and Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. Each country aimed at keeping an influence on countries across the globe for the purpose of political, economic and social edge and advantage against one another. As a result of this, creation of allies and friendly governments came into existence. Europe was area of one similar interest. European continent was divided into two distinct bloc- Eastern Europe and Western Europe each falling to U.S.S.R and U.S.A’s influence and control respectively. Aiming to gain the influences and attention of the different European countries economic packages were introduced in multiple ways by each side. Truman Doctrine, Marshal Plan, NATO establishment.
He further stated that the American people would not like to be involved in another war. The opposition faced by Truman made it difficult for him to engage himself with the communist. He had to convince the American citizens of the need to involve themselves in fighting against communist and explained how the communist posed a threat to the rest of the world. The introduction of the American doctrine was a means to scare the American citizens and he did this by formulating ideas of us- versus -them and the communist life verses the American capitalist lifestyle. The introduction of the doctrine led to people being viewed as being either an American supporter or a communist supporter. Most of the things were classified as to being good versus evil, light and darkness which made it easier to unify the American people into Truman’s cause (Howard, 1997).
Truman’s doctrine did not accurately show the reality of the American society. This was because during 1947, the United States was known to be a place of free institutions, representative government, freedom of religion. The society was mainly influenced by the will of the majority. Despite the acclaimed freedom by the doctrine, most of the people were not free and were oppressed. Even though the doctrine showed great concern for everyone’s freedom, this was not the case. The doctrine facilitated other wars such as the Korean War, Vietnam War, all in the means to defend the freedom of the foreigners even though this was not the case for the American citizens at home. At this Time President Truman who had recently taken over from F.D. Roosevelt who himself handled the earlier days of Cold war very well understood the importance and potential element of establishing influence in the European region. He therefore addressed Congress and gave them a clear view of what potential element in offing against the case of Greece. He thereby mobilized the movement for collecting and organizing administrative support that would grant financial help keeping an influence in Greece. As a result of good counseling and convincing abilities the Truman administration gained a net of around 350 million dollars in form of military and other forms of assistance for Greece that would serve as an act of containment against the spread of communism.
Prior to the economic aids and packages there were number of meetings and conferences held between the Big Three of those times (Hara, 2006, 19). The Big Three included United States of America, Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, and Great Britain. The three were important on account of their role and influences in the overall outcome of the war. The bitter rivalry between the two super powers started prior to the formal end of the World War Two. Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing incident that took place in Japan was a clear warning and message for U.S.S.R and alarm against its ambitions in case of the halting of the war and post war settlements. Yalta Conference was another important event in the entire proceedings. To many experts and historians Yalta Conference was an event that formally initiated the rivalry, bitter feeling and resentment amongst the two super powers and gave rise to a war that would last for over five decades in form of proxy wars and other non conventional modes of operations and foreign engagements.
Greece had remained under the direct and indirect influence of Great Britain for considerable amount of time. In the post world war scenario Greece was handed over its formal control over political spectrum. This created a vacuum as well as opportunity for both the super powers to produce a friendly government that would allow for dictating the terms and keeping an influence in the region. Soviet Russia aimed at spreading its influence like other states such as Poland, Bulgaria and various other Eastern European states. Turkey was another country that had seen massive shift over period of time and in the course of both world wars. Being positioned at geo strategic important location it served as area of importance for both the super powers. The Later on Cuban missile crisis were also held and operated from Turkey. Truman doctrine included military and economic assistance for Turkey as well and as a result it was kept from the hands and claws of U.S.S.R and its intended socialist expansion. Actions undertaken by U.S.A during the Berlin air lift that lasted for over nine months period was also part of the entire Truman Doctrine and Marshal Plan that came about with purpose of helping the Western European bloc (Eichengreen, 2008, 79).
The roots of partnership were sown early in the process of Cold War, with time the ties kept developing between these nations and at present the ties stand highly cordial and strong. Despite the end of the War Turkey and Germany stand as Allies of United States of America. Both are members of NATO which was administered and initiated by U.S.A. each country enjoys rich economic, political and military ties with the super power. The case of installation of ballistic missiles around the Turkish shores and seas was a historic move that were aimed as a counter measure against U.S.S.R when it deployed missiles in Cuba (Çelik, 1999, 47) and the situation nearly brought the two super powers to the verge of a nuclear war and a potential third world war with the world being divided into two distinct poles. Most of the soldiers who were sent to fight in these wars were mostly black. The black soldiers fought to free others in foreign soils while in reality they themselves did not enjoy the freedom back home. The other inconsistencies that were found in Truman’s doctrines were illustrated in the hunt of Senator Joseph McCarthy. While the doctrine emphasized the need to protect the people from political oppressions, he did not apply that to his country where people suffered from the very political oppressions. Most of the things contained in the Truman’s doctrine contradicted. Most Americans view the doctrine as not to serve the purpose it was meant to serve and that most of the things were just in written form and did not reflect the situation in the ground (Ralph, 1949).
The three major factors that influenced the formation of the foreign policy were the American monopoly of atomic bomb, disastrous Western Europe because of the Second World War and the domino effect. The creation of the policy was amplified by the fear that if Russians would get the atomic bomb, they would use it to destroy the planet. United States also believed that it was their role to defend the states in Western Europe from the communists. The domino effect also played a role in the creation of the policy due to the belief by the United States that it brought all the parts of the world whether small or big into the interest of the American foreign policy. Since the atomic bomb was in the hands of the Americans, they felt that they had the role of creating a free world and that they should protect Western Europe from the attacks from the communist who would make the neighboring countries to follow their lead (John, 1971).
One of the failures of the policy came from the fact that most parts of Europe was struggling economically. The fact that direct money would be flown from the United States into another country to be used; this was viewed as being unconstitutional and for this reason the doctrine faced opposition from the Congress. Most American men were dying on foreign soil as it was. When the United States sent soldiers to stop North Korea from taking over South Korea; they were involved in too many wars which became quite overwhelming. However, the fight was thought to have increased the involvement of the communist since it led to spread of communist into new areas (Howard, 1997).
Truman’s doctrine has then since 1947 been used to view American foreign policies. The president`s speech changed the way Americans would be viewed by the world and how they would handle foreign affairs to date. Because of the doctrine, America was involved in world business. The doctrine has been to refer to matters that deal with foreign affairs since the end of the Cold War, the modern application being in Afghanistan and Iraq. The doctrine explained the United States position on any war that occurs anywhere in the globe with the American citizens continuing to support the policy by voting for it. The irony with the doctrine is the fact that it failed to protect the American citizens from this freedom the doctrine is meant to protect (Denise, 2008). The overall action and policy had multi dimensional impacts to it. From short term to mid and long term. In short term it allowed for establishing pro American and Pro Western governments. It midterm it allowed containing the spread of communism. In the long term it allowed for overall collapse of Russia that came about in period of five decades through incremental approaches and efforts. The East was marred by the presence of sham democracies in the entire phase leading to weakening of the political pillar unlike the West that flourished in this domain and economic as well (Ferriby, 2002, 48). At present Germany and Turkey stand far more solid in terms of economic and political setups as compared to Eastern European sphere where the natural will and freedom of speech was curtailed that led to an overall stagnation of ideas and political movements. The Doctrine was most substantive of all the movements that were undertaken in the contemporary period. It allowed for strengthening of the Western bloc in a more comprehensive way against the Eastern bloc.
The outcome of the policy was a far more flourished and developed Western bloc. The flourished outlook came about in form of economic and social development of the Western Bloc. In the longer run it was this diplomatic and political maneuvering that enabled weakening U.S.S.R in a very slow manner and ultimately destruction of the entire Empire that once stood as a super power in the Post Second World War scenario.
References
Çelik, Y. (1999). Contemporary Turkish Foreign Policy. Greenwood Publishing Group.Press.
Denise, M., (2008). Proclaiming the Truman doctrine: the Cold War call to arms. Texas A&M university press.
Eichengreen, B. (2008). The European Economy Since 1945: Coordinated Capitalism and Beyond. Princeton University Press.
Ferriby, D. (2002). Modern World History for AQA Specification B.: Core. Heinemann.Press.
Howard, J., (1997). A new kind of war: America’s global strategy and the Truman doctrine in Greece. Oxford University press.
Hara, K. (2006). Cold War Frontiers in the Asia-Pacific: Divided Territories in the San Francisco System. Taylor & Francis.Press.
John, J., (1971). U.S editorial evaluation of the Truman doctrine and the Marshall plan from March 1947, to March, 1948. University of Wisconsin- Madison.
Ralph, H., (1949). The Truman doctrine in Greece. University of Wisconsin- Madison.
