Kennan's The Source Of Soviet Conduct Essay Example

“The Source of the Soviet Conduct,” written as an anonymous article to Foreign Affairs in 1947, was a follow-up to Kennan’s Long Telegram article written two years prior. Both articles tried to explain the mindset of the Russian government and offer suggestions on how best to deal with the increasingly aggressive Soviet Union. Kennan describes the Soviet actions as ruled by the ideology of Communism but more importantly, the desire to maintain power within Russia and project that power around the world. He describes the Soviet Union’s use of “secret police” and methods of control and how the government perceives Western countries and the threat of capitalism. Kennan’s assessment of the Soviet Union was partly accurate, especially when he discusses the “organs of suppression.” However, perhaps his views also reflected how he wanted the Soviet Union to be perceived. Much like he asserts that Russia needed an enemy in order to maintain power, Kennan’s foreign policies required a reason for increased United States influence around the world and the vastly different views of the Soviet Union provided that reason in the form of an ideological enemy.
Kennan states that the United States must practice “patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies.” Kennan is basically saying that the United States does not need to defeat the Soviet Union but to simply stop it from spreading its influence and Communism around the world. Kennan also suggests using diplomacy rather than brute force to contain the Soviet Union in order to leave room for Russia to change their policies and not force them into retaliation, which would offer them a chance to save “prestige.” These policies were the best way to deal with the Soviet Union at the time because they did not pose a direct threat to the United States. They did not have the military power or political influence in the world to affect the safety or economy of the United States. While Kennan’s suggestions were made in the early stages of the Cold War, his policies were the most effective at dealing with the Soviet Union. Under this policy of containment, the United States did not enter any major conflicts and was able to build up the infrastructure and economy of the country and help other European countries recover from World War II.