Containment In The Cold War

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Year 10 Humanities The Cold War - ‘How can differing ideologies lead to conflict?” ‘With reference to 3 flashpoints, discuss the implementation and effectiveness of the US policy of containment.’ During the period between 1950 and 1991 the United States led by George Kennan opposed the communist ideology, organization and government, and as a result brought in the containment policy also known as the Truman Doctrine. The point of the Containment Policy was for the United States during the Cold War to keep Communism from spreading. America, fatigued from war did not want to send troops into Europe to help fend off communism which would be impossible. Instead the US decided to prevent the takeover of communism and contained it’s ideology…show more content…
command. The Soviet Union had placed a land and water blockade in the city in the hope that the Allies would be forced to abandon West Berlin and its inhabitants. The US government decided to include Western Germany in its plans for a new non-communist Western Europe. News of the new currency for the west of Germany alarmed Stalin (head of the Soviet Union). Stalin was worried by the idea of a successful anti-communist government in the west of Germany. Stalin who now wanted to think of a plan to stop the success of the US decided to block off the area of West Berlin. However this threat to Stalin was even harsher due to the Truman Doctrine and containment. Due to the high pressure that the US held over the Soviet Union the idea of success for the US penetrated throughout the whole of the Soviet Union and Russia. Outraged by Western plans to create an independent West Germany, Soviet forces imposed a blockade cutting off rail, highway, and water traffic between West Germany and West Berlin. A day later, an airlift began flying in food and supplies for West Berlin's two million residents. The Blockade was clearly a failure and the US stuck to their policy of containment and no…show more content…
Hence in this case the containment policy was proven to be as success as we can see from the Berlin Blockade and the Marshall Plan. However the Cuban Missile Crisis was a demonstration of failure of containment and did not succeed to halt the spread of communism. Although relations improved, communist still managed to advance. Bibliography http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/ma/Marshall_Plan http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0831964.html http://www.ushistory.org/us/52c.asp http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_was_the_US_policy_of_containment http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0807200.html http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=501 http://www.pocanticohills.org/amprogress/Cuban_Missile_Crisis.htm
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