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History: U.S containment during the Cold War
After a speech by Stalin in February 1946, in which he stated that capitalism and Communism were incompatible, the United States saw this as a declaration of continued conflict between the two superpowers. In fear of Communist expansionist tendencies, the Untied States began following a policy, put forward by diplomat George Keegan, of “patient but firm and vigilant containment.” This policy was then part of the Truman Doctrine. the aim of which was to support free peoples who weer resisting armed Communist uprisings in their countries. The interpretations of this policy and doctrine would lead to many conflicts or crises across the globe during the Cold War.
The first test of the Truman Doctrine was in Greece. The U.S wrongly believed that the U.S.S.R were supplying the Communists in Greece with arms. After a successful appeal to Congress to send aid, a $400million aid package was sent to curb the Communist threat. The Greek government subsequently defeated the Communist uprising making the U.S policy a success. The British-Backed Greek Government stayed out of the Soviet sphere of influence despite its proximity to Soviet Satellite states such as Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. This was the first time that active prevention of Communist expansion was put into practice by the United States and having secured Greece they could turn their attention toward economic recovery in Western Europe.
In June 1947, the U.S secretary of state, George Marshall, announced the Economic recovery program which later became known as the Marshall plan. Stalin refused to allow any Soviet satellite states to participate. Given the complex situation in Germany it is unsurprising that in June 1948, a year after the Marshall Plan was created, a conflict arose again between the superpowers. Stalin wanted to control Berlin and thus the entirety of East Germany and with no formal agreement between the U.S.S.R and the allies about access to the city by water or by land Stalin initiated a blockade. Rather than risk open conflict, the allies decided to airlift supplies into the city during Operation Vittles. The operation lasted 324 days and was yet another success for the Truman Doctrine and containment, as the allied zones of Berlin had stayed supplied by air and prospered and Stalin’s hopes had been frustrated. By not immediately choosing an armed resolution the U.S avoided open conflict while maintaining the policy of containment. The prosperity in West Berlin also undermined East German confidence in the GDR and the U.S.S.R .
The fact that the Western powers refused to accept the GDR as a legitimate state was yet another point of contention during the Cold War. The western presence in Berlin further irritated Khruschev and in November 1958 he demanded a Western withdrawal. A 98% vote in opposition to a western withdrawal in the referendum that year forced Khruschev to back down. However, after the breakdown of talks which followed the shooting down of a U.S spy plane which was flying over the U.S.S.R, Khruschev withdrew from the talks and cancelled an invitation he had extended to Eisenhower to come and visit Moscow. While the U.S did not back down in this instance, by sticking to the Truman Doctrine they divided Germany until 1989, as the U.S.S.R constructed the Berlin Wall on August 13 1961 to effectively shut the Eastern Bloc off from the West.
The situation in Berlin was mirrored in Korea, as after World War Two Korea was also divided in two, with both Allied and Soviet occupying forces in seperate sections. A similar stalemate occured and the two superpowers decided to setup two Korean States. However, in June 1950 the Communist North invaded the South in an attempt to unite the country. As the Americans believed the invasion was Soviet-backed they sent troops to help South Korean defence while also gaining the support of the U.N. A U.N. military force was subsequently dispatched, although it consisted mainly of American troops. They successfully drove the North Koreans back across the 38th parallel and close to the Chinese border. It was then that the Chinese Army became involved and brought the fighting back down to the 38th parallel where it continued for three years, after which a ceasefire was called. Yet another example of containment in action the Korean War brought the Western Allies in Europe and the United States closer and with the acceptance of West Germany into NATO, united the allies against a common enemy, the U.S.S.R.
The seconed South-East Asian conflict of the Cold War took place in Vietnam. In 1954 the Vietminh, led by Ho Chi Minh, defeated the occupying French forces. The country, much like Korea, was divided in two but on the 17th parallel. Much like Korea the Communist North attempted to overthrow the capitalist South. The USA believed again that the U.S.S.R and now China were arming and supplying the Communist gurillas. Between the outbreak of the Civil war in 1957 and 1960 over 16,000 American ‘advisors’ had been stationed in South Vietnam. Having expected a short and easy conflict the Americans were surprised by rising casualty rates as well as anti-war public opinion at home. In January of 1973 a ceasefire was called. The war had been a propaganda nightmare for the United States and for the Truman Doctrine as not only had Communism won in Vietnam but U.S brutality (e.g Agent Orange, napalm, My Lai massacre) were all photographed or videoed and later broadcast to the American population. This was the first failed attempt at containment.
The various crises of the Cold War forced the United States to put containment into action. However, the policy was only mildly successful, as in the cases of the Berlin Blockade, the Communist uprising in Greece, but was highly unsuccessful in the South East Asian contexts. While overall the policy prevented the spread of Communism on a global scale, at times, it led to much embarrassment for the various American administrations of the Cold War as well as prolonged partition of nations such as Korea, Vietnam and Germany.
