US Containment Policy: The Cold War Presidents
There were nine Presidents who served
during the Cold War era between
1945 - 1991. The names of the Cold War Presidents were Harry Truman,
Dwight D Eisenhower, John F Kennedy, Lyndon B Johnson, Richard
Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H Bush.
Many of the Cold War presidents used the policy of containment to
resolve serious, diplomatic incidents involving the Communist
countries especially during the period of the
Cold War Arms
Race when both the United States and USSR each developed the Atomic Bomb, the
hydrogen bomb and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Containment Facts
for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting information, history and
facts on Containment for kids.
Containment
Facts for kids: The US Policy of Containment
Containment
Facts - 1: The purpose of the
US Containment policy was to restrict communist
expansion response to a series of moves by the Soviet
Union to enlarge its communist sphere of influence in
Eastern Europe, the Middle East, China, Korea, Cuba and
Vietnam. The strategy played a major role in diplomatic,
economic and military actions and was strongly
associated with the
Domino
Theory.
Containment
Facts -
2:
The term "containment" was first used in US policies and
strategies in 1945 when World War 2 ended. The end of
WW2 saw Russian military forces occupying large areas of
Eastern Europe. The Soviets had extended their
influence over the communist-dominated governments in the 'Satellite
Nations' of the Iron Curtain.
Containment
Facts - 3:
Not content with their power over East Germany, Hungary,
Poland, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Albania, the USSR sought to extend their
sphere of influence and
communism to other countries in Eastern Europe and even to the Middle East.
Containment
Facts - 4:
The US policy of Containment was used when the Soviets
made a move the Middle East in the Iran crisis of 1946, also known
as the Iran-Azerbaijan Crisis. During WW2 Soviet troops occupied
Northern Iran, but instead of withdrawing their troops after the
war, the Soviets remained in Northern Iran, which bordered the
Soviet Union.
Containment
Facts - 5:
The USSR demanded access to Iran's oil supplies and
began to help Communists in Northern Iran to set up a separate
government. The United States protested and sent the USS Missouri
battleship into the Eastern Mediterranean forcing the withdrawal of
the Red Army from Iran and reducing Soviet influence in the country.
The policy of containment, that let the opponent choose the place
and time of any confrontation, successfully resolved the Iran crisis
of 1946.
Containment
Facts - 6:
The Soviet targets at this time also extended to Turkey
and Greece. Greece was involved in the Greek
Civil War (1946–1949) as Communist rebels attempted to take over the country.
Containment
Facts - 7: Turkey became
involved in the Turkish Straits crisis in 1946. The
Turkish Straits, which connected the Black Sea to the
Mediterranean, were an important trade route and were
critical in terms of the Soviet military strategy.
Whoever controlled the Turkish straits had exit or entry
points for naval forces to travel to and from the Black
Sea.
Containment
Facts - 8: Turkey and Greece
turned to the United States for help and on March 27,
1947 President Truman made a speech asking Congress to
support the Greek Government with military and economic
assistance against the Communists and to provide
assistance for Turkey to help them resist the communist
threat.
Containment
Facts -
9:
The
Truman Doctrine
derived from the president's speech of March 27, 1947.
The key element of the Truman Doctrine was the policy of
containment and pledged to support other countries in
their struggle to resist communism.
Containment
Facts - 10: The
Marshall Plan, known as the "Truman Doctrine - Phase
II" followed. It was a
US-financed relief package to assist European nations after WW2.
The Marshall Plan authorized the US government to supply
equipment and military aid to support nations at risk
from communism. The Marshall Plan was essential for the
success of the United States policy of containment.
Containment
Facts for kids: The US Policy of Containment
Facts
about the Containment Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with interesting information, history and facts
on Containment for kids.
Containment
Facts for kids: The US Policy of Containment
Containment
Facts -
11: The Berlin Crisis
erupted in 1948 which brought the United States and the
USSR to the brink of war. Joseph Stalin ordered the
Berlin blockade in East Germany
closing the entry points to the Western
zones of Berlin by road and rail in an attempt to starve out
the Western allies and abandon the city. Relinquishing Berlin to the
Soviets would have seriously undermined the US policy of
containment.
Containment
Facts -
12: The US responded
with the
Berlin Airlift forcing Stalin to
choose between war and peace. Stalin ref used to give
the order to shoot down the American planes, West
Berlin remained free from communism and another war was
averted.
Containment
Facts - 13:
NATO, the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization, was formed on April 4, 1949
comprising of 12 members to establish a mutual defense pact aimed at
containing possible Soviet aggression and blocking Soviet expansion
into Europe. The establishment of NATO furthered the United States
policy of containment.
Containment
Facts - 14:
The rise in power of
Mao Zedong and Communism in China
against the US-backed Nationalist forces of Chiang Kai-shek resulted
in the spread of the Cold War
beyond Europe into
East Asia. In
1950 China entered the Korean War.
Containment
Facts - 15:
Following the
containment doctrine the U.S. entered the
Korean War
(June 25, 1950 - July 27, 1953)
to defend South Korea from a communist invasion and
gain a pledge from the United Nations (UN) to give
support.
Containment
Facts -
16: Dien Bien Phu: In
line with the US policy President Eisenhower made the
decision against US military intervention sent aid to
the French forces fighting the Communist guerillas in
Vietnam. The French defeat at Dien Bien Phu on 7 May
1954 was a watershed event as it ended the French effort
to retain Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos during the Indochina
War, but began the direct involvement of the US who later
replaced France to fight against communism in Vietnam.
Containment
Facts -
17: The
Vietnam
War (November 1, 1955 – April 30, 1975) was
to last for 20 years during the period of the Cold War
in south-east Asia. The first US combat troops were sent
to Vietnam in March 1965 and left in August 1973
Containment
Facts -
18 The Southeast Asia
Treaty Organization (SEATO) was
formed on September 8, 1954. The United States saw the
establishment of SEATO as essential to its Cold War
Containment policy in Southeast Asia.
Containment
Facts - 19: The Checkpoint
Charlie Incident (22 October 22, 1961 - October 27,
1961) erupted due to a minor dispute at the Berlin Wall
when a stand-off between Soviet and US tanks nearly led
to the start of WW3. After a tense stand-off, both sides
decided to back down and withdraw their tanks. President
Kennedy tolerated the rest of the wall's construction,
famously saying, "A wall is sure better than a war. "
Containment
Facts - 20: In 1959, a rebel
named Fidel Castro took power in Cuba. The US doctrine
of containment and fear of communism led to a ban on
imports of Cuban sugar and all aid to Cuba. The US
assumed Castro’s allegiance to the Soviet Union which on April 17, 1961 led to the invasion at a beach on the
south coast of Cuba called the
Bay of Pigs.
Containment
Facts - 21: The Bay of Pigs invasion led to the
Cuban Missile Crisis (October 14, 1962 – October 28, 1962). The
Cuban Missile Crisis was a crucial test for the
Containment doctrine. The Containment policy gave
President Kennedy a number of options such as applying
diplomatic pressure, the invasion of Cuba, blockade
tactics and air attack. The threat of a nuclear war was
so great that President Kennedy and Khrushchev had to
create a peace to avoid the devastation of nuclear
warfare. The US Containment policy failed as Cuba became
a communism state.
Containment
Facts -
22: The US Containment
policy of the 1940's and 1950's changed to
Detente when
there was a release from tension and the relaxation in a
political situation which led to a temporary ‘thaw’ in
US-Soviet relations. The first signs of detente followed
the Cuban Missile crisis when in August 1963 the USSR,
the United States and Great Britain signed the
first Nuclear Test Ban treaty.
Containment
Facts -
23: The end of the
Cold War in 1991 marked the official end of U.S.
containment policy which had been a major influenced
U.S. foreign policy.
Containment
Facts for kids: The US Policy of Containment
Containment
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