Verified Document

The Application Of The Containment Policy Between 1945 1962 In USA Essay

¶ … Containment Policy of the United States Containment was the United States' major attempt to stop the spread of communism. It involved several strategies as it tried to curtail the efforts of the Soviet Union to enlarge its communism influence to Eastern Asia. This policy, developed over four decades, greatly influenced the fighting of the Cold War. George F. Kennan was responsible for the term as he mentioned it in a communication cable that he sent in 1946 while he was a diplomat in Moscow. It was a bridge between rollback and detente.

During the post-World War Two period, the U.S. president Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) did not seem to have a clear stance regarding the Soviet Union. While open hostilities were not declared, the U.S. still wanted to have its way in the general cooperation that existed between the two countries. At the time, Stalin was the ruler of the Soviet Union, and though not in agreement with his dictatorship, President Truman was willing to have peaceful terms with him (Edwards, n.p.).

Given the uneasy stance then, Kennan came up with the solution. He worked in the U.S. Foreign Service as a diplomat with respect to Russia. He was in charge of the foreign office in Moscow. The diplomat did not like Stalin's leadership or communism. His view of communism was as a corrupt means by which its proponents built up their power and forced their will on the people. Thus, in response to a request to give his views on it in 1946, he constructed a long cable in which he highlighted the totalitarian rule and its legitimization...

Parts of this document are hidden

View Full Document
svg-one

Edwards reports on this by stating that the Soviet Union was bent on expansion, and that they had no problem using the necessary force to have their way. Therefore, any negotiations with them would be in bad faith (Edwards, n. p.). The thoughts of Kennan were welcomed especially after Stalin, Russia's dictator had aided a rebellion in Iran earlier in 1946.
The thoughts of Kennan mirrored those of many people in Washington, including those in the Pentagon as well as other diplomats. It was because of this that Kennan was asked to lead policy planning in the Department of State in 1947, after George Marshall was appointed the Secretary of State. In his article "The Sources of Soviet Conduct," published in 1947, Kennan elucidated more on the communist stance of Russia, which he stated was influenced by their devotion to Marxism. One of their objectives was to expand as much as they could, and in any place. Kennan described the Soviet as a "fluid stream" that would flow anywhere it could (Edwards, n. p.). Thus, the Soviet was expected to expand its power anywhere it could, and would overlook any insurmountable nations according to its philosophy.

As a result, the United States had to adopt the policy of containment. While keeping peace with the Russians, efforts had to be made to keep them from enlarging their territory further. Kennan had a view of Russia being intrinsically weak in terms of the nation's inhabitants being exhausted at the physical and spiritual levels. He proposed that containment be carried…

Sources used in this document:
References

Edwards, Alex. "Dual Containment" Policy in the Persian Gulf: The U.S.A., Iran, and Iraq, 1991-2000. N.p., 2014. Print.

Gaddis, John L. Strategies of Containment: A Critical Appraisal of Postwar American National Security Policy. New York: Oxford UP, 2009. Print.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Challenging the Beijing Consensus China Foreign Policy in the 21st...
Words: 24240 Length: 60 Document Type: Dissertation or Thesis complete

Foreign Policy of China (Beijing consensus) Structure of Chinese Foreign Policy The "Chinese Model" of Investment The "Beijing Consensus" as a Competing Framework Operational Views The U.S.-China (Beijing consensus) Trade Agreement and Beijing Consensus Trading with the Enemy Act Export Control Act. Mutual Defense Assistance Control Act Category B Category C The 1974 Trade Act. The Operational Consequences of Chinese Foreign Policy The World Views and China (Beijing consensus) Expatriates The Managerial Practices Self Sufficiency of China (Beijing consensus) China and western world: A comparison The China (Beijing

Origins of Cold War
Words: 4564 Length: 15 Document Type: Research Paper

As a matter of fact, by the end of 1980s, Soviet Union ran on these very principles. Kennan criticized the possibilities that Soviets may be involved in invading the pro-Soviet countries with their mind sets and weaken them even if they do not form a higher level of apprehension for them. Pro-Russian countries will be weakened through a designed framework to tackle the mindsets of the people following western ideologies. Fights will be

Berlin Wall and War
Words: 3289 Length: 10 Document Type: Research Paper

Berlin Wall's History And Significance The Berlin Wall was a physical, concrete barrier erected to divide East Germany from West Germany during the Cold War Era. The wall was constructed in 1961 and stayed erected until the early 1990s when it began to be demolished as a result of the Cold War ending and the fuller implementation of the Soviet policies of perestroika and glasnost under Gorbachev.[footnoteRef:1] While the Wall had

Special Forces in Vietnam
Words: 5137 Length: 13 Document Type: Research Paper

War has undoubtedly shaped the course of human history. Conflicts, through sheer human nature often arise through disagreement. Occasionally these conflicts end with war as opposing sides believe so vehemently in their respective reasonings and doctrinal views. Oftentimes, these war's end with one "victor" and on defeated party, however, in war everyone losses. The Vietnam War in particular is an example of how war is a zero sum game that only

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now