American Foreign Policy During the Cold War

American Foreign Policy During the Cold War

In preparation for the initial post, consider two (2) of the following American Foreign policies:

Marshall Plan
Berlin Airlift
Containment
Anti-Communist Freedom Fighters
Vietnam (conflict) War
Détente’
SALT I & SALT II
Camp David Accords
Strategic Defense Initiative (nicknamed “Star Wars”)
Then, in one (1) to two (2) paragraphs, address one (1) of the following:

Explain how each of your choices was an effective policy to thwart international communist expansion.
Based on your selections, analyze if the United States should have feared international communist subversion during the Cold War era (1945–1991).

American Foreign Policy During the Cold War

Introduction

The United States implemented several foreign policies during the Cold War (1945–1991) to stop the expansion of communism, which was viewed as a danger to both American interests and world democracy. The Marshall Plan and containment were two noteworthy initiatives that were crucial in halting the spread of communism around the world. This paper discusses these two policies.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

Marshall Plan

The Marshall Plan, formally the European Recovery Program, was launched in 1948 to help the war-ravaged Western European countries. It was developed to try to restore the economics of war-devastated regions and to stabilize governments while discouraging the spread of communism by encouraging economic growth. The United States felt that Europe remained poor and filled with despair, and then communist movements would be propagated. The Marshall Plan forged $12 billion in aid, totally disproving the Soviet Union’s grip on Europe; the nations that received aid did not pledge allegiance towards communism (McGlinchey, 2009). On the same note, the program boosted America’s relations with the Europeans, giving Western Europe a check against communism.

Containment

The containment policy proposed by George Kennan in 1947 presupposed the stoppage of the communist expansion by confronting the Soviets in areas of crucial significance. Containment framed American policies in foreign affairs for the extent of the Cold War. It was used in one way or another in Korea, Vietnam, and other places where the U.S. got militarily involved to prevent further advancement of communism. The policy was grounded on the prognosis that if communism itself were to be isolated to its domains, confined within geographical extremities, communism itself would disintegrate due to its inherent contradictions (Roberts et al., 1972). Although it was not always effective, containment proved to be a vital component in ensuring that communism did not spread to certain areas.

Conclusion

In conclusion, during the Cold War, both containment and the Marshall Plan were successful in preventing the spread of communism. The United States was able to slow the expansion of Soviet hegemony by stabilizing Europe with economic assistance and stepping in to protect areas under communist threat. However, given the Soviet Union’s severe internal problems that constrained its global influence, the concern of an international communist takeover may have been exaggerated. Nevertheless, during a critical time, these policies were essential to preserving world stability.

 References

McGlinchey, S. (2009). The Marshall plan, the Truman Doctrine, and the division of Europe. E-International Relations, 1-5.

Roberts, C. M., Harriman, W. A., Krock, A., & Acheson, D. (1972). How Containment Worked. Foreign Policy, (7), 41-53. American Foreign Policy During the Cold War