How Pleased Would Truman Have Been By the Implementation of His Plan In the Years Up To 1962?

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Luca Galbiati        History

05.11.03

HOW PLEASED WOULD TRUMAN HAVE BEEN BY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF HIS PLAN IN THE YEARS UP TO 1962?

This essay will try to analyze and understand whether Harry Truman would have been pleased with the ongoing of his doctrine and whether it was a success or failure in the long run. To do so, the case studies of Berlin, Eastern Europe, Korea and the Cuban Missile Crisis will be used to view the different aspects from the period of 1945 to 1962(approximately).

The Truman Doctrine was created by Truman himself in May 1947. This doctrine said that the USA should provide countries under the threat of a Communist invasion with money, expert advice and if necessary military equipment. Truman had accepted that all of Eastern Europe had become Communist but did not accept this would spread any further. His doctrine later became known as the Policy of Containment.

At the end Second World War, Berlin was captured by the Russians. Stalin wanted to cripple Germany but the Allies had the job to reconstruct it economically and socially. Therefore Germany was divided into 4 sectors, an American, a French, a British and a Soviet. The same was done with Berlin which was in the Soviet sector. Berlin was divided because it was seen as an important city for Germany and an ‘Oasis’ for the eastern world. Stalin thought that the Allies used their areas as a provocative act where they would show how close they could get to Russia. Stalin consequently decided to set-up a Blockade in Berlin where he cut electricity supply and blocked roads leading towards and out of the Soviet Section.

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The allies overcame this problem by setting up an air lift where supplies were flown in the three major airports of the allied sectors (airplanes were landing almost every three minutes, day and night). They also used this method to see whether the Soviets would shoot down their planes causing a conflict. Eventually they didn’t. This was a success for containment but to what the evidence shows, it shows how the allies were prepared for any action that the Soviets would have taken.

The negative point of this situation was that the Allies were powerless in front of the ...

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