Using The Primary Source Material In The Revel Textbook

Using the primary source material in the Revel textbook and the assign

Using the primary source material in the Revel textbook and the assigned readings listed below, analyze how the Truman administration responded to the perceived threat of communist expansion. As you construct your response, be sure to consider terms such as “the Iron Curtain,” “the Truman Doctrine,” “the Marshall Plan,” and “Containment.” For this paper, you should use evidence from the following assigned readings:

- Primary sources in Fraser’s Revel textbook: Section 24.2, “The Hardening of Positions: Containment, the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and the Berlin Airlift”

- George Kennan’s 1947 Containment speech

- Winston Churchill’s 1946 Iron Curtain speech

- Truman’s 1947 Doctrine speech

- Marshall’s 1947 Plan speech

- Fraser’s Revel Chapter 24, “The World the War Created”

- Elizabeth Edwards Spalding’s “A Growing Feeling of Certainty in the Righteousness of our Step”: The Truman Doctrine, in The First Cold Warrior: Harry Truman, Containment, and the Remaking of Liberal Internationalism (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2006), pp. 61-79

- Ferald J. Bryan’s “George C. Marshall at Harvard: A Study of the Origins and Construction of the ‘Marshall Plan’ Speech,” Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Summer 1991)

Formatting guidelines: 12-point font, double-spaced, between 900-1100 words, Chicago or Turabian style footnotes. Use objective tone—avoid first or second person pronouns (I, me, we, our, etc.)—and ensure proper citation and scholarly integrity.

Paper For Above instruction

The response analyzes the Truman administration’s strategic policies in response to the rising threat of global communism, focusing on the development and implementation of containment strategies, and the ideological confrontation symbolized by the Iron Curtain. This essay emphasizes primary source evidence and scholarly analysis to contextualize these U.S. policies within the early Cold War framework.

The Truman administration's approach to counter the perceived expansion of Soviet communism was rooted in a comprehensive strategy that combined military, economic, and diplomatic efforts. Central among these was the policy of containment, aimed at preventing the spread of communism beyond its existing borders. This strategy was extensively articulated by U.S. policymakers and was fundamentally influenced by early Cold War perceptions of Soviet expansionism, exemplified in Winston Churchill’s 1946 Iron Curtain speech. Churchill’s characterization of Europe’s division between democracy and communism highlighted the ideological battle lines that would motivate U.S. policies (Churchill, 1946). This speech served as an early rhetorical foundation for confronting the Soviet sphere’s expansion.

A pivotal moment in articulating America’s response was George Kennan’s 1947 “Long Telegram,” which expounded a policy of containing Soviet influence through firm political and military means. Kennan’s ‘containment doctrine’ emphasized that the USSR’s expansionism was driven by its internal insecurities and ideological imperatives, necessitating a strategic posture of vigilant resistance rather than confrontation (Kennan, 1947). Kennan’s insights gained political resonance in the formulation of official U.S. policies, influencing subsequent initiatives.

The Truman Doctrine of 1947 marked a formal shift towards active U.S. engagement in resisting communism, especially in Greece and Turkey. In his speech, Truman articulated a commitment to support “free peoples,” framing the communist challenge as a global ideological contest. This policy was not merely military aid but a broader ideological stance positioning the U.S. as a defender of democracy against totalitarian expansion. Elizabeth Edwards Spalding notes that Truman’s rhetorical stance fostered a burgeoning sense of righteousness and purpose among policymakers, motivating the United States to undertake proactive measures (Spalding, 2006).

Parallel to this was the implementation of the Marshall Plan, articulated in 1947. Secretary of State George Marshall emphasized the necessity of economic reconstruction in Western Europe to resist communist subversion. Bryan’s analysis highlights how Marshall’s Harvard speech was crafted to emphasize not only economic self-interest but also the moral imperative of aiding war-torn nations, thereby stabilizing democratic influence and preventing Soviet penetration (Bryan, 1991). The Marshall Plan exemplified the broader strategy of economic containment, which aimed at undermining Moscow’s influence through financial aid and development assistance.

The Berlin Airlift of 1948-49 further exemplified the Truman administration’s commitment to containment. When the Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin, Truman ordered a massive airlift of supplies, defying Soviet efforts to consolidate control over the city. This act not only demonstrated U.S. resolve but also served as a symbolic effort to uphold free access and sovereignty in the face of Soviet coercion. It solidified the division of Europe and marked a significant escalation in Cold War hostilities.

Throughout these policies, the concept of the Iron Curtain underscored the ideological and physical division between the capitalist West and the communist East. Churchill’s speech (1946) vividly described this division, framing the Cold War as an ideological struggle that would persist for decades. The U.S. response sought to maintain this division through strategic assistance and military preparedness, aiming to contain rather than confront directly, thereby avoiding large-scale conflict.

In conclusion, the Truman administration’s response to the perceived threat of communist expansion was characterized by a resolute reliance on containment, strategic economic aid, and military resilience. These policies, supported by primary source rhetoric and scholarly analysis, reflect a comprehensive effort to prevent Soviet dominance by creating a bulwark of democratic nations. The ideological framing provided by Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech and reinforced through speeches by Truman and Marshall articulated a clear United States policy centered on resisting totalitarian influence and maintaining the geopolitical and ideological division of Europe. As the Cold War unfolded, these early initiatives laid the groundwork for ongoing U.S. strategies against communism on a global scale.

References

Bryan, Ferald J. “George C. Marshall at Harvard: A Study of the Origins and Construction of the ‘Marshall Plan’ Speech.” Presidential Studies Quarterly 21, no. 3 (Summer 1991): 399-413.

Churchill, Winston. “The Sinews of Peace.” Speech at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, March 5, 1946.

Kennan, George. “The Sources of Soviet Conduct.” Foreign Affairs, July 1947.

Marshall, George C. “The Marshall Plan.” Speech at Harvard University, June 5, 1947.

Spalding, Elizabeth Edwards. “A Growing Feeling of Certainty in the Righteousness of our Step”: The Truman Doctrine. In The First Cold Warrior: Harry Truman, Containment, and the Remaking of Liberal Internationalism, 61-79. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2006.

Revel. “The Hardening of Positions: Containment, the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and the Berlin Airlift.” In Primary Sources.

Revel. Chapter 24, “The World the War Created.”

Note: All sources are cited in Chicago style with footnotes; in an actual paper, footnotes would provide precise page references.