Compare And Contrast Kennedy's Policy Of Containment

Even before John Fitzgerald Kennedy began his presidency in 1961, he viewed foreign policy as one of the most important aspects of our lives. In one speech he said, “Foreign policy today, irrespective of what we might wish, in its impact on our daily lives, overshadows everything else. Expenditures, taxation, domestic prosperity, the extent of social sciences — all hinge on the basic issue of war or peace” (JFK Library). As the first president born in the 20th century, the youngest president to be elected to office, and the youngest president to die in office, John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s time in office was brief, but full of difficult challenges in foreign affairs. I feel that he

Eisenhower’s administration took many actions to strengthen anti-communist states and prevent the spread of communism. One example would be the use of former President Truman’s containment policy to prevent ware between the U.S. and the USSR. Another example would be, to prevent the Soviet Union from attacking the U.S., the Eisenhower administration began massive retaliation or the mass building of nuclear weapons. This would help the United States save money and cause our enemies to think twice before starting an attack. The USSR building nuclear bombs themselves put the U.S. at risk (Doc E), this should be taken with a grain of salt though because the potential of a war and destruction was too much of a risk for both countries to attack. This potential put both countries back at a stalemate position. Ultimately, massive retaliation acted as a protective barrier for the U.S. and American citizens, calming the fear of

“The Soviet Union must be that of a long-term, patient but vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies.” -X. The Cold War was after World War II. The United States and the Soviet Union were the world's strongest nations. They were called superpowers. They had different ideas about economics and government. The United States was capitalist and the Soviet Union was communist. Joseph Stalin wanted to expand the Soviet empire and spread communism throughout the rest of the world. The United States would not allow the Soviet Union and communism to spread, the American policy was now containment. Three times the United States demonstrated the policy of containment was the airlift in Berlin, the War in Korea, the missile blockade in Cuba.

The US created a policy to prevent the spread of communism and president Truman aided (economically and military) countries like Greece and Turkey to contain the spread of communism. Along with that, the US also provided extra money to rebuild cities and industries to keep these countries

During the Cold War, America's basic policy was that of "containment" of the Soviet Union. The policy of containment was based upon several principles. First, the Soviet Union wanted to spread socialism to all areas of the world. However, it was felt that the leadership of the Soviet Union felt no particular rush to accomplish their goal. "The Kremlin is under no ideological compulsion to accomplish its purposes in a hurry. Like the Church, it is dealing in ideological concepts which are of a long-term validity, and it can afford to be patient. (Hook and Spanier, 42)." In other words, the Soviet leadership believed that, since their ideas were the correct ones, they would eventually prevail, and thus, no direct confrontation would be

Considering the continued growth of Communism on the international stage and the Democratic president Harry S. Truman’s inability to stop events like the Communist takeover of China, the Republican Platform, that President Dwight D. Eisenhower ran on, proposed an exceptionally tougher stance on Communism. The platform had determined mere containment of Communism to be an insufficient solution, so therefore called for military action to reverse the spread of Soviet influence. However, President Eisenhower also promised large budget cuts to the military, so they devised a policy that they believed would cut spending but also increase the effectiveness of the military’s power. The Eisenhower administration announced this policy that called for the creation of a nuclear bomb carrying air fleet, that would be used as a threat to any Communists groups to discourage them from making advances to invade or takeover countries requesting American aid. Eisenhower planned to reverse the growth of Communism by using a superbomber airfleet as an effective weapon against Communism, however, he often failed to follow this initial foreign policy throughout his administration.

President Truman said in the essence of that the United States would provide many to countries that claimed they were threatened by communist expansion.” (150) President Truman concern was with the expansion of Soviet to the Eastern Mediterranean, it will cause communist to expand their regime and force the Eastern Mediterranean countries fall into the communist regime. This will cause for the Eastern Mediterranean countries like Greece and Turkey to will change politically, economically, and militarily to Soviet Union communist regime. President Truman wants the U.S. to provide aid and support those who are threatened by communist and those who want to be free from suppressor, dictator, and communist regime. As of many other countries was

In the early years of the Cold War, President Truman set out to prevent the spread of communism and the influence of the Soviet Union. Truman’s earliest attempts to contain communism involved economic assistance to noncommunist countries. While this assistance worked well in Europe, helping to stabilize it after World War II, it was not enough to prevent communist forces from winning the Chinese civil war. The war in China and a year later the war in Korea would prove that economic measures alone would not be enough to prevent the spread of communism and that a larger military presence was needed. With this mindset, President Eisenhower would use the threat of nuclear retaliation to detour any further communist aggression. It was also at this

Eisenhower used the power of Massive Retaliation which is where the United States would use every weapon in their power against to Soviet Union if they were to go to war, including nuclear war(Ayers 850). He used many forms of military use here is one. The United States will send troops to the Communist countries if they try to start war(Eisenhower sentence 27). The U.S. will send troops if they try to invade other countries. He also believed in Brinkmanship which is where countries go to the brink of war but they never actually go to war or fight(Ayers 850). Eisenhower also sent troops in the middle east Economic aid so they didn’t end up falling to communism(Eisenhower sentence 18). The United States will also send help to other countries to try to stop the spread of communism(Eisenhower sentence

Kennedy learned various lessons from Cuba and Berlin such as: looking for diplomatic solutions, being skeptical of his advisors, and to not act without plausible deniability. Kennedy would carry over those lessons for the rest of his term as President. Had Kennedy remained President from 1964-1968, the lessons acquired from Cuba and Berlin would have prevented an escalation in Vietnam. Kennedy viewed getting involved in Vietnam as a disruption to his foreign policy goals. One of Kennedy’s primary concerns during the Cold War was preventing escalation with the Soviet Union, it was a larger concern to him than to his advisors. The United States lacked support from other major countries and by interfering in Vietnam, the relationship with China that Kennedy wanted would have been negatively impacted. Kennedy’s priority during the Cold War was to defuse conflicts in Europe, and Vietnam would have been a secondary struggle with no real benefit. Kennedy demonstrated his skepticism to his advisor’s proposals by rejecting Rostow’s Berlin proposals. As a second term President, Kennedy would only have more freedoms when making foreign policy decisions. Kennedy did not want militaristic escalation in Vietnam, and would ensure that escalation would not take place. Although Kennedy did want to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia, sending ground troops was not the way he wanted to accomplish his goals. Kennedy would carry over his diplomatic intentions or quick action

Harry S. Truman was well known for The Truman Doctrine that would give aid for Greece and Turkey to quote “The foreign policy and the national security of this country are involved. One aspect of the present situation, which I present to you at this time for your consideration and decision, concerns Greece and Turkey. The United States has received from the Greek Government an urgent appeal for financial and economic assistance. Preliminary reports from the American Economic Mission now in Greece and reports from the American Ambassador in Greece corroborate the statement of the

After World War II the soviet Union practiced expansionism by attempting to take over different countries and influencing different prominent leaders to embrace the communist policies that they practiced. Because of this the United States practiced

The foreign policy of the United States during the Cold War fully supported the growth of democratic nations. The USSR, however, wanted countries to become communist like them. These opposing views led to tension between the two nations. As a result, in 1947, President Truman issued the Truman Doctrine which stated that the United States would supply aid to any country as long as they pledged to be democratic. The Marshall plan was enacted in 1948 and it was similar to the Truman Doctrine except it provided financial aid to these countries. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the United States used its foreign policy to help countries resist communist influence.

Within theories and finding, The Truman Doctrine was established and on March 12th, 1947. Truman speech pledged “American support for free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures” (Simkin, n.d.) Congress also agreed to give economic aid to the military to help fight Greece against communism as he felt that the political stability was threatened. With Greece in trouble Truman as concerned the other countries would fall into Communism and was known as the ‘domino theory’. If it was not for Truman then Greece and Turkey could no longer afford to fight the rebels. “Truman said that the Cold War was a choice between freedom and oppression; Therefore, Americans would have to abandon their decisions not to get involved in European affairs; America was OBLIGED to get involved” (Clare, n.d.). The Truman Doctrine was an American challenge not only to Soviet ambitions but also through a policy of containment.

Harry Truman’s speech to Congress on March 12, 1947 tailored itself to opposing the spread of communism. The “containment doctrine” announced its efforts to support Greece and Turkey to the tune of “$400,000,000” (Merrill, 222) in economic aid and military assistance, which the latter did not eventually transpire. The plea was made amid Greece’s civil war (1946-49), where as a result of World War II the “Germans had destroyed virtually all the railways, roads, port facilities, communications, and merchant marine…[left] Eighty-five per cent of the children [as] tubercular. Livestock…had almost disappeared…[where] inflation had wiped out practically all savings…[making] economic recovery impossible” (Truman). Truman felt Greece’s political chaos “threatened by the terrorist activities of several thousand armed men, led by Communists” (Truman) and the guerrilla forces controlled by the Greek Communist Party (KKE) warranted the monetary support of the U.S. Greece’s neighbor, Turkey, who received aid during the war from the U.S. and Britain, was confronted with a different situation, yet also required funds “for the purpose of effecting that modernization necessary for the maintenance of its national integrity...[that] is essential to the preservation of order in the Middle East” (Truman) and was becoming an increasingly important region for the U.S. Soviet pressure was placed onto Turkey to open up its shipping lanes in