Truman's Speech In The Truman Doctrine By Harry S. Truman

In 1941 the United States was not getting along with the Soviet Union. However, when Germany invaded them, the United States had to rethink which was a greater threat—Joseph Stalin or Adolf Hitler. The attitude of both countries was summed up in Truman's words "If we see that Germany is winning, we ought to help Russia and if Russia is winning we ought to help Germany and that way let them kill as many as possible" (Document A).

Offner, Arnold, "Provincialism and Confrontation: Truman’s Responsibility" in Major Problems in American Foreign Relations, Volume II.

The United States only started being active in war due to Japan attacking them in 1941. This could possibly be one of the main underlying motives. However, the revenge for pearl harbor was not part of the decision making as in Truman’s entries he revealed that his motives were mostly to save more people than he was killing. But, the unmoral treatment of a large group of Americans would most likely be in the back of his mind influencing his decision.

Although Truman was faced with such tough decision, he was supported by the citizens of

As Vice President, Harry S. Truman seldom saw President Roosevelt, therefore acquiring no updates on the progress of the atomic bomb or the developing predicament with Communist Russia. After Roosevelt’s unexpected death, these dilemmas as well as an array of wartime problems became Truman’s to resolve as the new president. When he came into office on April 2nd, 1945, World War II was nearing its end, leaving Europe in absolute chaos. Truman had to search for ways to aid the country in picking up the pieces from war. Thus, in a foreign and domestic sense, he inherited a country in total turmoil and disorientation. Americans at home still could not feel the devastation caused by the war, which ultimately contributed to the failure of

Americans have been wondering whether President Truman should’ve ordered the usage of weapons which was against Japan back in August 1945. The World War II which involved almost every part of the world. This decision had the citizens thinking every year that passes by as if the President had made wrong decision. This horrible event had the citizens in doubt. The results were not good for the Japanese civilians. Because the of the atomic bomb they had lost not only their families, but also their houses and businesses. It impacted the tens of thousands of people in every way possible. To what Americans observes from this is not only the pros it had brought for the citizens, but it

Truman gave the Truman Doctrine. The United States was the only country that could act to keep Russia out of Greece and Turkey, they were in danger of a dictatorial system of government forced on them , as Truman himself said, “...by direct or indirect aggression, [which would] undermine the foundations of international peace and hence the security of the United States.” (Truman) Therefore “... it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressure.” (Truman) This very well explains why it was important for the United States to get involved, and gives the reason for the Truman Doctrine be. Truman wanted to gain congressional approval and public support for supporting Greek and Turkish independence. He thought that the support should be mostly through economic and financial aid, but he wanted to keep costs downs so as not to provoke the Soviets into an aggressive response, so he asked congress to use $400 million to assist them. The money to assist Greece and Turkey was approved by legislation, on 22 May 1947, just two months after the doctrine was given. Dwight P. Griswold was appointed to administer the program of assisting Greece and he was able to stabilise greek affairs by September of 1948. Turkey wasn’t in as bod of an economic crisis, and it was also out of danger by 1948. As Donald McCoy

Turkey, another country that had been dependent on British aid was also being pressured by the Soviets into granting them base and transit rights through the Turkish Straights. Worried about the growth the spread of communism and the growing influence of the Soviets; President Truman appealed to a joint session of congress to authorize $400-million in emergency aid to the Greek and Turkish Governments and the dispatch of American civilian and military personnel to those countries. In his Speech; Truman said “I believe it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures”. This would be known as the Truman Doctrine and it would be the foundation of the post-war American foreign policy throughout the Cold War. The Policy of Containment also sprung from the Truman Doctrine. This new foreign policy stood in stark contrast to the isolationist foreign policy that the United States had held in the past. Instead of avoiding international affairs and conflicts around the world the United States would become more proactive in the affairs of the world to promote its interest and to combat the influence Soviet

When Harry Truman became President, the last thing on his mind was creating a viable solution to the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. WW II had not ended in Europe, the world's first nuclear weapon was being created, and tensions were rising with the Cold War. In addition to these developing problems, few around the world saw what would be the longest lasting conflict of them all. It was this problem that Truman ultimately failed at resolving. Right before the end of World War I, Britain passed what soon to be called the Balfour Declaration. It was this document that would stir up trouble for decades to come. Right before the start of World War II, the League of Nations entrusted Britain with the Mandate of Palestine.After

“It is an awful responsibility that has come to us...My object is to save as many American lives as possible but I also have a human feeling for the women and children of Japan” (The National Interest, 2015, online). From this statement, it is evident that Truman is acting in an official capacity as president of the United States, doing the best he can to protect his nation. He did not seek to destroy Japanese culture or the inhabitants, the goal was to destroy Japan’s ability to make war. There is a vast amount of contributing factors behind Truman’s decision; some include:

War always results in destruction, debt, and deaths these outcomes are unevitable. But Truman's choice helped minamize the amount of deaths which is probably the most important catagory. The civilians that died, with out a doubt didnt deserve to die and their deaths will always be remembered and honored. But, the

In his acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention on June 27, 1936, President Franklin Roosevelt mentioned many challenges and concerns facing the United States during that time period. In his speech the President used short-hand phrases, brief references, and pejorative naming to make his larger, political and ideological points. FDR used terms like ‘economic royalists’, along with phrases like ‘new despotism wrapped in the robes of legal sanctions’, to identify the large corporations, investors and employers, who according to him are trying to influence policies and control the government for their own personal benefits. The President also uses phrases like ‘Necessitous men are not free men’, to reiterate his concerns and to point out how the working people of America are being deprived from their rights by these very same privileged employers. FDR compares 1936 to 1776, referring to the American Revolution and its significance in putting the power back in the hands of the average Americans, and how it is necessary to check the power of the corporations in order to protect the interests of the American people and restore the power back in the hands of the people.

The British troops helping the Grecian government were strangled of supplies due to poor economic times in Britain. Also, further territorial requisitions to Yugoslavia, Albania, and Bulgaria were being made. Seeing the deteriorating U.S. - Soviet relations, Truman issued two statements about "agreements, violations, reparations, and Soviet actions threatening U.S. security." "1.

     Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose primary objectives were both similar to and different from Wilson’s, entered the U.S. into WWII after the Japanese surprise attack at Pearl Harbor. His two major concerns for doing this were his obligation to protect American democracy, and to increase economic expansion, which had ceased to exist in the decade prior to WWII as a result of the Great Depression. Although all four major foreign policy objectives played a role in the U.S.’ entrance into WWII, I will explore these two policies in depth using speeches of FDR’s that provide his rationale for U.S. involvement. Roosevelt knew that entrance into the war would help boost the crippled

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.