The Truman Doctrine In The Cold War

1.) In my opinion, it was the United States actions, both during and after WWII, that are responsible for the Cold War. Aside from minor territorial squabbles in the years shortly after the war, the Truman Doctrine in 1947 let the Soviets know that the U.S was ready to fight them if they tried to expand, while the U.S itself was expanding in Japan and Western Europe. Then, when the Soviets cut off Berlin in 1948, instead of asking them to open it up again, the U.S called their bluff and put them in the position of, “Go to war with us, or stop blocking Berlin.” And all of the aforementioned reasons are compounded by the fact that the U.S had bombs capable of wiping out entire cities that the Soviet’s knew nothing about until they were used against

After many disagreements with the Soviets shortly after WWII, the U.S instituted the Truman Doctrine in 1947 that stated the U.S would, “support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.” Essentially, prevent communism from taking root in any more places. The direct consequences of this doctrine would be the U.S’s involvement the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and a mutual distrust between the U.S and USSR that would continue well into the nineties. The indirect consequences (indirect because these countries were largely independent of the Soviets or the Chinese) would be the U.S’s actions in South America, most notably the toppling of a democratically elected socialist governments in Chile and funding a bunch of thugs to harass the communist government in Nicaragua. A less direct method of containment would be the Marshall plan, which offered financial aid to all European countries (including the Soviet controlled countries) that had been damaged in the during the war, provided that they comply to a few economic sanctions. This made the U.S appear much more benevolent than the Soviets (Soviets couldn’t afford aid programs for all of its satellites) and allowed American consumerism to get its foot in Europe. While this policy containment did wonders at hindering the spread of communism, I think a policy that involved

That is, until Chairman Mao instituted reforms in the early 1950’s that gave women the right to vote and the right to initiate divorce. While this was great, women were still not equal to men, as most payment to Chinese households from the state was given to the head of the house (AKA: the man of the house). China’s one child policy that began in the 1970’s created a negative stigma towards females, as a female would be unable to continue the family’s legacy, and resulted in a large number of Chinese girls to be killed in infancy. In recent history, China has loosened the one child policy, resulting in less discrimination towards females and while most Chinese industry is still male dominated, Chinese females are allowed some of the greatest education in the world, which is scores better than most countries. Next we have India, which has experienced relatively little change since gaining independence from Britain. Though the Indian constitution guaranteed everyone equal rights, women and lower caste individuals of both sexes still experience palpable discrimination. Domestic violence is EXTREMLY widespread throughout all India, and though laws have attempted to combat this, most cases remain unreported for fear of being abandoned by their husbands. Like China, Indian girls are seen as less valuable than boys, and this frequently results in