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Truman's containment policy
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USA's Response to the Actions of the USSR in Eastern Europe Between 1945 and 1956
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USA's Response to the Actions of the USSR in Eastern Europe Between 1945 and 1956 After the Second World War the USA had little part in European affairs, this policy was known as isolation. However after events elsewhere in Europe, in March 1947 this policy changed. President Truman changed his foreign policy to ‘containment’. Truman presented these ideas in a doctrine known as the Truman Doctrine. In this doctrine he promised to ‘support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures. Truman ended by asking for $400 million to help Greece and Turkey fight the communist invaders. This succeeded and containment was looking like a winning solution. In the same year, the Central Intelligence Agency was set up. Its job was to collect information and to undermine the USA’s opponents, none more so than the USSR. In June 1947, George Marshall, Us secretary of state announced an ambitious plan. It would provide American money to help countries of Europe recover from the war. He believed that by supplying this money that these countries could stand up to the USSR. The trading links, he knew, would also be good aspect if these European countries weren’t able to trade with America a recession could occur. The Marshall plan was a big success, the aid given to the European countries helped rebuild their economy. In 1945 Germany was divided into four zones with each ally in control of a section each. Stalin wanted Germany to stay weak and divided so they posed no threat to the USSR. The USA took another view, they believed that it was important that Germany was strong after all it was the west’s first line of defence against the communists. The western powers joined their sections together forming West Germany. On June 24th West Berlin was surrounded by soviet soldiers, West Berlin was cut off, rail and road routes were also blocked. Two million people in West Berlin were facing starvation unless the west could help. So how did the USSR respond to these soviet actions?