The Truman Doctrine

The beginning of the postwar period in the American history was connected with the presidency of Harry Truman. He took office unexpectedly for both himself and the whole American society. His administration faced the dramatic situation: the war in Europe was approaching its end, military actions in the Pacific Ocean theatre were going on, and the preparations for the San-Francisco and Potsdam conferences were underway. Moreover, the President had to solve one of the most difficult challenges of his life – the use of the atomic bomb. In addition, the associates and advisers of the former president Franklin Roosevelt gradually began to withdraw from the government. In such difficult conditions of the transition from the war to peace, the rapid

A characteristic feature of the US postwar international policy was the practice of the economic diplomacy for achieving the political goals. The latter were declared in the Truman Doctrine which was publicly announced on March 12, 1947. The basis of this doctrine was the policy of containment of Soviet Union expansion in the whole world. It aimed to justify the US intervention in the internal affairs of other countries, unleash the cold war, and escalate the international tensions. The US former Vice President Henry Wallace characterized this doctrine as “crazy step toward the war, which caused the crisis in international relations” (). Despite the preparatory work, Truman Doctrine met a strong opposition in the Congress. The debate lasted for two months. Many congressmen were realizing what the President’s policy meant. Finally, the Congress supported Truman

It contained the economic means for achieving political goals. The Plan was launched in April 1948 when the Congress adopted the Economic Cooperation Act, which included a four-year program of economic assistance for Europe. Alongside, as a precondition for granting aid the Americans demanded to withdraw the Communists from the governments of those countries which signed the plan. As a result, by 1948 none of Western European governments included communists. In accordance with Marshall Plan in the years 1948-1951 US provided Western European countries with the financial assistance in the amount of approximately 13 billion dollars, which contributed to their post-war reconstruction. By 1951 the volume of industrial production in Western Europe was about 43 % higher than the prewar level. At the same time, the implementation of Marshall Plan strengthened the position of the American capital in Europe and provided the US companies with extensive sales