Free Essay: Foreign Policies During Truman's Administration

The end of World War (WW) II marked the beginning of peace and prosperity among different nations around the world. Likewise, most of the Americans thought they could enjoy a peaceful country after WW II ended. However, the end of the war resulted in the emergence of tension in the name of the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union. The tension between these powerful nations affected all sectors and aspects of the life of the individual Americans and the entire nation by extension. Therefore, the Americans were to establish strategies to curb the purported spread of communism by the Soviet Union to many other countries around the world. Truman's administration (1945-1953) existed during the postwar era and had the responsibility to introduce and implement different foreign policies to promote the U.S security while confronting the spread communism. Thus, it is evident that Truman massively shaped the U.S foreign policy during his reign and brought significant success to the U.S in the reconstruction of nations in the postwar era. His success was primarily experienced in most of the European countries and Japan.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Containment policy marked the major foreign policy to be made by the U.S during the cold war under Truman's administration. Containment policy was proposed by George Kennan and employed different strategies to assist curbing the spread of communism especially in Asia and Eastern Europe region (Chapter 24. One strategy of Containment policy was the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to enable the nations from the Western Europe region to be secure against communist influence. The U.S implemented the policy by making strategic partnerships and alliances with other nations, supporting the weaker countries in conflicting areas, and providing assistance to friendly and democratic governments (Chapter 24). Truman's doctrine also described as the Containment policy aimed at providing economic and military aid to those countries who seemed to be candidates for political instability due to communist influence.

Reconstruction of many nations was among the top priorities after the immediate end of the WW II. The war had caused massive destruction that destroyed critical infrastructure and the economy and resulted in significant food shortages especially in 1946-1947. Therefore, Truman's administration comes up with the Marshall Plan by the help George Marshall who was the then Secretary of the State. Marshall Plan was developed by the U.S to serve as a program which could make the U.S provide financial assistance to the European nations in achieving stability, prosperity, and economic recovery (Chapter 24).

It should also be noted that Truman's foreign policy did not only focus on Europe but also considered other parts of the world including the Middle East and Latin America. For instance, Truman's administration helped the establishment and implementation of Rio Pact in Latin America to encourage private firms to invest and develop the region (Chapter 24). Also, this administration helped in the creation of the Organization of American States (OAS) which was to facilitate coordination of the social needs, economic activities, and shared defense in the whole region (Chapter 24).

I opine that Truman's foreign policy was successful to the Americans as they marked the end of isolationism of the U.S and simultaneously started to participate in world affairs actively. For instance, Truman's doctrine was initially aimed at stopping the spread of communism where the U.S could provide economic and military support to countries threatened to be affected by Communism. It is evident that the foreign policy is the main factor that has enabled the U.S to be a powerful nation even in the current world in the social, economic, and political sectors of the globe. The U.S has never looked back since the introduction of the Containment policy, and the Americans are striving to bring stability and prosperity around the world while strengthening their security. The Marshall Plan was successful in helping most of the European nations to rehabilitate and restore their economy. This plan also improved the American economy because the funds of the program were used to buy American goods which were eventually taken to the European nations who had accepted the economic aid. The fruits of the Marshall Plan are still evident in the current world where the U.S offers donations and grants to different countries around the world to promote peace and prosperity. I can, therefore, conclude that Truman's foreign policy was significantly successful both at the then and current worlds.

Reference

Chapter 24. Truman and Cold War America, 1945-1952.