What was the Truman Doctrine, and why was it important?

Question

and if u could, does la manche mean the english channel in french? thx

this is for geography, i'm a 6th grader and our teacher doesn't make us say anythin out loud unless it's a really good answer, cuz he walks around to check if we did our hw

Answer 1

The Truman Doctrine was part of the United States' political response to perceived aggression by the Soviet Union in Europe and the Middle East, illustrated through the communist movements in Iran, Turkey and Greece. As a result, American foreign policy towards the USSR shifted, as George F. Kennan phrased it, to that of containment. Many believe the Truman Doctrine to be the first in a succession of containment moves by the United States, followed by economic containment (The Marshall Plan) and military containment (the creation of NATO.) Under the Truman Doctrine, the United States was prepared to send any money, equipment, or military force to countries that were threatened by the communist government, thereby offering assistance to those countries resisting communism. In U.S. President Harry S Truman's words, it became "the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures."

President Truman made the proclamation in an address to the U.S. Congress on March 12, 1947 amid the crisis of the Greek Civil War (1946-1949). Truman insisted that if Greece and Turkey did not receive the aid that they needed, they would inevitably fall to communism with consequences throughout the region.

Truman signed the act into law on May 22, 1947 which granted $400 million in military and economic aid to Turkey and Greece. It should be noted however that this American aid was in many ways a replacement for British aid which the British were no longer financially in a position to give. The policy of containment and opposition to communists in Greece for example was carried out by the British before 1947 in many of the same ways it was carried out afterward by the Americans.

The doctrine also had consequences elsewhere in Europe. Governments in Western Europe with powerful communist movements such as Italy and France were given a variety of assistance and encouraged to keep communist groups out of governments. In some respects, these moves were in response to moves by the Soviet Union to purge opposition groups in Eastern Europe out of existence.

In 1950, Truman signed NSC-68 which shifted foreign policy from passive to active containment. The document largely inspired by George F. Kennan explicitly stated that the Communists planned for world domination.

The Truman Doctrine also contributed to America's first involvements in the Vietnam War. Starting shortly after the outbreak of the Korean war, Truman attempted to aid France's bid to hold onto its Vietnamese colonies. The United States supplied French forces with equipment and military advisors in order to combat Ho Chi Minh and anti-colonial communist revolutionaries. The US propped up the French not out of a belief that they could hold on in Vietnam, but out of a hope that a government not under the control of Ho Chi Minh could come to power.




Basically, the Truman Doctrine was a policy in which the United States will:

1) do everything they can to stop communism from entering a country, from exiting a country and spillover to another

2) will aid countries that are under communist threats

Answer 2

ok instead of writing the question here, why dont u just search the web? That is exactly what you are asking us to do. Just go to google and type in importance of Truman Doctrine.
And there is an english to french translation site, which you can also look up through google.

Answer 3

did it ever occur to you that someone could purposely give you false answers?
it's quicker to google it, or better yet, go to a history site. get the information yourself, and know that it's not some random stranger making up god only knows what foolishness that might embarass yourself by regurgitating in your history class?

Answer 4

The Truman Doctrine was a United States foreign policy designed to contain Communism by stopping its spread to Greece and Turkey. Gaining the support of the Republicans who controlled Congress, President Harry S. Truman proclaimed the Doctrine on March 12, 1947. It stated that the U.S. would support Greece and Turkey with economic and military aid to prevent their falling into the Soviet orbit. The Doctrine shifted American foreign policy towards the Soviet Union from détente to, as George F. Kennan phrased it, a policy of containment of Soviet expansion. It is often used by historians as the starting date of the Cold War.




History
Truman's decision, supported by Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg and the Republicans who controlled Congress, came the British urgently informed Washington that it was no longer able to support the Greece government's efforts to fight its civil war against Communist insurgents. Aid was given to Turkey because of the historic tensions between Greece and Turkey. It was an early response to aggression by the Soviet Union in Europe and the Middle East, illustrated through the communist movements in Iran, Turkey and Greece. The Truman Doctrine was the first in a succession of containment moves by the United States, followed by economic restoration of Western Europe through the The Marshall Plan and military containment by the creation of NATO in 1949. In U.S. President Harry S. Truman's words, it became "the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures." Truman reasoned, because these "totalitarian regimes" coerced "free peoples," they represented a threat to international peace and the national security of the United States.

President Truman made the proclamation in an address to the U.S. Congress on March 12, 1947, amid the crisis of the Greek Civil War (1946-1949). Truman insisted that if Greece and Turkey did not receive the aid that they needed, they would inevitably fall to communism with consequences throughout the region.

Truman signed the act into law on May 22, 1947, which granted $400 million ($350 million to Greece and $50 million to Turkey) in military and economic aid. The economic aid was to be used in repairing the infrastructure of these countries and military aid came in the form of military personnel supervising and helping with the reconstruction of these countries while training soldiers. This aid was to help Greece and Turkey get back on their feet so they could both support and defend themselves from coercive forces. It should be noted however that this American aid was in many ways a replacement for British aid which the British were no longer financially in a position to give. The policy of containment and opposition to communists in Greece for example was carried out by the British before 1947 in many of the same ways it was carried out afterward by the Americans.

The doctrine also had consequences elsewhere in Europe. Governments in Western Europe with powerful communist movements such as Italy and France were given a variety of assistance and encouraged to keep communist groups out of governments. In some respects, these moves were in response to moves made by the Soviet Union to purge opposition groups in Eastern Europe out of existence.

In 1950, Truman signed the top-secret policy plan NSC-68 which shifted foreign policy from passive to active containment. The document differed from George F. Kennan's original notion of containment outlined in his "X" article, containing much harsher anti-communist rhetoric. NSC-68 explicitly stated that the Communists planned for world domination.

The Truman Doctrine also contributed to and became rationale for America's first involvements in the Vietnam War. Starting shortly after the outbreak of the Korean War, Truman attempted to aid France's bid to hold onto its Vietnamese colonies. The United States supplied French forces with equipment and military advisors in order to combat Ho Chi Minh and anti-colonial communist revolutionaries.


[edit] Metaphor
The "Truman Doctrine" has become a metaphor for emergency aid to keep a nation from communist influence. Truman used disease imagery not only to communicate a sense of impending disaster in the spread of communism but also to create a "rhetorical vision" of containing it by extending a protective shield around noncommunist countries throughout the world. It echoed the "quarantine the aggressor" policy Franklin Roosevelt proposed in 1937. The medical metaphor extended beyond the immediate aims of the Truman Doctrine in that the imagery combined with fire and flood imagery evocative of disaster provided the United States with an easy transition to direct military confrontation in later years with communist forces in Korea and Vietnam. By presenting ideological differences in life or death terms, Truman was able to garner support for this communism-containing policy.