A.4 Containment and Truman Doctrine Flashcards
1
Q
Iron Curtain Speech
A
- march 1946
- speech made by Churchill in America (as an individual)
- called for an alliance between Britain and America to prevent soviet expansion
- stalin accused churchill of warmongering
- speech described an iron curtain that had ‘descended across the continent’
- it marked the end of the alliance between the three
- speech got strong support from americans which in turn provoked an aggressive reaction from russia
2
Q
The Long Telegram
A
- 22nd february 1946
- george kennan was a deputy head of the mission in moscow. near the end of his term, the treasury department requested that the state department explain recent soviet behaviour.
- kennan responded with a 5,500 word telegram.
- it explained that stalin’s paranoia had created a paranoid nation obsessed with security. The USSR was isolating themselves from the rest of the world and building up an army fuelled on paranoia.
- the telegram explained that negotiations were impossible with the USSR because they had a completely different mindset.
- the telegram was used to determine how the american government would respond to Russia, deciding that military force would be the only thing they would listen to
3
Q
The Truman Doctrine
A
- foreign policy
- first announced in speech 12th march 1947 in an address recommending aid to Greece and Turkey
- encouraged by churchill’s iron curtain speech
- truman’s speech–showed clear differences between the different ways of life in east and west, and was an indirect attack on communism. a bipolar view, putting the two sides against each other
4
Q
The Truman Doctrine–Context
A
- Britain could no longer provide financial aid to Greece and Turkey and informed america on 21st February 1947
- civil war had broken out in Greece in September 1946 and Stalin was tolerating efforts to assist Greek communists
- Truman needed to act quickly to strengthen non-communist forces, his speech was made to congress to vote for the funds
