Containment Flashcards
What was the Iron Curtain speech?
1946 by Churchill at Missouri
Referered to the division of Europe into East and WEst, communist and capitalist as the descending of an iron curtain
Churchill called for an alliance with USA
Stalin said the speech was a declaration of war
What was Kennan’s Long Telegram?
Kennan - US diplomat based in Moscow
Sent an 8,000 word telegram to USA govt in 1946
Stated USSR were seeking glabal expansion and that they were cruel, repressive and hostile
1947 Kennan wrote an article arguing that communism should be met with “firm nd vigil containment”
His commentary forged the containment strategy and the hardening of US attitudes
What was the effect of the Greek war?
WW2 put Brit 3 million in debt
Bad winter 1946/47 affected the econ and industry slowed
Political unrest in India, Palestine, Egypt . It was expensive to maintain British armies abroad
Britain couldnt afford to support Greece and Turkey in their wars
USA believed Greece and Turkey would fall to communism
What was the Trueman doctrine?
12 March 1947 Truman persuaded congress to give 400 mill dollars in aid to Greec and Turkey
He said communism relied on terror and oppression, controlled press and radio, fixed elections and suppression of freedoms
What other factors led to containment?
The failure to appease Hitler in the 1930s proved dictators could not be negotiated with
If further European and Asian countries fell to communism it would affect US trade and economy
An alternative to containment would be war but there was no will or cash for this
The US felt compelled to protect democracy
