US Foreign Policy: Truman and Eisenhower

Question 1

What was US foreign policy under Eisenhower?

Answer 1

• -Policy of containment
• -Domino Theory
• -Relied on nuclear weapons rather than conventional ones to make his case
• -Policy of deterrence re USSR (nuclear weapons)
• -Policy of peaceful co-existence
• -U-2 spy plane shot down over Russia

Question 2

What was the Truman Doctrine?

Answer 2

• -Policy of giving aid to any country who needed help fighting Communism
• -Originally Britain helped Turkey and Greece but its economy was too weak after the war
• -Turkey, Greece, Iran
• -Provided $400 million to Turkey and Greece

Question 3

What was the Marshall Plan?

Answer 3

• -General George Marshall, Secretary of State, wanted to build up European economies to help fight off Communism
• -America needed markets for its surplus goods – revived Europe
• -European Recovery Programmed/EPR
• -Plans to restore agricultural and industrial production

Question 4

What was the Soviet reaction to the Marshall Plan?

Answer 4

• -Stalin believed the US intended to use the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Aid to undermine Soviet influence and destroy Communism
• -Set up Comecon to co-ordinate the economic development of the USSR and its allies

Question 5

What were the results of the Marshall Plan?

Answer 5

• -France and italy needed more aid than others
• -Countries such as Germany didn’t need it much – had good industrial relations and skilled labour
• -Benefited the US; Europe bought American goods, strengthened American economy and industry
• -Divided Europe in two; those who participated and those who didn’t
• -Influenced European unity
• -May not have been necessary; historians differ
• -Showed the US wasn’t going back to isolationism