The term containment, introduced by the Truman Administration, describes the foreign policy pursued by the United States after the Second World War. The policy itself was an attempt to 'contain' the Soviet Union within its current borders and frustrate any attempts of expansion. George F. Kennan, a diplomat and US State department advisor on Soviet affairs, introduced the term in his famous Anonymous X - article. Keenan suggested a
' Long term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies'
This would lead to the inevitable break up of the Soviet Union. Since the defeat of the Nazi's the Soviets because of their communist ideology and history were considered to be the largest threat to the Western World. Arguably all of the United States foreign policies after the Second World War were in one way or another directed towards that of the Soviet Union and therefore examples of containment.
Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev in the White Ho...
English: US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Gen...
English: From left to right: Joseph Stalin, Frankl...The Truman administration introduced the policy of containment, based on the work of George F, Keenan. Within his Anonymous - X article Kennan suggested three policies the U.S. should adopt in order to accomplish the 'containment' of the Soviet Union. Kennan recommended that the first goal should be the restoration of the balance of power within Europe. According to Kennan, the ultimate goal of U.S. foreign policy should not be the division of the World into Soviet and American Spheres of influence. Instead, U.S. foreign policy should aid the establishment of independent centres of power in Europe and Asia and also encourage self - confidence in nations threatened by soviet expansion through economic and military aid.
The second goal was the reduction of Soviet power projection by exploiting tensions in international communism. Since the Soviet Union projected power towards the outside, by relying on communist governments subservient...
Why did the United States adopt a policy of containment
The topic was "WHY did the US adopt containment". I feel that the essay in fact veered off more into other areas without this kept as its key focus. More was devoted to what it actually was than the direct causes that led the US to so radically change a policy they had stuck by since Independence and which required a massive commitment in money and materiel.
There are some very ggod ideas and facts presented, but again I feel that it wasn't organised well enough. Instead these ideas generally went all over the place, to be referred to at different points rather than have specific paragraphs that neatly referred specifically to the topic. A good example of this is the conclusion where it correctly summarises that "the United States adopted the policy of containment due to escalating fears over the expansionist foreign policy of the Soviet Union" giving examples, but then veers off into how this "was the first example of containment as US foreign Policy and also stated the intensions (sic)of the United States towards Soviet Union. Although containment was never carried out exactly how George Kennan devised the policy, it was effective when first introduced through the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan," points more fitting for an introduction but not adressing the question: "OK, but WHY did they come up with it?"
3 out of 6 people found this comment useful.