Strategy of Containment, Essay Example

In order to take down Hitler in the World War II, Roosevelt and Churchill made a questionable alliance with the Soviet Union, which, in the end of it all, resulted in the Cold War and a new political state known as “containment”. However, the idea of partial USSR containment was in Washington minds in as early as 1941 and had in its origin the plan of using military forces in letting neither Germany nor USSR win other each other without substantial external help. In the end, however, the above-mentioned plan wasn’t implied for a couple of geopolitical reasons: avoidance of any potentially hostile alliances, minimization of casualties, technological rather that human aid as well as on-going war in the Pacific. Roosevelt wanted to make an impact, but, also aimed to rationally balance objectives and resources. The President tried to achieve a number of objectives at one time and some got in the way of others. He was determined to maintain good postwar relations with the Soviet Union by means of postwar loans, reparations and Lend-Lease, but his second front, opened to ensure US security, only raised Moscow’s suspicion. Moreover, Roosevelt’s for after war intentions didn’t get much domestic support, which came up to some senators trying to enforce quid pro qui attitude towards the USSR, which President never agreed to. With Roosevelt’s death in April 1945, Truman, being influenced by Roosevelt’s former advisors, enforced quid pro qui, but it never worked because of the USSR’s resistance to external influence. Who changed the whole situation was Kennan, stating that the American policy towards Soviet Union was wrong from the beginning. All in all, the external threat was the one moving the Soviet internal legislation. As a result, the new American strategy included “patience and firmness”, incorporating aid for the countries, treated by the USSR. As a whole, Truman Doctrine posted open-ended communication to resist Soviet Union, but by 1946 there were no means left to accomplish it. USA needed new strategy, which allied resources and objectives. It is then when the concept of containment started to develop.

Reference

Gaddis, J. L., (2005). Strategies of containment: a critical appraisal of American national security policy during the Cold War (2^nd ed., pages 3-23). Oxford University Press US