Was Containment the Right Choice for America?

Only available on StudyMode
  • Download(s) : 1026
  • Published : July 30, 2011
Open Document
Text Preview
Containment is A-Okay!
The struggle for world power between capitalism and communism had the potential to start World War III according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff as of November 9th, 1950 in document 16 where they state, “In the event of the commitment of the [Soviet Union]… it would then be evident that World War III is imminent.” The Containment Policy was a way to keep communism from spreading without having to fight the most powerful communist countries outright. Wars that occurred during the Containment Policy never had direct fighting between the United States and the major communist influence, the Soviet Union. The Containment Policy was effective at stopping the spread of communism, and was the right choice to prevent World War III.

The plan for European recovery after World War II was the Marshall Plan. According to document six, “Its purpose is to revive a working economy in the world.” In this document, George Marshall states, “There are also possibilities of disturbances because of the desperation of the people concerned. In document eight, President Truman states, “The seeds of totalitarian regimes are nurtured by misery and want. They spread and grow in the evil soil of poverty and strife.” These documents justify that, communism spreads in economically depressed countries and it was the purpose of the Marshall Plan to prevent that. Document one shows coal and steel productions in the years after World Wars I and II. After World War I production levels had alternating highs and lows, but after World War II increased consistently. In document four, comparing the amount of money given to the countries it is evident that the top four recipients were the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany. Document two; figure two shows the economic growth of nations during the Marshall Plan years. The nations with the top four highest economic growths were Germany, Austria, Italy, and France. Three out of four of the top recipients were also three out of...
tracking img