The Truman Doctrine

"The free peoples of the world look to us for support in maintaining their freedoms. If we falter in our leadership, we may endanger the peace of the world -- and we shall surely endanger the welfare of our own nation." (www.fordham.edu) These words were spoken by President Harry S. Truman before a joint session of congress on March 12, 1947. In essence, this is the reasoning for the Truman doctrine. The Truman doctrine is a policy that was first set forth by President Truman and signed into law on May 22 1947 (www.u-s-history.com) in order to aide the countries of Greece and Turkey against communist forces.

However, it was later expanded to justify support for any nation that the United States thought was being oppressed by communism during the cold war era. (Encarta.msn.com) The perceived threat to Greece and Turkey was from the Soviet Union, and when the British government withdrew their special support for Greece, the United States offered support. The amount was $400,000,000 for limited military and economic assistance President Truman sold this military move to congress and the public in broad and universal terms between totalitarianism and democracy. "The peoples of a number of countries of the world have recently had totalitarian regimes forced upon them against their will." (www.fordham.edu)