"I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by ar
med minorities or by outside pressures. I believe that we must assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way. I believe that our help should be primarily through economic and financial aid which is essential to economic stability and orderly political processes."
- President Harry S Truman, March 12, 1947
This speech by President Truman represents which Cold War policy of the United States?
A) containment
B) brinkmanship
C) nuclear disarmament
D) mutually assured destruction
During the Cold War, the foreign policy of the United States was contention because it focused on providing economic and military support to those countries that during the Second World War had been occupied by Germany. The main motivation of President Truman to carry out this task was that after the fall of the Nazi empire, it was that the Soviet Union also had great aspirations of ideological expansion towards the countries that had been invaded by the war, for what he considered necessary stop Soviet influence in some countries. Additionally as cited in the statement, President Truman referred to Soviet pressure when he mentions that "who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures". Later, he refers to the solution that he proposes when he says "I believe that we must assist free peoples to work out their own destinations in their own way. I believe that our help should be primarily through economic and financial aid which is essential to economic stability and orderly political processes " So, the correct answer is A. Containment.
The policy of containment was ment to assist countries that were under Nazi control in the years following WWII. It was me to help them set up a government and try to keep them from becoming communist.
