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Truman Doctrine & Containment
In 1947, President Harry Truman requested $400 million in aid to help Greece and Turkey resist communist pressure and takeover. This assistance became part of a US policy commitment to help any nation threatened by communism and became known as the Truman Doctrine. The Truman Doctrine was closely related to the idea of containment. In containment, the US was committed to keeping communism from expanding beyond the nations where it already existed in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. -
Korean War
Communist North Korea invades South Korea. The United States enters the conflict to oppose this attempt at communist expansion. Fighting lasts three years and more than 50,000 American soldiers are killed. In the end, the borders between the two Koreas remains unchanged. South Korea remains non-communist. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviets placed nuclear missiles in Cuba. The US would not tolerate nuclear missiles 90 miles off the American coast
JFK decided on a naval “quarantine” to block Soviet ships delivering missiles. In the end, the US & Soviets reached a settlement. The USSR withdrew the Cuban missiles. The US withdrew missiles it had on the Soviet border in Turkey.
This was the closest the two sides came to nuclear war.. -
Vietnam War
The US backs South Vietnam in a fight against communist guerrillas and forces from communist North Vietnam. The US was directly involved with combat forces for some nine years. The US had tremendous problems making progress in this guerrilla war. The difficult war spurred powerful antiwar protests in the US
