American Foreign Policies and The International Expansion of Communism

The Marshall Plan contained communism within the Soviet borders. The Marshall Plan sent aid to Western Europe and offered aid to communist nations in the East (Tarnoff, 2018). The aid acted as an economic boost for the countries, making them strong, unlike before when they faced a severe threat of a communist takeover.

The Berlin airlift thwarted international communist expansion since it illustrated the United States’ technological superiority. The airlift ensured Berlin had supplies for the winter. By the time the Soviets lifted the blockade, Western Germany was already an independent country, creating a democratic boundary between Russia and the rest of Europe (Adlgasser, 2020). The Berlin Airlift also led to the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance to counter Soviet power.

Containment was an effective policy to limit international communism expansion since the policy stopped the spread of communism by isolating it within the borders of the Soviet Union instead of spreading it all over Europe (Adlgasser, 2020). However, the West supported dictators and other political figures due to the policy simply because they opposed communism.

The United States should have feared international communist subversion during the Cold War (1945-1991) since communism took away people’s freedom. In communist territories, people could not own land, follow their religion or act or speak freely. In the United States, Americans could freely express themselves, own land, and support their religious beliefs. Since the Soviets believed in domination, Americans should have been afraid that they would take over the United States and limit their freedoms. The Soviets also took over nations in Europe, making Americans believe that communists were determined to impose their beliefs on everyone and control the world. The Soviets were also aggressive, which should have been a reason for the United States to fear. In this light, the Soviets created an atomic bomb using information stolen from the United States. The Soviets also planted spies in the United States.

References

Adlgasser, F. (2020). The Roots of Communist Containment: American Food Aid in Austria and Hungary after World War I (pp. 171-188). Routledge.

Tarnoff, C. (2018). The Marshall Plan: Design, accomplishments, and significance (Vol. 18). Congressional Research Service.

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Question

initial Post Instructions
Pick three (3) of the following American Foreign policies:

Marshall Plan
Berlin Airlift
Containment
Anti-Communist Freedom Fighters
Vietnam (conflict) War
Détente’
SALT I & SALT II
Camp David Accords
Strategic Defense Initiative (nicknamed “Star Wars”)
Then, address the following for your selections:

Explain how each of your choices was an effective policy to thwart international communist expansion.