Harry S. Truman (USA) – (1884-1972)

October 21, 2015October 22, 2015 Aaron Potter Harry S. Truman (USA)

Ushering in the success of defeating Germany in WWII, Harry S. Truman served for two full terms as president between 1945 and 1953. During these years Truman’s foreign policy to prevent soviet imperialism took many forms, the most important of which was the Truman Doctrine.

The Truman Doctrine was an important Cold War document which offered other countries free monetary aid if they promised to not adopt communism and resist pressure from Russia. The Truman Doctrine became the foundation of American policy during the Cold War and is undoubtedly President Truman’s most successful implementation, solidifying his want to maintain the Capitalist way of thinking.

That same year (1947), Truman also instituted the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan offered European countries at risk of falling to communism the ability to claim economic monetary aid in the hope of stopping Stalin’s “Sphere of Influence”. Truman did not advertise The Marshall Plan as this however, defending the plan by stating that communism should still be able to flourish in economically depressed regions. These regions would provide little opposition to US capitalism.

As well as preventing the spread of communism, Truman was also tasked with transitioning America’s economy to that of a more peacetime nature. Yet despite the internal issues that needed to be dealt with inside US borders, Truman still managed to defeat Stalin’s 1948 blockade of western Berlin, intended to push the Allies out of Germany’s capital, with an airlift of supplies into the city.

Throughout the duration of both of his presidential terms, Truman succeeded in keeping the Russian bear at bay, using the offer of economic aid and the appeal of capitalism to prevent Stalin’s communist regime from spreading further West.

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Aaron Potter

Hello I’m Aaron and like most other people you’ll find on this website I love writing about history, so much that I chose to study it in my home city of Bristol. There is only one past but many histories, and it’s in researching these histories which gets me pumped as I discover a possible untold story.

When I’m not trudging through archives or writing about the past, you can find me sharing my thoughts about all things gaming related at www.rockingameskid.blogspot.co.uk and critiquing movies and movie news on my weekly podcast www.thepictureblock.com.