Thus Truman decided on a strategy known as "containment," in which the Soviets would be prevented-militarily if necessary-from using force to export their ideology abroad. Like many of the statesmen of his age, he believed that the proper means of responding to an international bully was a credible threat of force "appeasement" was a dirty word, as it would only lead to new demands. To the new administration of Harry Truman, this behavior was reminiscent of Hitler's in the 1930s. Having just won a world war, they seemed intent on setting the stage for another. After driving German forces out of Eastern Europe they set about creating communist puppet states throughout the region, apparently ignoring their promises to allow democratic elections there. Agreements regarding the postwar world were reached at Yalta and Potsdam, but the Soviets wasted no time in violating them. This message, hammered home from 1942 to 1945, meant that after the war Americans would be in for a rude shock. In newspaper and magazine articles, speeches and Hollywood films, Americans were told again and again that although the Russian people had a different economic system, they were equally committed to democratic values and to a peaceful, stable world order. This episode from the CNN series entitled The Cold War focuses on the changing relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union between 1917-1945.Īfter the United States entered the war in December 1941 the administration began encouraging Americans to view the Soviet Union not as a threat, but rather as a partner both for victory over the Axis and for maintaining peace in the postwar world.
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