There were several developments in the Cold War between 1945 and 1950 that impacted the foreign policy of the United States. In February 1945, Stalin agreed at the Yalta Conference to allow free elections to occur in Poland. However, this promise was not kept. This signaled to the United States and its Allies that Stalin could not be trusted. Some people felt this was the beginning of the Cold War.
In March 1947, President Truman and his advisors developed the policy of containment. This policy was designed to try to keep Communism from spreading. It led to the creation of the European Recovery Plan, which provided aid to nations to rebuild their economy in order to resist the spread of communism.
In June 1948, the Soviet Union cut off all land access to West Berlin. The Soviet Union hoped to force the United States, France, and Great Britain to abandon their zones in West Berlin. Instead, the Berlin Airlift began to fly supplies into West Berlin. Eventually, the Soviet Union ended the blockade.
In July 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed. This military alliance was formed in response to the threat posed by the Soviet Union. The United States and several European countries formed NATO in response to the threat of the Soviet expansion of communism.
In June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations, led by the United States, helped South Korea in this conflict in order to keep South Korea as a free, independent, and noncommunist country.
No comments:
Post a Comment