"Containing Communism": The Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan
- Rosie Jayde Uyola
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Target: I can explain how the United States responded to the threat of Soviet expansion by analyzing the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan.
Key Vocabulary
The Cold War (1945–1991): A period of extreme tension and rivalry between the United States (Capitalism/Democracy) and the Soviet Union (Communism). They never fought directly, but competed for global power.
Containment: The official U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War. The goal was to stop Communism from spreading to any new countries.
The Truman Doctrine (1947): President Truman’s promise that the U.S. would provide military and political help to any country threatened by Communist takeover (starting with Greece and Turkey).
The Marshall Plan (1948): A massive U.S. economic program that gave over $13 billion to help rebuild Western Europe after WWII. The idea was that wealthy, stable countries would not turn to Communism.
Communism: An economic and political system where the government owns all property and businesses, and citizens have few individual rights.
Part 1: Do Now (5 minutes)
Directions: Read the prompt below and write a 5-8 sentence response.
Prompt: Imagine you share a large community garden with your neighbors. One neighbor’s plot is completely overgrown with a fast-spreading, aggressive weed that is starting to creep into the other plots. Some neighbors want to just build a fence to block it, but others say you need to buy expensive, high-quality soil and fertilizer for everyone else's plots so their plants are strong enough to fight off the weeds naturally. Is it fair that you have to spend your own money to fertilize other people's gardens just to protect your own? Explain why spending a lot of money right now might save you from a much bigger disaster later. |
Sentence Starter: It might feel unfair to spend my own money, but I would do it because... Spending a lot of money on fertilizer right now is actually a smart investment because if I do nothing, the weeds will...
Part 2: Analyzing the Sources
Directions: Analyze the two documents below and then answer the questions that follow.
Source 1: President Harry S. Truman, "The Truman Doctrine" Speech (1947)
Context: After WWII, the countries of Greece and Turkey were secretly being attacked by Communist rebels funded by the Soviet Union. Truman gave this speech to ask Congress for money to help them fight back.
Original Text | Simplified Text |
"At the present moment in world history nearly every nation must choose between alternative ways of life... One way of life is based upon the will of the majority, and is distinguished by free institutions... The second way of life is based upon the will of a minority forcibly imposed upon the majority. It relies upon terror and oppression… I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures." | "Right now, almost every country in the world has to choose between two ways of life... One way (Democracy) is based on what the majority of people want, and features freedom... The second way (Communism) is based on a small group of people forcing their rules on everyone else. It relies on terror and oppression... I believe it must be the official policy of the United States to help any free people who are fighting against being conquered by armed rebels or by outside countries." |
Source 2: Political Cartoon - "The Marshall Plan" (1947)
Context: Secretary of State George Marshall believed that Communism only spread when countries were sick, poor, and desperate. He proposed the Marshall Plan, giving billions of dollars to Europe to "cure" their ruined economies.
Description: The cartoon shows a dark vulture labeled "Communism" flying through the sky. The vulture is carrying a screaming baby labeled "Chaos" and is looking down at a map of "Western Europe." On the ground below, the U.S. Congress is drawn as a doctor carrying a medical bag, rushing to the scene to treat Western Europe before the vulture can drop "Chaos" on them.
Analysis Questions
Directions: Answer the writing questions and the two Multiple Choice questions.
1. According to Source 1, how does President Truman describe the "second way of life" (Communism)? What does he promise the United States will do about it?
Sentence Starter: Truman describes Communism as a system that relies on... He promises that the United States will make it their official policy to support...
2. Look at Source 2. Why is Communism drawn as a "vulture" trying to drop "Chaos" on Europe? How does the U.S. "Doctor" (The Marshall Plan) plan to defeat the vulture?
Sentence Starter: Communism is drawn as a vulture because vultures prey on things that are... The U.S. Doctor defeats the vulture by bringing... which means the countries will no longer be sick and desperate enough to fall to Communism.
Regents-Style Multiple Choice
3. The primary goal of both the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan was to:
(1) Punish Germany for its role in starting World War II
(2) Contain the spread of communism in Europe and around the world
(3) Force the Soviet Union to pay reparations to the United States
(4) Establish American colonies in the Middle East
4. The Marshall Plan (Source 2) attempted to prevent the spread of communism by:
(1) Threatening the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons
(2) Creating a massive military alliance known as NATO
(3) Restoring economic stability to the nations of Western Europe
(4) Assassinating communist leaders in Greece and Turkey
Part 3: Exit Ticket (5 minutes)
Directions: Answer the following prompt in a complete paragraph (5-8 sentences).
Prompt: Using evidence from both sources, explain the United States' policy of Containment during the early Cold War. How did the government use military promises (Source 1) and economic aid (Source 2) to fight the spread of Communism? |
Sentence Starter: During the early Cold War, the U.S. used the policy of Containment to stop Soviet expansion. President Truman believed this was a fight between freedom and... As he stated in Source 1, the U.S. had to support free peoples who were resisting... However, the U.S. also knew they couldn't just use weapons. As shown in the cartoon in Source 2, Communism fed on "Chaos" and sickness. Therefore, the U.S. created the Marshall Plan to provide... which made countries strong enough to reject the Soviet Union.