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Period: to
Cold war 1947-1966
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Truman Doctrine
President Truman declared that the US would support free peoples resisting communist aggression, effectively launching the policy of containment. This was a direct response to the communist threat in Greece and Turkey, where the US provided military and economic aid to these countries. -
National Security Act
This act established the National Security Council and the CIA, centralizing US intelligence efforts and strengthening its ability to respond to perceived threats. -
"The Sources of Soviet Conduct" by George Kennan
Published in the journal Foreign Affairs, this article, later known as the "X article," argued that the Soviet Union's expansionist tendencies could be countered through containment, a US strategy that became the foundation of the Cold War. -
Czechoslovak coup d'état
The 1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état, also known as the "Prague Coup" or the "February Coup," was a power grab by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) with Soviet support, resulting in the end of Czechoslovakia's democratic government and the establishment of a communist dictatorship. The coup, which took place in February 1948, effectively marked the beginning of four decades of Communist rule in the country. -
Marshall plan
The Marshall Plan, formally the European Recovery Program, was a U.S. initiative to aid Western Europe's recovery after World War II. It was enacted in 1948 and provided over $15 billion to help rebuild war-torn cities, infrastructure, and industries, and foster trade between European countries and the United States. The plan aimed to prevent the spread of communism by stabilizing European economies. -
the Berlin Blockade
a tense period from June 1948 to May 1949 when the Soviet Union blocked all land and water access to West Berlin, then controlled by the Western Allies. This action was a major early Cold War crisis that led to the Berlin Airlift, where the Allies supplied West Berlin by air.