Source: "Reasons for the Cold War"
The decline of Great Britain as a world power after World
War Two left a power vacuum. This meant that the USA had to
abandon its isolationist tendencies and become more involved
in European affairs.
By 1947, Britain had announced that it no longer had the
military or economic means to provide aid to the Greek and
Annotation Questions
7. Describe the Truman
Doctrine.
Turkish governments in their struggle against communist
rebels, who were trying to take control of their respective
countries.
During a speech in March 1947, US President Truman
announced a policy of containment (the realisation that if
communism could not be ended, it must be prevented from
spreading further).
This became known as the Truman Doctrine. He believed
that the world was becoming increasingly divided and accused
8. How would the
Marshall Plan help
the US fight against
the spread of
communism?