Containment facts for kids

The policy of containment was a diplomatic strategy of the United States to prevent the spread of the communism during the Cold War. Economic support should bind countries to the United States. This was a counteraction against the new Soviet sphere of influence.

In March 1947 the US president Harry Truman (1884-1972) announced support for countries which were threatened by military force. This speech is called "Truman Doctrine" nowadays. In detail, he promised support for Greece and Turkey against the Soviet Union.

The most important part of the policy of containment was the "European Recovery Program" (1948), also known as "Marshall Plan", which should boost the European economy after the destruction in the Second World War using—most important—money, successful American economic models, and less European trade barriers.

Images for kids

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  United States Information Service poster distributed in Asia depicting Juan dela Cruz ready to defend the Philippines from the threat of communism.

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  A 1962 nuclear explosion as seen through the periscope of a US Navy submarine. The goal of containment was to 'contain' communism without a nuclear war.

See also

In Spanish: Contención para niños