Changes

First recall that in 1947 President Truman announced what became known as the Truman Doctrine to counter the growing communist threat:  "Support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures."  Truman declared that assistance shall be "primarily through economic and financial aid."  Also in 1947, a theory of "containment" became popular to keep communism from spreading beyond the Soviet Union.  Despite this, communism continued to spread.  As mentioned in the last lecture, in 1948 the United States joined in an alliance with Western European in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ("NATO"), to oppose communist countries controlled by the Soviet Union.  Germany was split into West Germany (non-communist) and East Germany (communist), and when West Germany joined NATO in 1955 then the Soviet Union formed a "Warsaw Pact" in an alliance with Eastern European communist countries to offset NATO.

First recall that in 1947 President Truman announced what became known as the Truman Doctrine to counter the growing communist threat:  "Support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures."  Truman declared that assistance shall be "primarily through economic and financial aid."  Also in 1947, a theory of "containment" became popular to keep communism from spreading beyond the Soviet Union.  Despite this, communism continued to spread.  As mentioned in the last lecture, in 1948 the United States joined in an alliance with Western European in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ("NATO"), to oppose communist countries controlled by the Soviet Union.  Germany was split into West Germany (non-communist) and East Germany (communist), and when West Germany joined NATO in 1955 then the Soviet Union formed a "Warsaw Pact" in an alliance with Eastern European communist countries to offset NATO.

China "fell" to communism in 1949, when Mao Zedong ("Chairman Mao") took over the country by force as part of a communist revolution there.  Many began to think that it would be inevitable that communism would spread throughout the world and conquer all nations.

China "fell" to communism in 1949, when Mao Zedong ("Chairman Mao") took over the country by force as part of a communist revolution there.  Many began to think that it was inevitable that communism would spread throughout the world and conquer all nations.

[[File:Cold War map.png|300px|right|thumb|The Cold War: NATO in blue (including the U.S.) versus the Warsaw Pact in red (including the Soviet Union), 1949-1990]]

[[File:Cold War map.png|300px|right|thumb|The Cold War: NATO in blue (including the U.S.) versus the Warsaw Pact in red (including the Soviet Union), 1949-1990]]

The United States sought to protect western Europe against inroads by communism by enacting The Marshall Plan of 1947, which provided financial assistance to European economies struggling in the wake of World War II.  A primary motive of this assistance was to strengthen the countries to the point when they could resist communist revolutions.  Historians say the Marshall Plan was effective, and European economies grew rapidly after the war, as did the economy in the United States.

The United States sought to protect western Europe against inroads by communism by enacting The Marshall Plan of 1947, which provided financial assistance to European economies struggling in the wake of World War II.  A primary motive of this assistance was to strengthen the countries to the point when they could resist communist revolutions.  Historians say the Marshall Plan was effective, and European economies grew rapidly after the war, as did the economy in the United States.