GED Social Studies TestU.S. HistoryMedium
A historian is examining the post-World War II era in the United States and the emergence of the Cold War. Which of the following U.S. foreign policy doctrines pledged American support to free peoples resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures, primarily targeting Soviet expansion?
- AThe Truman Doctrine
- BThe Eisenhower Doctrine
- CThe Monroe Doctrine
- DThe Roosevelt Corollary
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. The Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine, announced in 1947, committed the U.S. to support nations threatened by communism, signaling a shift to a policy of containment against Soviet expansion and marking the official start of the Cold War.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. The Eisenhower Doctrine (1957) extended similar military and economic aid to Middle Eastern countries threatened by communism.
- C. The Monroe Doctrine (1823) warned European powers against further colonization or intervention in the Americas.
- D. The Roosevelt Corollary (1904) asserted the U.S. right to intervene in Latin American affairs to maintain economic stability.
Truman Doctrine
A U.S. foreign policy, announced by President Harry S. Truman in 1947, stating that the U.S. would provide political, military, and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces.
- Aimed to contain Soviet geopolitical expansion during the Cold War.
- First applied to aid Greece and Turkey against communist insurgencies.
- Marked a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy towards interventionism.
Memory trick: Doctrines defined defense against creeping communism.