Truman Doctrine & Containment
Using Evidence
Objective  | What was the Truman Doctrine? How did President Truman think the United States
could contain the spread of communism in Europe? Why did some people oppose the
Truman Doctrine?Contextualization: Review and answer the questions below to help you contextualize the primary source
documents you are about to read.
1) What was the Cold War?
The war between the USSR and the USA as superpowers which was caused by the tension on the political
and military sides of both parties as they were fighting for power.
2) Approximately when did the Cold War begin?
The cold war begun in 1939.
3) What was one major cause of the Cold War?
Fight for power
4) What were the two major nations involved in the Cold War?
United States of America
Germany
Primary Source Document Analysis
Below are excerpts of two primary source documents. Read the context for each document along with
the excerpt of the primary source, and then answer the analysis questions that follow.
Historical Context - Primary Source Document #1: On Friday, February 21, 1947, the British Embassy
informed the U.S. State Department officials that Great Britain could no longer provide financial aid to
the governments of Greece and Turkey. American policymakers had been monitoring Greece's crumbling
economic and political conditions, especially the rise of the Communist-led rebels; the Communist group
was growing in power quickly. Addressing a joint session of Congress on March 12, 1947, President
Harry S. Truman asked for $400 million in military and economic assistance for Greece and Turkey and
established a doctrine, aptly characterized as the Truman Doctrine, that would guide U.S. diplomacy for
the next 40 years