Term Paper on "Second World War Left"

Term Paper 3 pages (1037 words) Sources: 2 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Second World War left the world in a complete state of disarray. Most countries around the world had suffered enormous damages, both in terms of human and economic loss. The only actual victorious actor on the international scene was the United States which came out stronger than ever before. There are various explanations for this fact, most of them connected to the American war industry that was created during the conflagration and, most importantly, to the geopolitical and geostrategic position of the country in relation to the main adversaries of the war. From this perspective, the U.S. was the only country able to support a reconstruction plan for Europe and to stand up to the Soviet challenge facing the world after the end of the war. The Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine were the main tools used by the American side to achieve these two goals. However, in order to actually grasp the importance of these two initiatives for Europe and the world, it is interesting to consider an alternative history, one which did not include the reconstruction plan and the presidential doctrine.

The Truman Doctrine was one of the first political messages that came from the United States after the end of the war. It represented a set of principles which pointed out the necessity of action for the reconstruction of Europe, as well as a political approach to the issue of the U.S.S.R. And its strive for dominance in Europe and the world. In this sense, President Truman presented in front of the Congress in March 1947 the situation concerning Greece and Turkey (the Avalon Project, 2008). He pointed out the need of both Greece and Turkey to receive financial and political support from Western countries. The basics of the doctrine was formulated by Truman who concluded that "I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures" (the Avalon Project, 2008).

The most important element of the doctrine pointed out the fact that the U.S.S.R.'s force must be contained and opposed in any situation in which it tends to exercise its power over the sovereign nations of Europe. It was an important step in the history of the post war period because it showed the commitment of western nations to limit the sphere of influence of the communist power. Any other solution or course of action would have determined a situation similar to the one in Eastern Europe.

If the Truman Doctrine did not exist, Greece and Turkey would have been subject to soviet influence. In the beginning, the doctrine also referred to other regions as well. However, taking into account the fact that the Soviet army was considered to be the savior of Eastern Europe from the Nazi force, the Red Army was considered to have legitimacy in these countries. Form this point-of-view, Stalin denied eastern countries to receive support, both financial and political one from the West. He considered it to be an attempt to extend capitalist influence over the countries he… READ MORE

How to Reference "Second World War Left" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

World War II Why Did This War Happen Essay

World War II Happen?

The world had barely stopped hemorrhaging from the ravages of the "War to End All Wars" when World War II broke out in 1939 following Germany's… read more

Essay 5 pages (1724 words) Sources: 2 Topic: World History

---

American Participation in World War II Essay

WWII

The United States entered the Second World War late, and reluctantly. In spite of the Nazi death camps, the United States remained decidedly neutral until the bombing of Pearl… read more

Essay 3 pages (1011 words) Sources: 3 Topic: World History

---

WWII History Making Decades WWII-Present Essay

WWII

History Making Decades WWII-Present

Many consider the end of WWII to have ushered in the modern era in global politics. One reason for this is based on WWII as… read more

Essay 6 pages (2515 words) Sources: 6 Style: APA Topic: World History

---

Second World War Acted as a Catalyst Essay

Second World War acted as a catalyst for decolonisation.

The Second World War acted as a catalyst for decolonization

A mention of the British Empire creates the image of a… read more

Essay 7 pages (2030 words) Sources: 16 Topic: World History

---

World War II Life on the Home Front Term Paper

World War II -- Life on the Homefront

As World War II was beginning to emerge, the world was being reshaped. The war began in 1939 and ended in 1945… read more

Term Paper 4 pages (1485 words) Sources: 4 Style: MLA Topic: American History / United States

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>