Existing comment:
The Communist Threat and Containment:
Successive American governments believed that communism would continuously seek to expand its influence globally through a variety of means that were not limited to military conflict. Therefore, the United States sough to contain communism and prevent its spread, using political, economic, and military measures. In Europe, the Marshall Plan aimed at rebuilding war-torn nations. This plan provided massive United States aid to such nations. It also served to strengthen the ability of central and western European nations to resist communism. In 1949, many of these nations joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance intended to deter Soviet aggression. Military strength would support the political goals of containment. |