The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy - Assignment Example This era of panic is termed as the Cold War. This paper is all about the famous President Truman and the declaration he made at this point in time. A situation that required US diplomatic efforts during President Truman’s time was when he tried to formulate a forum instead of the futile League of Nations. The new venture, United Nations Organization, aimed at dissolving the differences between nations without allowing them to lead to devastating wars. As the legacy of the League of Nations was criticized, the formation of a powerful and unbiased agency was a herculean task. Undoubtedly, its main intention was to gain a significant role for Americans in the international life, and he succeeded in its making to a great extent. However, there were a number of roadblocks amidst. The major barrier to the formation of the UN came from the Soviet Union as they were reluctant to join it. At this juncture, ( ac cited in American president: A reference resource),Truman managed to ensure their participation in the founding conference of United Nations Organization in San Francisco by sending a special emissary Harry Hopkins to Moscow. However, the San Francisco Conference ended in June 1945 after most of its participating nations, including the Soviet Union, signed the founding U.N. Charter. If Truman had not intervened with his diplomacy, the formation of UN would have been delayed (American president: A reference resource). The diplomatic doctrine that Mr. President followed was that United States would provide political, economic, and military service to all democratic nations which were under the threat of external or internal authoritarian forces. Evidently, the president indirectly mentioned the threat of communist countries especially from the Soviet Union to the democratic and capitalist countries in the Eastern Europe. He made this doctrine lucid in a speech delivered before the joint session of Congress on March 12, 1947. The immediate reason for this spe ech was the declaration by the British government that it would no longer help the Greek government in its civil war against the Greek communist party by providing military and economic assistance. In his speech, Truman urged the Congress to support the Greek government against the communists. For, the US believed that Soviet Union had been supporting the Greek communist party, and unfortunately if the communist party won the war, the Soviet Union would ultimately influence the policies of the Greek. America never wanted the communist party to flourish posing a threat to capitalism and imperialism. Truman (as cited in The Truman doctrine 1947) believed that proliferation of communist party will be a serious threat to the US; and as the relationship between the US and Soviet Union had been worsening, America viewed the Soviet intervention in Greek and Turkish affairs with suspicion. The withdrawal of Britain from providing assistance to Greece made the declaration of Truman’s diplomatic doctrine imminent. To many, Truman’s doctrine may seem wise political manipulation to keep U.S. rivals far off. But to some extent, it could put forth some effects on the US and other countries as well. One of the major demerits of the communist form of government that the world witnessed was that the rulers went totalitarians once they got into power.