Truman Doctrine

American  

noun

1. the policy of President Truman, as advocated in his address to Congress on March 12, 1947, to provide military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey and, by extension, to any country threatened by Communism or any totalitarian ideology.

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Usage

What was the Truman Doctrine? The Truman Doctrine was a United States foreign policy established by President Harry S. Truman in 1947. It was intended to prevent the spread of Communism in the aftermath of World War II by providing U. S. support to countries thought to be targets of influence by the Soviet Union. President Truman laid out what would become known as the Truman Doctrine in his address to Congress on March 12, 1947. The speech directly addressed ongoing conflicts in Greece and Turkey, but it also stated Truman’s broader stance that it was the responsibility of the U. S. to intervene in totalitarian regimes (dictatorships) seen as a threat to international security. The Truman Doctrine was a landmark in U. S foreign policy, and Truman’s speech is often considered the starting point of the Cold War—the decades-long conflict between the U. S. and the Soviet Union (and their respective allies).

Example Sentences

It was the start of what became known as the Truman Doctrine.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2025

As ambassador to Turkey in the late 1940s, he administered $100 million in Cold War aid under the Truman Doctrine.

From Washington Post • May 13, 2022

If the U.S. hadn't stepped up and there was no Truman Doctrine and no Marshall Plan, how do you think Western Europe would have turned out after World War II?

From Salon • Dec. 5, 2020

Along with the Truman Doctrine, the United States introduced the Marshall Plan in 1948, named for the American secretary of state at the time.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

In what became known as the Truman Doctrine, the president committed the United States to the goal of stopping the further spread of Soviet power.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin