The US Policy of Containment: Preventing the Spread of Communism

It is often said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was founded in response to the threat posed by the Soviet Union. This is only partially true, as one of the main objectives of NATO was to contain the spread of communism beyond Eastern Europe. The United States, as the leader of the free world, saw it as its duty to prevent the expansion of the Soviet ideological influence.

The nuclear arms race was perhaps the most alarming feature of the Cold War competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. Over the decades, the two superpowers stockpiled vast amounts of nuclear weapons, each trying to outdo the other in terms of destructive capability. This arms race was a direct result of the policy of containment, as both sides sought to deter any potential aggression from the other.

When he became the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev wanted to democratize the USSR without embracing free-market capitalism and end the oppressive policies of the previous regimes. His policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) were seen as a way to reform the Soviet system from within, but ultimately led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. This marked the end of the Cold War and the beginning of a new era in international relations.

During the post-WWII period, the United States actively worked to eliminate communist governments throughout the world. This was done through a combination of diplomatic, economic, and covert actions, with the goal of promoting democracy and free-market capitalism. The US saw communism as a threat to its national security and sought to prevent its spread outside of Eastern Europe.

The policy of containment was not without its critics, both at home and abroad. Some argued that it was overly aggressive and led to unnecessary conflicts, while others believed that it did not go far enough in pushing back against the Soviet Union. Despite these criticisms, the US remained committed to containing communism until the collapse of the USSR.

Chair: Evan D. McCormick. Contributors: Daniel W. Fisk, Michelle Getchell, Edward A. Lynch, Andrea Oñate-Madrazo, James M. Scott.