The Greek civil war and the Truman Doctrine

What did both the USSR and the US regard each other as?

Expansionists, threats to national security and global strategic threat

What was the catalyst that triggered a change in US foreign policy?

Civil war between monarchists and Greek communists

What did Stalin agree to in terms with Greece?

Greece should remain within the Western sphere of influence

What caused the Greek civil war?

Greece being liberated from Nazi occupation

What did Britain announce in Feb 1947?

The aid to anti-communist forces in Greece was no longer available and appealed to the USA to assume the financial burden

Why did Stalin not aid the Greek communists?

He was unsympathetic to communist revolutions in independent states as he couldn’t ensure Moscow’s control

Why did Truman create his Doctrine?

Designed to keep the Soviet Union from aiding the Greek communists- no relevance to US foreign policy beyond the Greek civil war

Protect democracy and freedom

Response to Soviet expansionism

Demonise USSR/ communist to US public- to justify protecting national interests and turning US into a global power

Make USSR feel threatened- wanted a cold war to start to justify US role as defender of freedom and enable US to function as a world power

Helped developed US’s aim of being a global economic power- states economically and militarily dependent on them

First step in creation of containment

What was Truman’s policy?

Ensure communism couldn’t spread to other countries

Give military and financial support to countries threatened by armed groups or outside pressures

When was the Truman Doctrine?

12th March 1947