The Truman doctrine was a set of measures originated by the United States, in 1947, after World War II .

These measures were intended to support free peoples , that is, those who resisted subjugation attempts by armed minorities or external pressure that, in turn, represented a threat to capitalism in the United States.

Ultimately, through the Truman doctrine, the United States made clear its intention to support any nation that could be threatened by another, in order to impose its ideology or system of government.

Its name comes from Harry Truman, president of the United States in 1947. This doctrine is considered the frontal warning towards the Soviet Union , which had the purpose of expanding communism throughout Europe.

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Goals of the Truman Doctrine

The bases that founded this ideology consisted of:

• Prevent the spread of communism , both in Europe and in the world.
• Position the United States as an economic and military power .
• Limit the maritime power of the Soviet Union to prevent its warships from passing beyond the Black Sea.

Causes and consequences of Goals of the Truman Doctrine

Causes

One of the main causes was the financial and military situation of Europe after the Second World War, which allowed it to be an easy target to spread communism towards the West .

Furthermore, by then communism along with the Soviet Union had rapidly established itself over Eastern Europe and threatened to invade Greece and Turkey.

These countries had stopped receiving British economic and military aid , also due to the economic situation in which the United Kingdom was left after the war.

Consequences

The Truman doctrine brought the following consequences:

• The implementation of the Marshall plan , which consisted of financially helping the European allied countries that had been affected by the Second World War.
• The approval of a large economic aid directed to Turkey and Greece , who became members of NATO .
• The United States positioned itself with a new role in world geopolitics, creating a policy of intervention and not isolation towards vulnerable countries , and it came to be considered a benchmark for world security. 
• The aid provided by the United States enabled certain countries to become involved in other global problems  in Asia and Latin America.

Importance

The Truman doctrine was a great help to many governments since it was a  support, both military and economic, before the communist influence.

The purpose was not to be influenced by communism, to stop its expansion into Europe and to make it impossible for communist policies to be implemented .

Two countries that strongly received this support were Turkey and Greece, who joined NATO.