Policy of Containment

Definition

The policy of containment was a United States foreign policy doctrine adopted after World War II aimed at stopping the spread of Communism by creating strategic alliances or supporting states financially/militarily around the world.

Analogy

Imagine communism as an aggressive weed growing in your garden. The policy of containment is like building barriers around this weed to prevent it from spreading into other parts of your garden.

Related terms

Cold War: A period between 1945-1991 marked by political tension primarily between US (and its allies) and Soviet Union(and its allies). This was where the policy containment was mainly applied.

Truman Doctrine: U.S. President Harry Truman's pledge to provide economic and military aid to countries threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology; part of containment strategy.

Marshall Plan: An American initiative passed in 1948 for foreign aid to Western Europe following World War II; another example how containment worked.