Rise to Globalism: American Foreign Policy since 1938

In this set of chapters, the authors discuss the immediate aftermath of the Second World War and the beginning of the Cold War as the chasm between the former Allies grew. Chronologically, these are the years 1945 through 1949. They focus on the ideological foundations of a geopolitical power shift from the American side and its practical expression through the Truman Doctrine and the global policy of containment. The authors also discuss the Marshall Plan for European recovery after World War II.

First, Ambrose and Brinkley trace the conflict over Eastern Europe, from the Balkans to the Baltic, deep into history because of the region’s strategic importance and its resources. After the Cold War, the Americans and the British positioned themselves in the Mediterranean, West Germany as well as Africa. The Soviet Union had control of Eastern Europe because the Red Army was singlehandedly responsible for up to 80% of Nazi German losses which occurred on the Eastern Front. However, “America was unwilling to accept Russian domination of East Europe” (53). For example, one of the key debates was over the status of Poland in the