Truman Doctrine: Questions
Truman Doctrine: Questions
- Do you agree with the statements and policies outlined in "the Truman Doctrine?" Does the U.S. have an obligation to aid foreign countries? What would your [insert your name here] Doctrine say?
- Truman does a lot of switching between facts, rhetoric, numbers, and metaphors. What are some examples where this is particularly effective? Why take such an approach?
- Who would you pick to play Truman in a movie and give this speech?
- Fun fact—over half of the men Truman was speaking to were Republicans and, for the most part, couldn't stand his Democratic-party guts. (Just as they do today, both parties clashed over money and government spending, and here was Truman requesting to send millions of dollars to a foreign country.) What do you think was going through his mind when he spoke? What would have been going through your mind if you were the President?
- What if the Truman Doctrine had been a big failure and had not become a major policy of the U.S.? Do you think this sort of policy was inevitable? How might the Cold War have played out differently?