The History Cat: Containing Communism

Describes how the Soviets under Stalin managed to infiltrate Eastern European countries and establish Communist governments, dividing the continent into East and West with a symbolic Iron Curtain separating the two. America scrambled to develop an effective means of preventing the further spread of Communism. The Truman Doctrine sought to contain Communism and the Marshall Plan aimed to provide aid to European countries, including Germany, to rebuild their economies. Next, attention shifted to unifying West Germany, while East Germany was cut off by the Soviets. The Cold War had begun and lasted for fifty years.