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Containment
The Ghostbusters had Containment
Units that strapped onto their backs like
backpacks. When they found a bad ghost, they
zapped him into a Containment Unit. There
the ghost was "contained," and he couldn't
bother anyone on the outside. This was their
method of keeping the bad guys under control.
After World War II, the countries of
Europe were damaged and hurting. Their
economies were crippled and they were desperate for help. The United States
was worried that if these countries received help from a communist country,
they might decide to switch to communism. The U.S. had to act fast. Secretary
of State, George C. Marshall, developed a detailed plan that would give help to
any European country that wanted it. The Marshall Plan offered aid in the
form of money, food, machinery, medicine, farm animals, and other materials.
Beginning in 1948, seventeen European countries took advantage of
the Marshall Plan. These were all independent countries in Western Europe.
They included countries such as Iceland, West Germany, Austria, Greece, and
Turkey. The countries of Eastern Europe that were communist said, "No,
thanks." Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union said that the Marshall Plan was a
plot created by the United States in order to control Europe. The Soviet Union
developed its own economic assistance program for the Communist countries.
The Marshall Plan was successful in creating positive opinions of
democracy in some countries, but it wasn’t perfect. Some countries accepted
U.S. aid, but still turned to communism, either by choice or by force. President
Harry S. Truman promised U.S. assistance to any country that wanted to stay
democratic, or at least fight off communist invaders. This offer of help to resist
communism was known as the Truman Doctrine, and led to U.S. involvement
in multiple conflicts, such as the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
President Truman’s offer of military aid inspired other countries to
lend their support. In April of 1949, ten Western European countries, along
with Canada and the United States, formed an alliance known as the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
NATO members agreed that an attack on one NATO member would be
considered an attack on all members. They agreed to come to each other's
defense, met to share information if there was a security risk, and also
planned defense strategies together.
The United States was the most powerful member of NATO. Its
growing pile of nuclear weapons gave the U.S. a lot of strength. In 1955, the
Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies formed their own alliance, known
as the Warsaw Pact. Warsaw Pact members were all communist countries.
When the Cold War ended, some people thought that NATO was no
longer necessary and should be disbanded, or broken up. Others felt that
NATO still could serve an important purpose. They eventually decided that
NATO should continue, but they did make some changes. NATO's new focus
changed from containing communism to a more positive approach. NATO now
takes actions to support democracy, individual freedoms, the rule of law, and
peaceful resolution of conflicts.
NATO also invited more countries to join. The Czech Republic,
Hungary, and Poland had all previously been communist countries, but in
1999, they joined NATO. Other countries, such as Russia, were not invited to
become members, but NATO formed useful agreements with them. These
agreements were called Partnerships for Peace.
After the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York, NATO
declared that the attack on the U.S. had been an attack on all NATO members.
It took steps to help protect the security of the United States and began
searching for signs of future attacks against NATO countries.
In 2002, NATO members held a high-level meeting to make changes in
order to modernize NATO. It invited even more countries to join. It planned
new strategies to face the challenges of terrorism. It planned defenses against
the growing threat of new weapons such as nuclear weapons, biological
weapons, and chemical weapons.
In addition to NATO’s work for peace, its main focus is on combating
terrorism. NATO now has a long history of working for peace. It has been
called the "Transatlantic Link" because it is a way for countries on both sides of
the Atlantic Ocean to work together for their common goals.
1. Why did the U.S. want to contain the spread of communism?
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2. Why did countries in Eastern Europe turn down help from the Marshall Plan?
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3. What is NATO and what was it meant to do when it was created?
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4. Since the fall of Communism, how have NATO’s goals changed?
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5. The Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine were both strategies
meant to help people, while also containing the spread of
communism. Describe how they are alike and different.
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