Use this Discovering American History video entitled World War 2 1941 to 1945 to study the beginning of the Cold War under Harry Truman's presidency, and how it affected both foreign and domestic policies. Learn how peace after World War 2 was marred by a powerful rivalry between the United States and Soviet Russia. Discover how President Truman and his advisors introduced the basic Cold War doctrine of "containment" in the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). With the victory of the Communist People's Liberation Army in China (1949) and the outbreak of the Korean War (1950), the Cold War was extended to the Asian mainland as well. The Cold War prompted the U.S. to rebuild its World War II enemies of Germany and Japan as counterweights to the Soviets.
Learn about The Cold War 1945-1952.