Containment and Détente

Containment and DÉtente

The term containment has taken on many meanings but it is mostly used to refer to a changing set of Cold War policies by which the United States tried to limit the extent and the spread of the Soviet Union's political or military influence. Detente was a lasting relaxation of the antagonism between the United States and the Soviet Union beginning in the 1970s. These policies had a direct effect on American society, culture, and national identity. Following World War II, the containment policy provided the rationale for America's rearmament, the Red Scare of the 1950s, and the Korean and Vietnam wars. It was also a central element in the Cold War (1946–1991)—the military, economic, political, and ideological conflict with communism.

Origins of Containment

Attempts at containing the Soviet Union began almost as soon as it became obvious that the Bolshevik revolution in November 1917 might succeed. With World War I raging, German successes on the eastern front and a war-weary Russian population helped the Bolsheviks seize power at a time when the first American troops were arriving in Europe. After Russia reached a peace agreement with Germany at Brest-Litovsk on March 3, 1918, German forces were transferred to fight against American troops on the western front.

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