World History • Cold War • Lesson 2
Containment and the Early Cold War
Use the questions below to explain how the United States tried to stop communism in the early Cold War.
What this activity is asking students to do
Students should be able to explain containment and show how the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan fit into that strategy.
Work through the ideas
1. Define the strategy
What does containment mean in your own words?
2. Connect the Truman Doctrine
How did the Truman Doctrine help put containment into action?
3. Connect the Marshall Plan
How did the Marshall Plan fight communism without using soldiers?
4. Compare the two
What is the difference between helping a country with money and helping a country with political support?
Make a historical claim
In 4–6 sentences, explain how the United States tried to stop communism during the early Cold War.
Sentence help: The United States used containment to… / One example was… / Another example was… / This mattered because…