Containment - GCSE History Definition

In GCSE History, containment was a policy used by the United States during the Cold War to try to stop communism from spreading to new countries. This idea started in the late 1940s, after the Second World War, when the USA was worried about the Soviet Union trying to spread its influence. The USA used different methods to achieve containment such as setting up NATO (a military alliance), giving money to countries to help them resist communism (like through the Marshall Plan), and backing leaders who were against the Soviet Union. Containment is an important Cold War topic because it explains why the USA got involved in events like the Berlin Blockade, the Korean War, and later the Vietnam War — all to try and stop the spread of communism.