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George Kennan

            George Keenan first appeared on the political scene in a big in February of 1946. He was an ambassador for the United States to countries in Eastern Europe and Moscow. Keenan was in a position where he was able to see the true happenings in the Soviet Union and was the first person to alert officials in the United States that the plans for a Soviet, U.S. alliance was idealistic at best. Keenan was able to see the fundamental differences between the two super powers and knew that the United States would not be able to work with the Soviets, and they would not work with the U.S. It was not until after Churchill's "Iron curtain" speech that Keenan began to push for a "Hard-line" U.S. foreign policy in regards to the Soviet Union and Communism. Keenan believed that the Soviets would attempt to spread their influence throughout Europe and then the world and the only way to prevent them from gaining total world domination would be to suppress their expansion before they became too powerful. Keenan also thought that if faced with a power greater then their own, the Soviets would back down rather then fight. Keenan's plans to control the Soviet Union became known as "Containment" and would be the backbone of U.S. foreign policy for the next forty-five years. Keenan claimed that if the spread of Communism was contained it would do one of two things; self-destruct or it would become a non-threat. .
             The idea of "Containment" was not a hard plan to sell to most people at home in the United States. As with any major policy however, there were those that did not believe it would work. Henry Wallace, for example, thought that the U.S. was making a major mistake by attempting to use force as a deterrent to the Soviets. This is another area that has come under much political debate and will be discussed later in this essay. It would not be long until the U.S. was given a chance to prove its "Containment" theory to the world, and skeptics at home.


Essays Related to George Kennan

1. George Kennan

During the mid-1940s, George Kennan, the "father of containment" and the U.S. ... In February of 1946, Kennan sent an extraordinarily "Long Telegram" (8,000 words) to the U.S. ... Kennan argued that the solution to the dealing with the Soviets was to contain them. ... Kennan assumed that the Soviet regime was inherently an expansionist and had to be "contained," and stopped from expanding in places of vital importance to the West. ... Kennan also highlighted that "real democracy" was the characteristic mark of the cold war. ...

  • Word Count: 315
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Has Bibliography

2. George Kennan's American Diplomacy

Critiquing American Diplomacy George Kennan's American Diplomacy provides anyone studying American politics with an accurate glimpse of American ideology, misperception and thought in the first half of the twentieth century. ... As a result, Kennan gives a clearly articulated picture of his thoughts. ... Kennan is not afraid to go against the grade and question our approach to other nations. ... In Kennan's, Sources of Soviet Conduct, he introduces his idea of Russian containment as a better approach to relations with Soviet Russia. ... Instead, Kennan takes more of a theoreti...

  • Word Count: 1225
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Graduate

3. American Diplomatic Style

In addition to negotiation style, the actual form of diplomacy that is appropriate to use is discussed by Solomon and Quinney, Kennan, and Grossman. ... American Diplomacy "The concepts and methods of a small neutral nation " have "great quality and dignity" George Kennan George F. Kennan places importance on the way that policy is formed in the United States regarding international affairs. ... George F. ... The moralistic attribute of the American negotiator is further detailed by both Kennan and Grossman. ...

  • Word Count: 1630
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Cold War

George F. Kennan, a diplomat and also a U.S. ... To guarantee the success of dividing powers throughout Europe, Kennan thought restraint was means to an end. ... Due to this Kennan made suggestions to promote any strain between the international communist movement and Moscow. ... A journalist of the time, Walter Lippman, strongly argued against Kennan. ...

  • Word Count: 1433
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Marshall Plan and NATO

George Kennan recommended the Marshall Plan to shore up economic weaknesses in western European nations devastated by World War II. Kennan felt that such a program would help restore Europe's self-confidence, and in turn, provide an incentive to back the US as an ally in the inevitable containment struggle with the Soviet Union. ... Kennan argued that the Marshall Plan might be too little too late for Europe though, citing that America should not help nations that cannot help themselves. ... Truman signed the Marshall Plan and was able to put it into effect a few months later, even tho...

  • Word Count: 664
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. Truman and the Soviet Union - 1945-1949

Containment was first described in Defense Secretary George Kennan's Long Telegram. ... Following George Kennan's Long Telegram in 1946, Truman knew he had to act upon Kennan's analysis of the current state in Europe. ... Truman was advised by Kennan to stick up Russia firmly when they pose any threat as they had historically backed down when being affronted. ... These arguments are incorrect as it was first warned by Kennan that the Soviets would seek to spread their influence to war torn Europe and the steps taken by Truman were all in the best interest of the protection of ...

  • Word Count: 918
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

7. A Letter to President Truman

A Memorandum from George Kennan states, "It is not essential to us to see an anti-Soviet Korean regime extended to all of Korea for all time" (George Kennan, Aug. 1950). ... Kennan is explaining the fundamental fact that the U.S does not need to have a full engagement with the North. ... This containment could lead to a Korea, "We could eventually tolerate for a certain period of time provided this state of affairs were brought about gradually and not too conspicuously" (George Kennan, Aug. 1950). With our containment plan the U.S and the South Korean's could live ...

  • Word Count: 981
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

8. The Marshall Plan

General George C. ... In 1947, sixteen European countries met with George Kennan to form a proposal acceptable to all parties. ... George Marshall can be credited with one of the most successful and used plans in United States history. ...

  • Word Count: 408
  • Approx Pages: 2

9. cold war

These words, spoken on June 5, 1947 by Secretary of State George C. ... As a result of Stalin's speech, George Kennan, an American diplomat on the Soviet front, was asked to draft his ideas about how to deal with what was seen as an "aggressive" Soviet Union. ... Kennan wrote, "[The United States] must continue to regard the Soviet Union as a rival, not a partner, in the political arena. ...

  • Word Count: 842
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

10. Cold War

Among these influential people was a man named George F. Kennan. ... In his telegram, Kennan described the Soviets as insecure, inferior, and less advanced than Americans. "As Russia came into contact with the economically advanced West, fear of more competent, more powerful, more highly organized societies," (Gorn, p.229) was the general message Kennan was trying to get across. Because he saw the country from the inside Kennan also believed the United Sates should " pursue a policy of firm containment at every point where the Soviets show signs of encroaching upon the interest of a peaceful a...

  • Word Count: 1216
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

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