Was the containment policy essentially offensive or defensive?
The Containment Policy of the Truman administration was basically an offensive threat to the expansion of the Soviet Union. It threatened to use force should the Soviets attempt to expand in areas that were not under Soviet control. Yet, it could also be considered defensive, because it let the Soviets know that we would protect our interests in Europe and Asia, but not make the first military move. Containment would be a reply to any aggressive action by the Soviets. The policy was not only military, but also an economic and diplomatic policy. The Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine are examples of diplomatic and economic attempts of the Containment Policy in action. Korea and Vietnam are also military examples.
