Editing History of the United States (section)

==== Truman administration ====
{{Main|Presidency of Harry S. Truman|Cold War (1947-1953)}}
In the decades after [[World War II]], the United States became a global influence in economic, political, military, cultural, and technological affairs. Following World War II, the United States emerged as one of the two dominant superpowers, the [[Soviet Union]] being the other. The U.S. Senate approved U.S. participation in the [[United Nations]] (UN), which marked a turn away from traditional [[American isolationism]] and toward increased international involvement.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Getchell |first=Michelle |date=October 26, 2017 |title=The United Nations and the United States |url=https://oxfordre.com/americanhistory/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001.0001/acrefore-9780199329175-e-497 |access-date=September 24, 2022 |website=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History |language=en |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.013.497 |isbn=978-0-19-932917-5}}</ref> The United States and other major Allied powers became the foundation of the [[UN Security Council]].{{Sfn|Gaddis, Origins of the Cold War}} The [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) was created in 1947.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-19 |title=Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) {{!}} History, Organization, Responsibilities, Activities, & Criticism {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Central-Intelligence-Agency |access-date=2024-07-21 |website=britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Marshall Plan poster.JPG|alt=Marshall Plan poster|thumb|One of a number of posters created by the [[Economic Cooperation Administration]], an agency of the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. government]], to sell the [[Marshall Plan]] in Europe following the end of [[World War II]]]]

The U.S. wished to rescue Europe from the devastation of World War II, and to contain the expansion of [[communism]], represented by the Soviet Union. U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War was built around the support of Western Europe and Japan along with the policy of [[containment]] (containing the spread of communism).<ref name=":25">{{Cite book |last=Blakeley |first=Ruth |url=https://archive.org/details/stateterrorismne00blak |title=State Terrorism and Neoliberalism: The North in the South |year=2009 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-0415686174 |page=[https://archive.org/details/stateterrorismne00blak/page/n104 92] |url-access=limited}}</ref> The [[Truman Doctrine]] in 1947 was the U.S.' attempt to secure trading partners in Europe, by providing military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey to counteract the threat of communist expansion in the Balkans.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 23, 2022 |title=What was the Cold War—and are we headed to another one? |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/cold-war |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=Culture |language=en}}</ref>{{Sfn|Gaddis, Long Peace}} In 1948, the United States replaced piecemeal financial aid programs with a comprehensive [[Marshall Plan]], which pumped money into Western Europe, and removed trade barriers, while modernizing the managerial practices of businesses and governments.{{Sfn|Gaddis, Cold War}} Post-war American aid to Europe totaled $25 billion, out of the U.S. GDP of $258&nbsp;billion in 1948.{{Sfn|Gaddis, Cold War}}

In 1949, the United States, rejecting the long-standing policy of no military alliances in peacetime, formed the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO) alliance. In response, the Soviets formed the [[Warsaw Pact]] of communist states, leading to the "[[Iron Curtain]]".{{Sfn|Gaddis, Cold War}} In 1949, the Soviets performed their [[RDS-1|first nuclear weapon test]].{{Sfn|Gaddis, Long Peace}} This escalated the risk of nuclear warfare; the threat of [[mutually assured destruction]], however, prevented both powers from nuclear war, and resulted the proxy wars in which the two sides did not directly confront each other.{{Sfn|Gaddis, Long Peace}}

The U.S. fought against communists in the [[Korean War]] and [[Vietnam War]], and [[United States involvement in regime change#1945–1991: Cold War|toppled left-wing governments in the third world]] to try to stop its spread, such as [[1953 Iranian coup d'état|Iran in 1953]] and [[1954 Guatemalan coup d'état|Guatemala in 1954]].<ref name=":25" /> [[McCarthyism]] was a widespread government program led by Senator [[Joseph McCarthy]] to expose communists in government and business. Hollywood was targeted by the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=McCarthyism - Definition, History, & Facts |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/McCarthyism |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=Britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> Gay people were targeted under the McCarthyist [[Lavender Scare]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Haynes |first1=Suyin |last2=Aneja |first2=Arpita |date=December 22, 2020 |title=The Anti-Gay 'Lavender Scare' Is Rarely Taught in Schools |url=https://time.com/5922679/lavender-scare-history/ |access-date=August 14, 2024 |magazine=TIME |language=en}}</ref>