What policy did President Harry Truman institute to assist countries under the threat of communism?

The Truman Doctrine was a pivotal policy introduced by President Harry Truman in 1947, aimed specifically at countering the spread of communism during the early stages of the Cold War. This doctrine established that the United States would provide political, military, and economic assistance to countries resisting communist influence or hostile takeovers. It emerged as a response to situations such as the Greek Civil War and the Turkish Crisis, where the U.S. sought to prevent these nations from falling into the Soviet sphere.

The significance of the Truman Doctrine lies in its commitment to support free peoples who are fighting against attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures. This marked a departure from earlier American foreign policy, which favored isolationism, and set the stage for a more interventionist approach in global affairs regarding the ideological battle against communism.

Contextually, the Marshall Plan, while also integral to U.S. foreign policy, primarily focused on economic recovery and aid for European nations to rebuild after World War II and to prevent them from falling to communism due to economic despair. The Containment Policy was a broader strategy that included various actions and responses to the spread of communism but was not a specific policy outlined like the Truman Doctrine. The Foreign Aid Initiative is a more generalized term