Which policy aimed to counter Soviet influence by supporting free peoples resisting subjugation?

• A. The Monroe Doctrine
• B. The Truman Doctrine
• C. The Containment Doctrine
• D. The Eisenhower Doctrine

Answer: (B)

The main idea tested is a pledge to support free peoples resisting subjugation as a way to counter Soviet influence. This describes the Truman Doctrine, announced in 1947, which committed the United States to aid nations threatened by communism—initially Greece and Turkey—through political, economic, and military support. The goal was to prevent subjugation by external forces and stop the spread of Soviet influence by stabilizing countries at risk of falling under communist control. This marked a clear shift from isolationism to active intervention and set the standard for U.S. Cold War policy.

The Monroe Doctrine focuses on keeping European powers out of the Western Hemisphere, not on resisting Soviet influence abroad. The Containment Doctrine refers to the broader strategy of preventing the spread of communism, of which the Truman Doctrine is a foundational articulation, but the phrase about supporting free peoples resisting subjugation is explicitly tied to Truman. The Eisenhower Doctrine later extended similar ideas to the Middle East, promising aid and potential military action there, but it is region-specific and came after the Truman Doctrine.