How the US respond to the spread of communism?

Answer 1

There were several responses, socially and militarily.

Basically after World War 2 ended, the great powers of the world divided into Soviet Russia (USSR - United Soviet Socialist Russia) and the United States. The "Red Menace" as Communism was often called flew in the face of Capitalism and each side saw the opposing system as a threat to their own existence.

In the United States people from all walks of life, but especially those who were famous for their wealth or recognition, were investigated by the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover. The House "UnAmerican Activities Committee" hearings, overseen by Joseph McCarthy (whose radical approach was termed "McCarthy-ism") were televised and people were expected to reveal names of those who may have some connection, either direct or indirect, with communist groups, meetings, ideology, etc (i.e. you were invited to a dinner party and someone else at the same party knew someone who once went to a communist party meeting 10 years previously). All previous political party affiliations were investigated, "guilt by association" was common place. Several of those investigated were later prevented from working or earning a living, forcing them to Europe or to work here under pseudonyms. These hearings proceeded from roughly the early to late '50's and devastated the lives of many prominent people.

Militarily, panic reigned as the world started to understand the power of atomic energy as revealed by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ending the Pacific front of World War 2. The imminent fear of Russia or its communist allies (China and Cuba) using atomic weapons on the US or its allies (and vice versa) fueled experiments with nuclear energy, military expansion (both weaponry and global military stations) and the space age. The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bay of Pigs, during the Kennedy administration, revealed the hysteria that lurk underneath. The Cold War continued through the '80's until the election of Mikhail Gorbachev, who, unlike his predecessors, showed an inclination towards opening up dialogue with the west. His repeated meetings with Britain's Margaret Thatcher and US's Ronald Reagan in the early '80's culminated with a social rebellion, Reagan's famous appeal "Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down that Wall!", (referring to the wall that divided East and West Berlin that was symbolic of the repression of the Communist totalitarian system of government), the re-unification of Germany, the rise of capitalism in eastern europe, and free elections. During this transition, Russia underwent great financial and political upheaval for more than a decade.

Answer 2

One response was the Truman Doctrine, which basically started the US strategy of supporting governments working against communism and basically being an international policeman.