Deck 24: Chills and Fever During the Cold War, 1945-1960

Question 1

At the end of World War II, American policymakers generally envisioned a world

A) dominated by the Soviet Union.
B) in which the United States protected its trade position through high tariff barriers.
C) in which American values would spread.
D) from which the United States could isolate itself.

Answer 1

in which American values would spread.

Question 2

After World War II, the Soviet Union

A) felt little effect from the war.
B) was determined to have a buffer zone for protection of its western border.
C) believed it was vulnerable on its eastern border.
D) aggressively pursued a policy of world revolution.

Answer 2

was determined to have a buffer zone for protection of its western border.

Question 3

As president, both Truman and Eisenhower

A) saw communism as a monolithic force.
B) feared Germany more than the Soviet Union.
C) had similar domestic programs.
D) subscribed to the Grand Alliance System.

Answer 3

saw communism as a monolithic force.

Question 4

Joseph Stalin, who headed the government of the Soviet Union at the end of World War II, believed that

A) eastern Europe must be kept under Russia's influence.
B) the United States should be trusted as an ally.
C) fairness was the best basis for governing the Soviet Union.
D) World War II had been a joint Allied victory.

Question 5

As World War II ended, most Americans

A) continued to regard Russian society as open and democratic.
B) found few parallels between the Nazi and Soviet systems.
C) believed the war had been fought for ill-defined reasons.
D) became increasingly fearful of the Soviet Union.

Question 6

The first confrontation between the Soviet Union and the Western democracies after World War II came over

A) Poland.
B) China.
C) Germany.
D) Vietnam.

Question 7

In his negotiations with the Soviets concerning the postwar government in Poland, President Truman

A) refused to discuss the matter with Stalin at the Potsdam conference.
B) agreed to the establishment of a communist-controlled government there.
C) demanded that the Soviets accept the American position.
D) indicated a willingness to compromise on the issue.

Question 8

At the Potsdam Conference, President Truman

A) demanded that Stalin resign as leader of the Soviet Union before the United States would negotiate.
B) pressured the British to accept a communist government in Poland.
C) sought to reduce tensions with the Soviets.
D) learned that the United States had successfully tested an atomic bomb.

Question 9

At the end of World War II, President Truman

A) abruptly ended the lend-lease program to all European nations.
B) aided the Soviets in rebuilding their war-torn economy.
C) continued lend-lease to the British but not the Soviets.
D) honored President Franklin Roosevelt's pledge at Yalta to give economic aid to the communist bloc countries.

Question 10

After Word War II, Winston Churchill

A) believed Britain and the United States could work out an alliance with the Soviet Union.
B) believed that Europe had become divided into two camps.
C) saw a future of peace and harmony throughout the world.
D) feared the growing military might of the United States.

Question 11

The containment policy of the Truman administration

A) had little support from policymakers in Washington.
B) fostered stronger relations between the United States and the Soviet Union.
C) had been designed by Dean Acheson.
D) became the basis for American foreign policy in the post-World War II period.

Question 12

One effect of the Cold War was

A) to create a strong resistance to military pacts in the Senate.
B) a return of isolationist sentiments in the United States.
C) strong support for closer ties with the Soviet Union.
D) to commit the United States to involvement in European affairs.

Question 13

Underlying the Marshall Plan was the assumption that

A) economic prosperity brings political stability.
B) the United States would not directly participate in the proposal.
C) Eastern Europe could be freed from Soviet domination.
D) it could convert the Soviet Union to democracy.

Question 14

By 1947, United States policy regarding Germany

A) promoted the development of German economic strength.
B) placed emphasis on keeping Germany divided.
C) had strong support from the other wartime Allies.
D) was designed to keep Germany in a colonial status.

Question 15

America's response to the Russian blockade of West Berlin was to

A) circumvent it by air.
B) turn Berlin over to the Soviets.
C) threaten a major war.
D) accept the Soviets' demand that West Berlin be integrated into East Germany.

Question 16

In 1950, the National Security Council, in document NSC-68,

A) urged cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union.
B) rejected the Truman Doctrine.
C) considered good faith negotiations with the Soviet Union useless.
D) called for unilateral disarmament by the United States.

Question 17

The leader who led the Chinese communists to control of the Chinese mainland in 1949 was

A) Mao Zedong.
B) Zhou Enlai.
C) Jiang Jieshi.
D) Deng Xiaoping.

Question 18

After the communists gained control of China in 1949,

A) the United States repudiated the leadership of Jiang Jieshi.
B) staunch anti-communists accused President Truman of losing China to the communists.
C) most Americans recognized that their triumph resulted from a long internal conflict within that country.
D) Secretary of State Dean Acheson claimed that the United States could have prevented the communist takeover.

Question 19

During the Korean War, President Truman

A) acted to oppose communist aggression.
B) clearly stated American objectives.
C) supported General Douglas MacArthur's proposal to bomb communist bases in China.
D) reluctantly cooperated with the United Nations' decision to defend South Korea.

Question 20

The Korean War led the United States to sign a peace treaty with

A) Japan.
B) Germany.
C) China.
D) the Soviet Union.

Question 21

When Ho Chi Minh established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945, the United States

A) sent troops to restore the former government.
B) refused to recognize the new state.
C) welcomed the creation of a new democratic country.
D) signed a peace treaty with the new state.

Question 22

During the Truman and Eisenhower administrations, in the Middle East the United States

A) moved to protect Western access to oil supplies.
B) successfully cooperated with the Soviets.
C) supported the British effort to prevent Egypt from taking control of the Suez Canal.
D) refused to recognize the state of Israel.

Question 23

American action in Latin America during the 1950s

A) had little relationship to America's Cold War policies.
B) demonstrated concern for political stability and American economic investments in the region.
C) led to strong pro-American feelings throughout Latin America.
D) showed support for the nationalist movements in the region.

Question 24

While attempting to build an atomic bomb during World War II, the United States

A) decided to drop the bomb on Japan but not on Germany.
B) concealed the project from the Soviet Union.
C) concealed the project from the British.
D) shared the information with all of its allies.

Question 25

Concerning the issue of nuclear weapons development after World War II,

A) Secretary of State Henry Stimson proposed cooperating with the Soviet Union.
B) President Truman supported a joint Soviet-American effort.
C) most American scientists believed that the Soviets could never develop an atomic bomb.
D) most Americans believed that the United States should freely share its knowledge with other countries.

Question 26

Upon learning that the Soviet Union had successfully tested an atomic bomb, the United States

A) threatened a preemptive air strike against the Soviets' nuclear laboratories.
B) slowed down the pace of nuclear research.
C) authorized the development of the hydrogen super bomb.
D) responded with indifference.

Question 27

All of the following statements are true about the Japanese fishermen on the ship Lucky Dragon in 1957 EXCEPT:

A) The fishermen drifted near a radioactive fallout cloud left from American testing of nuclear bombs.
B) They became ill from radiation exposure.
C) One of the crewmen later died of exposure.
D) The United States immediately halted all testing of nuclear bombs as a result of the mistake.

Question 28

What was the American reaction to the discovery of radioactive fallout?

A) Many fled the nation.
B) Many built fallout shelters.
C) Many marched on Washington, D.C., protesting the use of nuclear weapons.
D) Some Americans burned down nuclear facilities in the United States.

Question 29

Which of the regions of the nation experienced the most growth in nuclear facilities after World War II?

A) the Deep South
B) the Northeast
C) the West
D) the Midwest

Question 30

In what cities did the United States base its primary naval commands in the 1950s?

A) Seattle
B) San Diego
C) San Francisco
D) All of the above.

Question 31

Secretary of State Dulles devised the policy of threatening the Soviets with

A) "massive retaliation."
B) "preemptive strike."
C) "hot war."
D) "détente."

Question 32

Regarding the aftermath of a coordinated atomic strike on the U.S.S.R., Eisenhower became

A) excited.
B) gratified.
C) horrified.
D) disinterested.

Question 33

Which of the following revolutions first brought communism into the international order?

A) Chinese
B) Russian
C) Vietnamese
D) French

Question 34

The major congressional investigating committee on communism was known by the initials

A) WPA.
B) HOLC.
C) HUAC.
D) COINTELPRO.

Question 35

The arrest in 1950 of which of the following couples led to a major communist witchhunt trial?

A) Ronald and Nancy Reagan
B) George and Laura Bush
C) Ethel and Julius Rosenberg
D) Jane and John Goodall

Question 36

In 1949, which of the following unions expelled many of its affiliated unions for alleged communist ties?

A) AFL
B) IWW
C) CIO
D) UMW

Question 37

During the 1950s, a government employee could be dismissed from his or her job if accused of being a security risk, even if she or he was denied knowledge of the accuser.

Question 38

Presidents Truman approved of communism.

Question 39

During the 1950s, many Americans began to equate the Nazi and Soviet systems, as they had done during the 1930s.

Question 40

Americans were initially excited about nuclear weapons in the late 1940s.

Question 41

In 1939, the Soviet Union tested its first nuclear bomb.

Question 42

In 1950, President Truman authorized the development of a new hydrogen bomb.

Question 43

The Cold War produced a reactionary period of hysteria that included a loyalty program that violated civil liberties.

Question 44

During the Cold War, Congress targeted homosexuals working in government service as a security risk.

Question 45

Black leaders Paul Robeson and W.E.B. Du Bois were criticized for communist leanings during the era.

Question 46

In 1948, starving Navajos were given federal assistance despite their "communistic" way of life.

Question 47

Assume that you were Val Lorwin. Describe your position in relation to the United States government from November 1950 through March 1952.

Question 48

Contrast the American worldview with the Soviet worldview at the end of World War II.

Question 49

Characterize the foreign policy interests of American presidents Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower, as well as the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

Question 50

Discuss the background to the Polish question and illustrate how it became the first confrontation in the Cold War.

Question 51

Discuss the issue of American aid to the Allies at the end of World War II and explain how the American position contributed to the development of Cold War with the Soviet Union.

Question 52

Discuss the development of the United States' containment policy and explain the major attempts of the American government to implement it prior to 1950.

Question 53

Suppose you were a Chinese communist leader in 1950. Explain how you would have felt about the situation in China, as well as about the response of the United States to that situation.

Question 54

Suppose that you had been General Douglas MacArthur leading the United Nations' forces in the Korean War. Explain your objectives in the war, as well as how you would respond to President Truman's approach to the war.

Question 55

Imagine that you were the Central American correspondent of an American news magazine during the 1950s. How would you evaluate the economic and political conditions of Latin America, and how would you explain the United States's reaction to the Castro revolution in Cuba?

Question 56

Upon his death in 1953, Joseph Stalin was succeeded by ________ as the leader of the Soviet Union.

Question 57

The individual primarily responsible for developing the American containment policy during the Cold War was ________.

Question 58

The key Republican senator responsible for gaining congressional support for the Truman Doctrine was ________ of Michigan.

Question 59

The Allied powers had decided to divide Germany into four occupation zones at the ________ Conference.

Question 60

The first commander of the United Nations forces during the Korean War was General ________.