Quiz: Modern America
The "Suez Crisis" occurred when the Americans canceled an offer to provide funds to construct a hydroelectric dam in this nation.
Egypt
Who was the world's first "rock star" in the modern sense of the word?
Elvis Presley
According to the course material, who was the winner of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Fidel Castro
The 1957 Cuban revolution was led by a Marxist revolutionary named _______________.
Fidel Castro
Which of the following is NOT true of the U2 spy plane incident?
Francis Gary Powers was able to escape to friendly territory before being captured.
Japan was governed by the office of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP). Who held the role of Supreme Commander?
General Douglas MacArthur
Who developed a program in the years following the war to provide financial aid to all European countries?
General George C. Marshall
What was one important reason why John F. Kennedy was at a disadvantage in the 1960 election campaign?
He was Catholic.
What was the result of the Korean War?
It has not technically ended.
Which of the following is true of television in the 1950s?
It was direct competition to radio and Hollywood.
What was the purpose of the House Un-American Activities Committee?
Its purpose was to investigate domestic subversion wherever it appeared.
What was the purpose of the "GI Bill"?
Its purpose was to provide benefits to veterans to help ease them back into civilian life.
Who was the Democratic nominee for President in the Election of 1960?
John F. Kennedy
What US Senator announced in 1950 that he had a list of "card-carrying" Communists in the State Department?
Joseph A. McCarthy
Who gave the North Korean leader tentative permission to invade South Korea in 1950?
Joseph Stalin
The suburban development that was the first example of a modern suburb was called _____________________.
Levittown
Why were North Korean forces able to push back the Americans in Korea so easily in the early stages of the war?
Most American troops were not prepared for combat.
In the context of the Cold War, MAD means ________________ ________________ ________________.
Mutually Assured Destruction
The theory or principle which implied that if either side started a war and attacked with nuclear weapons, the other side would also attack, thereby destroying each other was called ______________________________.
Mutually Assured Destruction
To guard against the possibility of Soviet attack, Western Nations signed an agreement in 1949 establishing ________________________.
NATO
To guard against the possibility of a Soviet attack, Western Nations signed an agreement in 1949 establishing ___________.
NATO
In response to the first successful satellite launch, Congress created this new agency.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
In response to the launch of the first successful satellite launch, Congress created this new agency.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Who was the first Soviet leader to ever visit the United States?
Nikita Khrushchev
What were the trials of Nazi war criminals collectively called?
Nuremberg War Crimes Trials
Within two months of North Korea's invasion of South Korea, American and South Korean forces were pushed back to an area called the "_______________ _______________."
Pusan Perimeter
Under President Truman, what federal entitlement program expanded?
Social Security
North Korea
Soviet Union
The Soviet launch of the satellite _____________ caused Americans to worry about the Russian ability to attack with nuclear weapons.
Sputnik
Who of the following served as the first president of the Republic of Korea in 1948?
Syngman Rhee
The single most important development in American culture in the 1950s was the rise of ______________.
Television
Where was the dividing line between the Allied sector and the Soviet sector of the Korean peninsula?
The 38th parallel latitude
How did the Republicans gain control of Congress in the 1946 elections?
The American people were angry about the economic conditions in the nation.
What was the result of the meeting between President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev in Vienna in 1961?
The Berlin Wall was constructed.
What Conference did the United States and Great Britain attend to address the punishment for Nazi War Crimes, and how to bring those responsible to justice?
The London Conference
Summarize what the National Security Act did.
The National Security Act was a piece of legislation created by Congress to fix the relationship between the Navy and Army (which created the Department or Defense), and the Air Force became newly independent, after they had fallen apart during World War II. In addition, the Act created the CIA, with the intent of meddling in the affairs of other nations.
Where did the Allied leaders issue a declaration demanding Japan's immediate surrender and discuss how to divide and administer conquered Axis territory?
The Potsdam Conference
During World War II, where was the decision made to create an international organization to succeed where the League of Nations had failed?
The San Francisco Conference
Why did the UN resolution on the Korean War pass the Security Council?
The Soviet Union was boycotting in protest because Taiwan's seat was not given to Communist China.
Who officially declared American involvement in the Korean War?
The United Nations
Why did the United States see more economic benefit from the end of the war than any other nation that had been involved?
The United States saw no combat on its home soil and exited the war relatively unharmed.
In response to the creation of NATO, the Soviet Union created a competing organization called ________________________.
The Warsaw Pact
At what meeting did Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt meet to discuss the Russian involvement in the war against Japan and the Allies' occupation policy in Europe once Germany was defeated?
The Yalta Conference
In what meeting did Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt meet to discuss the Russian involvement in the war against Japan and Allied occupation policy in Europe once Germany was defeated?
The Yalta Conference
What was the primary difference between the first "Red Scare" of the 1920s and the second "Red Scare" of the 1950s?
The first "Red Scare" played out in the press while the second played out in the halls of Congress
What was the primary difference between the First "Red Scare" of the 1920s and the Second "Red Scare" of the 1950s?
The first "Red Scare" played out in the press, while the second played out in the halls of Congress.
Who was the NAACP attorney who argued that segregated facilities could never be equal because they were separate?
Thurgood Marshall
In his speech regarding special aid to Turkey and Greece in 1947, the President expressed an argument regarding foreign policy known as the "_____________ ______________."
Truman Doctrine
In his speech regarding special aid to Turkey and Greece, the President expressed an argument regarding foreign policy known as the "_____________ ______________."
Truman Doctrine
What new strategy did General Ridgeway bring when he entered the Korean conflict?
When General Ridgeway entered the Korean conflict he saw frozen solid mother's and their children on the ground, and people fleeing left and right; because of this, the General made the controversial decision to order his men to abandon Seoul, which gave him a lot of criticisms later. After they had abandoned Seoul, they made their way to a new defensive line. Here they were attacked by North Koreans in the First Battle of Wonju, a battle that allowed the NATO powers to take the city of Wonju. They were able to do this because Ridgeway chose to seize and hold the high ground, as well as use their artillery and air advantages to weaken North Korea before they engaged, this left the battle at a stalemate.
At the Battle of _____________, UN forces were able to end the retreat and stabilize their battle lines.
Wonju
Dr. Benjamin Spock's book, The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, ______________________________________________________________.
advised parents toward a more permissive and relaxed parenting style
In order to accommodate increasing automobile traffic in the 1950s, the federal government authorized the construction of ______________.
an Interstate Highway System
The ______________ looked for personal fulfillment through artistic self-expression and the hedonistic pursuit of pleasure.
beats
George Kennan's article, "The Sources of Soviet Conduct," called for America to follow a policy of "____________________" to keep Communism in the places where it was already established.
containing
George Kennan's article "The Sources of Soviet Conduct" called for America to follow a policy of "____________________" to keep Communism in the places where it was already established.
containment
In his Inaugural Address, President Kennedy dedicated America to _____________________.
defending the cause of liberty no matter the cost
The ring of satellite states that surrounded Russia and lay in the Soviet sphere of influence became known by the phrase "_______ _________" especially after Winston Churchill used it in a speech in 1946.
iron curtain
During the 1950s, parents became concerned that some television shows contributed to ________________.
juvenile delinquency
During the 1950s, parents became concerned that some television shows contributed to ______________________.
juvenile delinquency
The Twenty-Second Amendment ________________________.
limits the President to two terms in office
The Twenty-Second Amendment ___________________________-.
limits the President to two terms in office
Germany was divided into four _________ ______ which would be self-contained and governed separately from the others.
occupation zones
The biggest of the clashes between President Truman and the Republican Congress was over the question of _______________.
organized labor
Under Truman, the policy of containment meant that American needed to ___________________________.
play an active role in saving the world from Communism
Though much had changed in the United States following World War II, racial _______________ was still the law of the land, especially in the Deep South.
segregation
The single most important development in American culture in the 1950s was the rise of ________________.
television
After the United States declined to send further aid to the Nationalists in China, Mao Zedong founded __________________.
the People's Republic of China
The single most important factor shaping the growth of the new youth culture was ___________________.
the development of rock-n-roll music
The single most important factor shaping the growth of the new youth culture was ___________________________________.
the development of rock-n-roll music
What was the purpose of the Taft Hartley Labor Act?
to curb the power of the labor unions
What was the original purpose of the CIA?
to gather information
What is the job of the UN Security Council?
to oversee and maintain international peace and security
According to the Supreme Court's decision, when were individual state and local governments required to desegregate schools?
with all deliberate speed
Prior to World War II, Americans did not have a concept of _____________ as a distinct cultural group.
youth
Who were the major party candidates for President in the Election of 1952?
1. Adlai Stevenson 2. Dwight D. Eisenhower
Which of the following are factors for the growth of organized Christianity during the 1950s?
1. Billy Graham helped lead a major evangelical revival during the period. 2. People were looking for a place of peace and stability in a troubled world. 3. People wanted to be sure their children received moral and religious instruction. 4. The practice of some form of Christianity was to be more American.
When American forces reached the Yalu River in late 1950 ______________.
1. Chinese forces crossed the border and attacked. 2. General MacArthur announced that most American troops would be home for Christmas.
When American forces reached the Yalu River in late 1950 ______________________________.
1. General MacArthur announced that most American troops would be home for Christmas. 2. Chinese forces crossed the border and attacked.
President Eisenhower's decision to threaten economic sanctions against these three nations if they did not halt their attack on Egypt strained international relations in the 1950s.
1. Great Britain 2. Israel 3. France
Though the Supreme Court had declared that black and white facilities should be "separate but equal," most of the time, separate facilities were ____________.
1. Inferior 2. Non-existent
What was different about Kennedy's Inaugural Address?
1. It was meant to encourage hope and optimism in the American people. 2. It was not a wish list of objectives. 3. It was powerful because it was simple. 4. It is one of the shortest. 5. Kennedy did not pledge himself to a specific agenda.
What conditions existed in Europe following World War II?
1. Most cities had been damaged by ground warfare and bombing. 2. Industry was devastated. 3. Farmland lay fallow or had been severely damaged. 4. Transportation was hampered because of the destruction brought by the war.
Why was it difficult for President Truman to get many parts of his domestic agenda passed?
1. Most people didn't see the need for more social welfare as the economy improved. 2. The Dixiecrats were more likely to vote with the Republicans. 3. Truman lacked the political skill to convince Congress to agree with him.
What conditions existed in the late 1940s that led to America's first experiment with subsidized public housing?
1. Most racial minorities were trapped in the cities where housing was limited and substandard. 2. Racial discrimination made it almost impossible for blacks and Hispanics to obtain mortgages or insurance.
Which of the following is true of the HUAC activities in the age of "McCarthyism"?
1. State legislatures began requiring loyalty oaths of faculty in-state colleges and schools. 2. Hollywood drew up lists of unemployable Communists and Communist sympathizers. 3. The American people saw the unpleasant nature of McCarthy and the hearings on television, which shaped public opinion. 4. Their investigations prompted a dispute between Senator McCarthy and the Secretary of the Army.
Why were the North Koreans given permission to invade South Korea in 1950?
1. They believed the South Korean government was on the verge of collapse. 2. They believed that the South Korean people would be happy to be under the control of the North Koreans.
What purposes did advertising and commercials play in the live television broadcasts of the 1950s?
1. They gave television crews time to change sets, repair equipment, or make adjustments during live broadcasts. 2. They provided revenue to TV stations and networks.
Why were some Hollywood writers, actors, and directors blacklisted in the late 1940s?
1. They were mentioned in the testimony of someone who was a witness before the HUAC. 2. They refused to testify before Congress regarding their involvement in the Communist Party or having Communist sympathies. 3. They were suspected of being members of the CPUS.
What was included in President Truman's domestic program announced after the Election of 1948?
1. federal funding for education 2. federal funding for unemployment benefits 3. an increase in the federal minimum wage 4. federally provided universal health insurance
Of President Kennedy's five proposed pieces of domestic legislation, which were the only ones to pass without change or exception?
1. public housing funding 2. relief for "depressed areas" of the country
The National Security Act created _______________________.
1. the Department of Defense 2. the Central Intelligence Agency
What was General Matthew Ridgeway's strategy in Korea?
1. use superior artillery and air power to weaken the enemy before engaging on foot 2. seize and hold the high ground
South Korea
Allies
The generation of children born between 1945 and the late 1960s are known as the "________________" generation.
Baby Boomers
What German city was blockaded by the Soviet Union to force the west to change their minds about creating a unified West Germany?
Berlin
The speech Richard Nixon gave on September 23, 1952, to defend himself against accusations that he misappropriated campaign funds has come to be known as the "______________" speech.
Checkers
What was the primary political issue that drove the formation of the "Dixiecrats"?
Civil Rights
Why did many industries move manufacturing jobs to the south after the 1950s?
"Right to Work" laws made labor cheaper.
Why did many industries move manufacturing jobs to the South after the 1950s?
"Right to work" laws made labor cheaper in the South.
