HIST1302 - InQuizitive - Ch 27: The Cold War and the Fair Deal, 1945-1952
After World War II, a series of events led to the development of a new Red Scare in the United States. Place the following events in chronological order.
1. The signing of the Loyalty Order 2. The conviction of the Hollywood Ten 3. The conviction of Alger Hiss 4. The execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg 5. Joseph McCarthy's witch hunt
How did the United States' strategy for preventing the spread of communism change over time? Put the events that led to the escalation of the cold war in chronological order.
1. Truman announced his Truman Doctrine. 2. Congress passed the Marshall Plan to provide economic aid to Europe. 3. The United States and Great Britain began the Berlin airlift to support West Berlin. 4. The United States joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Why didn't the United States directly confront the Soviet Union militarily after World War II?
American leaders believed that a policy of containment would eventually cause Soviet communism to collapse from within.
Complete the passage describing how the Taft-Hartley Labor Act tried to resolve union-related conflict.
After World War II, UNION STRIKES increased because the prices of goods rose and wages did not change. A REPUBLICAN Congress reflected America's growing anti-union sentiment. Congress banned strikes by federal employees, allowed states to pass "RIGHT-TO-WORK" policies, and forced union leaders to take loyalty oaths against communism.
Complete the passage below describing ways the cold war impacted American society during the early 1950s.
JOSEPH MCCARTHY attracted media attention by leading an effort to "sweep" Communists out of the government. His efforts started with many Democrats and progressed to members of the military. This generally HEIGHTENED Americans' fear of communism and encouraged CONFORMITY of thought and action.
Truman was able to triumph in the election of 1948 because he was able to appeal to the New Deal coalition of voters. The Dixiecrat revolt against his stance on civil rights especially motivated African American voters to support him.
TRUE
Why did American policymakers grow distrustful and suspicious of Soviet postwar actions?
TRUE - The Soviet Union failed to allow democratic elections in Eastern European nations. TRUE - The Soviet Union did not allow non-Communists to participate in democratic elections. TRUE - The Soviet Union began a process of installing Communist governments in Eastern European nations that it could control. FALSE - The United States refused to withdraw military forces from Eastern Europe. FALSE - Stalin refused to reduce the Soviet Union's nuclear stockpiles.
Identify the ideological differences between the United States and the Soviet Union that caused friction and led to the outbreak of the cold war.
TRUE - The Soviet Union prohibited many religions, while citizens of the United States enjoyed religious freedom. TRUE - The United States supported self-determination for the peoples of Eastern Europe, whereas the Soviet Union wanted to control what went on in these countries. TRUE - The United States supported the capitalist economic system, whereas the Soviets supported communism. FALSE - The United States sought to control Western European countries to create a buffer between Great Britain and Germany. The Soviet Union sought to stay out of the affairs of other nations. FALSE - The Soviet Union was closely aligned with Nazi Germany, while the United States' interests were closer to those of Great Britain.
How did the American policymakers' assumptions about the Korean conflict affect American foreign policy?
TRUE - Truman ordered a major military buildup of American forces in Western Europe. TRUE - Truman began assisting French troops fighting a Communist insurgency in Indochina. FALSE - The United States sought to unify North and South Korea. FALSE - The United States sent the majority of its troops to Asia because many policymakers assumed the Soviets had plans to expand their Asian territory. FALSE - The United States avoided military entanglements in foreign conflicts for fear of becoming bogged down in long wars.
What effect did the Marshall Plan have on the cold war?
TRUE - Western European nations' economies became prosperous again. TRUE - Western European nations' governments became more stable. FALSE - Western Europe fell into an economic depression as unemployment rates soared. FALSE - Communist insurgencies in Western European nations gained power. FALSE - The Soviet Union became more prosperous, and the Communist party lost support.
What were the primary issues that led to a cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union after 1945?
TRUE - major ideological differences TRUE - disagreements over post-World War II policies and decisions TRUE - competition for allies in Central and Eastern Europe, where their defeat over former enemies had left a power vacuum FALSE - the Soviet Union's development of the first atomic bomb
Complete the passage below describing the impact of the Soviet blockade of Berlin on the cold war.
The Berlin airlift was a major victory for the United States and its allies in Western Europe. The failure of the Soviet blockade around Berlin led the United States and its allies to form the NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION in order to RESIST THE SPREAD OF COMMUNISM IN WESTERN EUROPE. Additionally, the blockade served to strengthen ties between West Germany and the United States and Great Britain.
How did the Marshall Plan reflect the evolving American policy of containment during the cold war?
The Marshall Plan did not directly confront the Soviet Union. Instead, it provided friendly European governments with financial assistance to rebuild their economies in order to reduce the appeal of communism among those nations.
What prompted the Soviet Union to extend its influence over Eastern Europe?
The Soviet Union faced two GERMAN INVASIONS during the first half of the twentieth century. As a result, Soviet leaders grew insecure and felt the need to create a buffer of friendly nations between the Soviet Union and Western Europe. The Soviet Union accomplished this by INSTALLING PUPPET GOVERNMENTS in Eastern European countries.
Complete the passage below describing the political situation inherited by Harry Truman when he became president.
The United States and the Soviet Union maintained an alliance during the war, but once the war was over, THE SOVIET UNION broke promises made at the YALTA CONFERENCE. Relations between the two nations quickly deteriorated after the installation of puppet governments in EASTERN Europe, which the former prime minister of Great Britain called an "iron curtain" dividing Europe.
How did the Red Scare affect American civil liberties?
The government passed laws or pursued policies that limited free speech in order to fight communism.
How did the government respond to the Red Scare? Identify the following government programs, policies, and laws that went into effect.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES - investigated alleged Communists in the government and film industry LOYALTY ORDER - required federal government workers to have background checks to ensure they were not Communists MCCARRAN INTERNAL SECURITY ACT - made it legal to send American Communists to concentration camps during national emergencies
How did the Korean War escalate? Put the events of the Korean War in chronological order.
1. With the encouragement of the Soviet Union and Communist China, North Korean forces invade South Korea. 2. The UN Security Council endorses military intervention to preserve international peace and to remove North Korean troops from South Korea. 3. UN forces, led by General MacArthur, land at Inch'ŏn. 4. UN forces capture P'yŏngyang and move toward the Chinese border with North Korea. 5. China enters the war on behalf of the North Koreans. 6. Truman fires MacArthur. 7. The war ends with a truce between the opposing forces, leaving the peninsula divided roughly how it had been when the North Koreans launched their war effort.
Identify President Truman's initiatives during his first term.
FAIR DEAL - Truman created this primarily as a means of expanding and adding to Roosevelt's New Deal. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS - President Truman organized this to investigate and report on racism, inequality, and violence targeting African Americans. EMPLOYMENT ACT OF 1946 - This gave the president, and the government, the authority to provide full "employment, production, and purchasing power" to American workers.
Truman chose to recognize the People's Republic of China because the Chinese had an adversarial relationship with the Soviet Union.
FALSE
