America Land of Freedom

Question 1

What year did the Soviet Union take control over Eastern Europe?

Answer 1

Late 1940s

Question 2

What did the ‘Iron Curtain’ separate?

Answer 2

East and West Europe

Question 3

Why did the Soviet Union blockade Berlin?

Answer 3

They attempted to push allied troops out of West Berlin

Question 4

What did UK, USA and France do to help the blockade?

Answer 4

Allies airlifted in supplies for almost a year

Question 5

What did USSR do in 1949?

Answer 5

Detonate the first atomic bomb

Question 6

What happened in China in 1949?

Answer 6

Communism spread in China, which was almost a quarter of the world’s population

Question 7

When did the Korean war begin?

Answer 7

June 1950

Question 8

Which countries backed up which parts of Korea?

Answer 8

Soviets backed up North Korea and USA and China backed up South Korea

Question 9

What is meant by war by proxy?

Answer 9

USA and Soviet Union were at war with each other, through the other states

Question 10

What is McCarthyism?

Answer 10

The widespread accusation of Communist activity in America by Senator Joe McCarthy during the early 1950s

Question 11

What did McCarthy say during 1950?

Answer 11

He had a list of 250 members of the Communist Party

“I have here in my hand a list…”

Question 12

What did people react towards McCarthy’s list?

Answer 12

Many people (members of the public and his fellow Republicans) believed him although he did not have any evidence

Question 13

What was the HUAC?

Answer 13

The House of Un-American Activities Committee where 2375 men and women appeared because they were supposedly Communist

Question 14

What occurred in the film industry in 1947?

Answer 14

Communism searches investigated on the film industry- those who refused to answer questions were blacklisted and jailed, known as the Hollywood Ten

Question 15

What act was introduced in 1954?

Answer 15

The Communist Control Act banned the Communist Party

Question 16

Why did people support McCarthyism?

Answer 16

McCarthyism exploited the fear that American people had of communists, due to:

• the international situation
• situation in the USA

Question 17

Why was the Federal Employee Loyalty Program (FELP) introduced in 1947?

Answer 17

To investigate federal government workers - those who had no hand in shaping American policy

Question 18

What did the FBI do?

Answer 18

Investigate communists in America

Question 19

What did Alger Hiss get accused of doing?

Answer 19

In 1948, he was accused of handing over 200 secret documents and being a communist spy. He denied both charges and was convicted to 5 years of perjury

Question 20

What did the Rosenbergs do?

Answer 20

In 1950, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were found to have sold nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union and were executed in 1953

Question 21

How did McCarthyism decline?

Answer 21

In 1954, Edward R. Murrow had an episode of a show See it Now attacking the methods of McCarthy. It had footage of McCarthy’s speeches to portray him as dishonest, reckless and abusive toward witnesses and prominent Americans

Question 22

What was McCarthy’s last straw?

Answer 22

He claimed that the army had been infiltrated by communists and that the president Eisenhower knew about it and did nothing. McCarthy’s behaviour was condemned by the Senate in 1954 and was forced out of public life

Question 23

What happened in the Yates vs United States case of 1957?

Answer 23

Convictions of 14 communists were reversed

Question 24

What were Jim Crow laws?

Answer 24

The segregation of states, mostly the southern states

Question 25

Which aspects of life were segregated?

Answer 25

Schools, restaurants, theatres, workplaces, public transport and toilets