Chapter 23: The United States and Cold War

Question 1

Cold War

Answer 1

The state of political and military tension between the Western powers (led by the United States) and the Eastern powers (led by the Soviet Union) following World War II.

Question 2

Containment

Answer 2

A foreign policy strategy used by the United States during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism beyond its existing borders.

Question 3

Long Telegram

Answer 3

A 1946 message from U.S. diplomat George F. Kennan to the State Department that laid out the framework for the policy of containment.

Question 4

Truman Doctrine

Answer 4

A policy announced by U.S. President Harry Truman in 1947 to provide military and economic assistance to nations threatened by communism.

Question 5

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Answer 5

A military alliance formed in 1949 between the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide mutual defense against potential Soviet aggression.

Question 6

NSC-68

Answer 6

A top-secret policy document produced by the U.S. National Security Council in 1950 that called for a massive increase in military spending to combat the Soviet threat.

Question 7

Korean War

Answer 7

A conflict that began in 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea, prompting a military response from the United States and other Western nations.

Question 8

Decolonization

Answer 8

The process by which European powers granted independence to their colonies in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East in the aftermath of World War II.

Question 9

Totalitarianism

Answer 9

A form of government in which a single party or ruler exercises complete control over all aspects of society and suppresses individual freedoms.

Question 10

Fair Deal

Answer 10

A series of domestic reforms proposed by U.S. President Harry Truman in 1949 that aimed to expand social welfare programs, strengthen civil rights protections, and promote economic growth.

Question 11

Operation Dixie

Answer 11

A failed attempt by labor unions to organize workers in the southern United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Question 12

Taft-Hartley Act

Answer 12

A 1947 law passed by the U.S. Congress that placed restrictions on labor unions and allowed states to pass “right-to-work” laws.

Question 13

Dixiecrats

Answer 13

A group of southern Democrats who broke away from the national party in 1948 in opposition to its growing support for civil rights.

Question 14

McCarran-Walter Act

Answer 14

A 1952 law passed by the U.S. Congress that tightened restrictions on immigration and allowed for the deportation of suspected communists or subversives.

Question 15

McCarthyism

Answer 15

A period of intense anti-communist hysteria in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, characterized by baseless accusations and blacklisting of suspected communists.

Question 16

Hollywood Ten

Answer 16

A group of Hollywood writers and directors who were blacklisted and jailed for refusing to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee about their alleged ties to communism.

Question 17

Army-McCarthy hearings

Answer 17

A series of televised hearings in 1954 in which U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy was exposed as a bully and a liar, leading to his eventual downfall.

Question 18

True or False: The Cold War was a state of political and military tension between the Western powers (led by the United States) and the Eastern powers (led by the Soviet Union) following World War II.

Answer 18

True.

Question 19

True or False: The policy of containment was a foreign policy strategy used by the United States during the Cold War to promote the spread of communism beyond its existing borders.

Answer 19

False. The policy of containment was a foreign policy strategy used by the United States during the Cold War to prevent the spread of communism beyond its existing borders.

Question 20

True or False: The Truman Doctrine was a policy announced by U.S. President Harry Truman in 1947 to provide military and economic assistance to nations threatened by communism.

Answer 20

True.

Question 21

True or False: The Marshall Plan was a program launched by the Soviet Union in 1948 to provide economic aid to Western European countries to help them rebuild after World War II and resist the spread of capitalism.

Answer 21

False. The Marshall Plan was a program launched by the United States in 1948 to provide economic aid to Western European countries to help them rebuild after World War II and resist the spread of communism.

Question 22

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was a military alliance formed in 1949 between the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide mutual defense against potential Soviet aggression.

Answer 22

True.

Question 23

True or False: The Korean War was a conflict that began in 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea, and it ended in a stalemate in 1953.

Answer 23

True.

Question 24

True or False: The policy of brinksmanship was a foreign policy strategy used by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower during the Cold War to avoid direct military conflict with the Soviet Union by maintaining a strong nuclear arsenal.

Answer 24

False. The policy of brinksmanship was a foreign policy strategy used by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower during the Cold War to avoid direct military conflict with the Soviet Union by pushing both nations to the brink of war.

Question 25

True or False: McCarthyism was a period of intense anti-communist suspicion and persecution in the United States during the 1950s, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Answer 25

True.

Question 26

True or False: The Fair Deal was a set of domestic reforms proposed by U.S. President Harry Truman that included measures to expand social security, increase the minimum wage, and provide affordable housing.

Answer 26

True.

Question 27

True or False: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation that prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and it was signed into law by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Answer 27

True.

Question 28

True or False: The Yalta Conference was a meeting between U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin in 1945 to discuss the post-World War II reorganization of Europe.

Answer 28

True.

Question 29

True or False: The Long Telegram was a message sent by U.S. diplomat George F. Kennan to the State Department in 1946 that outlined his views on Soviet intentions and suggested a policy of containment.

Answer 29

True.

Question 30

True or False: The Iron Curtain was a metaphorical term used by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1946 to describe the division of Europe between the capitalist West and communist East.

Answer 30

True.

Question 31

True or False: The Taft-Hartley Act was a federal law passed in 1947 that restricted the power of labor unions and required union leaders to take an oath disavowing communism.

Answer 31

True.

Question 32

True or False: The McCarran-Walter Act was a federal law passed in 1952 that restricted immigration to the United States and authorized the deportation of immigrants who were suspected of being communists or subversives.

Answer 32

True.

Question 33

Yalta Conference (February 1945)

Answer 33

This conference was held between the leaders of the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union to discuss the post-World War II world order. It was important because it revealed the growing tensions between the Western powers and the Soviet Union over the division of Europe and the establishment of new political and economic systems.

Question 34

Potsdam Conference (July-August 1945)

Answer 34

This conference was held to discuss the post-war settlement of Germany and the rest of Europe. It was important because it exposed the growing distrust between the Soviet Union and the Western powers, particularly over the issue of Poland’s borders and the nature of the new German government.

Question 35

Truman Doctrine (1947)

Answer 35

This policy was announced by President Harry Truman and provided economic and military aid to countries threatened by communism. It was important because it marked a shift in U.S. foreign policy towards containment of communism and set the stage for U.S. involvement in the Korean War

Question 36

Marshall Plan (1948-1952)

Answer 36

This program provided economic aid to Western European countries to help them rebuild after World War II. It was important because it helped to stabilize the economies of these countries and prevent the spread of communism in Europe.

Question 37

Berlin Blockade (1948-1949)

Answer 37

The Soviet Union blocked all land and water access to West Berlin, resulting in a massive airlift of supplies by the United States and its allies. It was important because it marked the first major crisis of the Cold War and demonstrated the determination of the Western powers to resist Soviet aggression.

Question 38

Harry S. Truman

Answer 38

Truman was the 33rd President of the United States and was in office from 1945 to 1953. He made important decisions during the early years of the Cold War, such as the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan and the Truman Doctrine.

Question 39

Joseph Stalin

Answer 39

Stalin was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953. He oversaw the Soviet Union’s involvement in World War II and played a key role in the early years of the Cold War.

Question 40

George F. Kennan

Answer 40

Kennan was an American diplomat and historian who played a key role in the development of US foreign policy during the Cold War. He is perhaps best known for his “Long Telegram” and “X Article,” which helped shape US policy toward the Soviet Union.

Question 41

Douglas MacArthur

Answer 41

MacArthur was an American general who played a key role in the Pacific theater of World War II and later served as the commander of US forces in Korea. He was fired by President Truman in 1951 after publicly criticizing the president’s handling of the war.

Question 42

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Answer 42

Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States and served from 1953 to 1961. He played a key role in the Cold War, overseeing the development of US nuclear weapons and the policy of “massive retaliation.”

Question 43

Nikita Khrushchev

Answer 43

Khrushchev was the leader of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964. He played a key role in the early years of the Cold War, particularly during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Question 44

Fidel Castro

Answer 44

Castro was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who served as the Prime Minister and later the President of Cuba. His alliance with the Soviet Union and the Cuban Missile Crisis were key events in the Cold War.

Question 45

Marshall Plan

Answer 45

A program launched by the United States in 1948 to provide economic aid to Western European countries to help them rebuild after World War II and resist the spread of communism.

Question 46

Iron Curtain

Answer 46

A term coined by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1946 to describe the division of Europe into two separate spheres of influence during the Cold War.