Chapter 34

Question 1

President Harry Truman

Answer 1

President Harry S. Truman was the first president, in several years, to not have a college degree. He was known as the “average man’s average man.” He had the ability to face difficulty with courage.

Question 2

Big Three

Answer 2

In February 1945, the Big Three (Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin) met in Yalta to discuss the war’s end (Yalta Conference). Plans were made for the occupation of Germany. It was agreed that Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania should have free elections. Stalin eventually broke this agreement. The Big Three also announced plans for fashioning a new international peacekeeping organization (the United Nations).

Question 3

Far East

Answer 3

The most controversial decision regarded the Far East. American casualties were expected to be high in the war against Japan, so Stalin agreed to attack Japan after the collapse of Germany. In return, the Soviets were given the southern half of Sakhalin Island, lost by Russia to Japan in 1905, and Japan’s Kurile Islands.

Question 4

Dairen and Port Arthur

Answer 4

The Soviet Union was also given control over the railroads of China’s Manchuria and special privileges in the two key seaports of that area, Dairen and Port Arthur. These concessions gave Stalin control over vital industrial centers of China.

Question 5

sphere of influence

Answer 5

The USSR sought to guarantee its own security by creating a “sphere of influence” around it (a surrounding set of friendly countries). These spheres of influence contradicted President FDR’s Wilsonian dream of an “open world,” decolonized, demilitarized, and democratized.

Question 6

Cold War

Answer 6

The Soviet Union and the United States provoked each other into a tense, 40-year standoff known as the Cold War.

Question 7

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Answer 7

In 1944, the Western Allies met at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire (Bretton Woods Conference) and established the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to encourage world trade by regulating currency exchange rates. They also founded the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) to promote economic growth in underdeveloped areas. Unlike after WWI, the United States took the lead in creating the important international bodies and supplied most of their funding after WWII. The Soviets declined to participate.

Question 8

United Nations charter

Answer 8

The United Nations Conference opened on April 25, 1945. Representatives from 50 nations made the United Nations charter. It included the Security Council, dominated by the Big Five powers (the United States, Britain, the USSR, France, and China), each of whom had the right of veto, and the General Assembly, which could be controlled by smaller countries. The Senate overwhelmingly passed the document on July 28, 1945.
The U.N. has helped people throughout the world via organizations like UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization), and WHO (World Health Organization).

Question 9

Bernard Baruch

Answer 9

In 1946, Bernard Baruch wanted to create a U.N. agency, free from the great-power veto, with worldwide authority over atomic energy, weapons, and research. The plan fell apart as neither the United States nor the Soviet Union wanted to give up their nuclear weapons.

Question 10

Nuremberg, Germany

Answer 10

At Nuremberg, Germany from 1945-1946, Nazi leaders were tried and punished for war crimes. Punishments included hangings and long jail sentences.

Question 11

iron curtain

Answer 11

As the USSR spread communism to its Eastern zone in Germany and the Western Allies promoted the idea of a reunited Germany, Germany was divided into 2 zones. West Germany became an independent country, and East Germany became bound to the Soviet Union as an independent “satellite” state, shutoff from the Western world by the “iron curtain” of the Soviet Union.

Question 12

containment doctrine

Answer 12

In 1947, George F. Kennan came up with the “containment doctrine,” which tried to explain the behavior of the USSR. This concept stated that the USSR was relentlessly expansionary and that the USSR could be contained by being firm and vigilant.

Question 13

Truman Doctrine.

Answer 13

This doctrine was embraced by President Truman in 1947 when Congress passed the Truman Doctrine. This gave financial support to Greece to resist communist pressures. Truman declared that it must be the policy of the United States to aid any country that was resisting communist aggression.

Question 14

Marshall Plan

Answer 14

Following WWII, France, Italy, and Germany were suffering from the hunger and economic chaos caused by the war. They were in danger of being taken over by Communist parties within the countries. By promising financial aid, American Secretary of State George C. Marshall convinced the Europeans to create a joint plan for their economic recovery. Marshall offered the same aid to the Soviet Union and its allies, but the Soviets refused it. The Marshall Plan gave $12.5 billion to 16 European countries. Within a few years, Europe’s economy was flourishing, and the Communist parties had lost ground.

Question 15

Middle Eastern Oil

Answer 15

Access to Middle Eastern oil was crucial to the European recovery program and to the health of the U.S. economy. Despite threats from the Arab nations to cut off the supply of oil, President Truman officially recognized the state of Israel on May 14, 1948.

Question 16

National Security Act

Answer 16

In 1947, Congress passed the National Security Act, creating the Department of Defense. The department was headed by a new cabinet officer, the secretary of defense. The heads of each branch of the military were brought together as the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Question 17

National Security Council

Answer 17

The National Security Act also established the National Security Council (NSC) to advise the president on security matters, and it created the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to coordinate the government’s foreign fact-gathering.

Question 18

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Answer 18

In 1948, the United States joined the European pact, called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The pact pledged each nation to regard an attack on one as an attack on all. The pact also marked a departure from American diplomatic convention, a boost for European unification, and a significant step in the militarization of the Cold War.

Question 19

MacArthur-dictated constitution

Answer 19

General Douglas MacArthur took control of the democratization of Japan. The Japanese people cooperated with his plans; they saw that good behavior and the adoption of democracy would speed the end of the occupation. In 1946, a MacArthur-dictated constitution was adopted. It renounced militarism and introduced western-style democratic government.

Question 20

collapse of Nationalist China

Answer 20

In late 1949, the Chinese Nationalist government of Generalissimo Jiang Jieshi was forced to flee the country to the island of Formosa (Taiwan) when the communists, led by Mao Zedong, took over the country. The collapse of Nationalist China was a depressing loss for America and its allies in the Cold War, as ¼ of the world’s population fell to communism.

Question 21

H-bomb

Answer 21

In September 1949, the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb, 3 years before experts thought possible. To stay one step ahead, Truman ordered the development of the H-bomb (Hydrogen Bomb). The first H-bomb was exploded in 1952. The Soviets exploded their first H-bomb in 1953, and the nuclear arms race entered a dangerously competitive cycle.

Question 22

38th parallel

Answer 22

When Japan collapsed in 1945, Korea was divided up into two sections: the Soviets controlled the north above the 38th parallel and the United States controlled south of that line. Each country set up opposing governments in Korea.

Question 23

National Security Council Memorandum Number 68 (NSC-68)

Answer 23

The National Security Council Memorandum Number 68 (NSC-68) was a document created by the National Security Council that outlined America’s national security strategy. It called for quadrupling military spending and using the Containment policy in regards to the Soviet Union. NSC-68 was a key document of the Cold War because it marked a major step in the militarization of American foreign policy.

Question 24

Korean War

Answer 24

On June 25, 1950, the North Korean army invaded South Korea. In response to this, Truman ordered a massive military buildup, well beyond what was necessary for the Korean War. Without Congress’s approval, Truman ordered American air and naval units to be sent to support South Korea. The U.N. was responsible for sending troops to fight the North Koreans, but the fight was led by General MacArthur and most of the troops were American.

Question 25

communist Chinese “volunteers”

Answer 25

On September 15, 1950, General MacArthur pushed the North Koreans past the 38th parallel, but on November 1950, thousands of communist Chinese “volunteers” attacked the U.N. forces, pushing them back to the 38th parallel.

Question 26

Loyalty Review Board

Answer 26

In 1947, President Truman launched the Loyalty Review Board to investigate the possibility of communist spies in the government.

Question 27

Smith Act of 1940

Answer 27

In 1949, 11 communists were sent to prison for violating the Smith Act of 1940 (first peacetime antisedition law since 1798) in supporting the overthrow of the American government. The ruling was upheld in Dennis v. United States (1951).

Question 28

Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC)

Answer 28

In 1938, the House of Representatives established the Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) to investigate “subversion” (opposition to the government). In 1948, Congressman Richard M. Nixon led the conviction of Alger Hiss, a prominent ex-New Dealer. Americans began to join in on the hunt for communist spies who were thought to be living in America.

Question 29

McCarran Internal Security Bill

Answer 29

In 1950, Truman vetoed the McCarran Internal Security Bill, which authorized the president to arrest and detain suspicious people during an “internal security emergency.” Congress overrode Truman’s veto and passed the bill.

Question 30

McCarthyism

Answer 30

McCarthyism, the practice of spreading treasonous accusations without evidence, thrived during the Cold War. Though McCarthy was not the first red-hunter, he was the most ruthless.

Question 31

Executive Order 9981

Answer 31

In 1954, McCarthy went too far and attacked the U.S. Army. Just a few months later, he was condemned by the Senate for “conduct unbecoming a member.” (Army-McCarthy hearings)

Executive Order 9981 desegregated the armed forces.