The Cold War

Question 1

What role did General Douglas MacArthur play in the Korean War?

Answer 1

MacArthur led the US and United Nations forces during the early years of the Korean War. He was fired by Truman when he challenged Truman’s civilian control of the armed forces in a disagreement over how extensive or how limited the war should be.

Question 2

What was the Conservative Coalition?

Answer 2

This was an alliance of Democrats from the South and Conservative Republicans from across the country that controlled Congress in the 1940s and 1950s. This group was able to block almost all of President Truman’s Fair Deal initiatives, especially his civil rights and economic ideas.

Question 2

Winston Churchill used this term to describe the division between East and West in a speech at Fulton, Missouri in 1946.

Answer 2

Iron Curtain “From Stetin in the Baltic, to Trieste in the Adriatic, an “iron curtain” has descended across the continent…”

Question 2

What was the Marshall Plan?

Answer 2

The Marshall Plan was a massive aid package of around $13 Billion to help rebuild Europe after the devastation of World War II. Aid was offered to ALL European countries, but was rejected by the Soviet Union and the Communist countries in Eastern Europe (Satellite states). This turned out to be a MAJOR SUCCESS as it kept countries in Western Europe from falling to communism by allowing those governments to offer a desirable alternative to communism.

Question 2

What was the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934?

Answer 2

A law that promised independence to the Philippines. The Philippines was granted its independence on July 4, 1946.

Question 3

What is the relationship between pre-World War II APPEASEMENT and the Cold War policy of CONTAINMENT?

Answer 3

Many believed that the policy of Appeasement demonstrated by England and France allowed Hitler to gain power, leading directly to World War II. Therefore, during the Cold War, there is little tolerance for anything remotely resembling appeasement. Therefore, the west will CONTAIN communism and challenge communism around the world…NOT appease communist leaders seeking expansion.

Question 4

What role did General Douglas MacArthur play in Japan AFTER World War II?

Answer 4

He set up a Democracy there and oversaw the creation of the Japanese Constitution. MacArthur did allow the Japanese to keep (retain) the Japanese Emperor.

Question 5

How did the Soviet Union respond to the formation of NATO?

Answer 5

The Soviet’s created their own mutual defense organization called the WARSAW PACT. Members were the Soviet Union and Eastern European satellite states under the control of the Soviet Union.

Question 5

What is meant by the 38th parallel?

Answer 5

This was the dividing line between North and South Korea established the United States and Soviet Union after WWII. The Soviets controlled the northern portion while the US controlled the southern portion. Eventually the north will invade the south, causing the Korean War (1950 - 1953).

Question 5

Define Red Scare.

Answer 5

This was a period of anti-Communist fear and hysteria that followed WWII (similar to the time immediately after WWI). During the Red Scare, people’s civil liberties were violated as McCarthy in the Senate conducted a “witch hunt” for political purposes.

Question 6

Define/Explain Containment.

Answer 6

Proposed by George Kennan in 1946, this became the US foreign policy for most of the Cold War. The goal was to stop or limit (i.e. CONTAIN) the spread of Soviet Communism anywhere in the world. This will lead to events like the creation of NATO and the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

Question 8

Who were the three candidates in the 1948 campaign for the Presidency?

Answer 8

Democrats - Harry Truman (President) Republicans - Thomas Dewey of New York Dixiecrats - Strom Thurmond of South Carolina

Question 10

What major decision was made at the Potsdam Conference that would have later implications during the Cold War?

Answer 10

At Potsdam, leaders from the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and the United States divided up Germany into four zones of occupation. This would be important later during events like the Berlin Blockade, Berlin Airlift, and construction of the Berlin Wall.

Question 11

How did the Berlin Airlift effect the division of Germany?

Answer 11

After the Berlin Airlift, the temporary division between the western and eastern parts of Germany (under the Potsdam Conference agreement) became official. The Soviet side became the country of East Germany and the western portion became the country of West Germany. Armed checkpoints (and later the Berlin Wall in the city of Berlin) prevented people from leaving East Germany.

Question 13

How did workers react to the spike in prices (inflation) after World War II?

Answer 13

Wages did NOT keep up with the rise in prices. Millions of workers went on strike in 1946. Some of these strikes were in industries considered essential for our national security. For example, when the United Mine Workers (coal miners) went on strike in 1946, Truman used the US army to make sure that coal continued to be mined because coal was needed to heat homes and provide fuel.

Question 14

The Soviet Union promised to allow free elections in Eastern European countries they occupied by 1946. What was the outcome of these elections?

Answer 14

Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Hungary and Czechoslovakia had elections that backed Soviet candidates. The US claimed these elections were NOT open and honest and this further hurt relations between the US and the Soviet Union.

Question 14

What did the Taft-Hartley Act establish?

Answer 14

This law OUTLAWED or banned the Closed Shop. A “Closed Shop” REQUIRES workers to be union members before they can be hired for a job. This law also allowed some states to pass “Right-To-Work” laws which hurt labor unions. Also, under this law, Secondary Boycotts (sympathetic boycotts in related industries) were outlawed. This also gave the President the power to order an 80 day cooling off period if a strike took place in an industry considered essential for national security. Truman VETOED this bill, BUT the Congress used a VETO OVERRIDE and it became law anyway.

Question 15

What was the Loyalty Review Board?

Answer 15

A board authorized by Truman to show he was NOT weak on communism. The Board looked into the backgrounds of millions of government employees to determine if they were communists or communist sympathizers. This also allowed the Attorney General to create a list of organizations that were considered subversive…almost like an “enemies list.”

Question 16

How did Truman react to the North Korean invasion of South Korea in 1950?

Answer 16

Truman did NOT ask Congress for a declaration of war. Instead, Truman worked through the United Nations Security Council The US used the Security Council resolution as a justification to send troops there and the US took the lead in what became a United Nations Police Action - the first in the history of the UN.

Question 16

What was the Smith Act (1940)?

Answer 16

The Smith Act made it illegal to advocate overthrowing the government or to join any organization advocating against the US government.

Question 17

Who was Chiang Kai-Shek?

Answer 17

The leader of the Chinese Republican forces (or Nationalists) in the Chinese Civil War. Chiant Kai-Shek fought against Mao Tse-Tung (Zedong). The Civil War began BEFORE World War II, but was put on pause during WWII as both sides had a common enemy - Japan. After WWII, Mao’s forces defeated the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-Shek and China became communist.

Question 18

What was the Baby Boom?

Answer 18

A massive growth in the population between 1946 and 1957. For example, just between 1948 and 1953 (a 5 year period) more babies were born than in the previous 30 years combined!!!! Why? Young people delayed marriage and/or starting a family due to the Great Depression of the 1930s. Then, World War II broke out. Therefore, after World War II, millions of Americans wanted to find a spouse and start a family. This will lead to major changes, including areas like schooling. Thousands of new schools would need to be built. New hospitals would need to be built.

Question 19

Who were the Dixiecrats?

Answer 19

The Dixiecrats were Southern Democrats who argued for “States’ Rights” and opposed President Truman’s support for Civil Rights. They nominated Strom Thurmond for President in 1948.

Question 19

What did the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act do?

Answer 19

In anticipation of the return of millions of soldiers from WWII, the GI Bill provided a range of benefits to veterans, including tuition aid for school (college), low-cost home mortgages, loans to start a business, and later medical care. This is still in effect to do and is one motivating force in getting young Americans to join the armed forces.

Question 20

What did the Soviets do in 1949 which escalated the Cold War?

Answer 20

The Soviets successfully detonated a test atomic bomb. In response, President Truman gave approval for the US development of the hydrogen bomb, contributing to an “Arms Race” that would develop in the coming decades.

Question 22

The Office of Price Administration was eliminated by Congress in 1946. What impact did this have on the country?

Answer 22

This led to major inflation! During World War II, the OPA kept prices of goods in check. Once the OPA was eliminated, prices rose about 25% in one year!

Question 23

What did the McCarran Internal Security Act (1950) do?

Answer 23

Passed by Congress over Truman’s veto, this act: 1. made it unlawful to advocate for a totalitarian government. 2. restricted travel for known communists. 3. gave the government permission to detain people suspected of espionage. 4. banned picketing a federal courthouse.

Question 25

What triggered the Berlin Crisis of 1948?

Answer 25

The introduction of a new currency (the Deutsche Mark) under the guidance of the WESTERN POWERS without Soviet Approval triggered Stalin to introduce an alternative for East Germany (the Ost Mark), after which Stalin CLOSED East Germany and blockaded West Berlin from the Western Powers. This will lead to the Berlin Airlift in 1948 to 1949.

Question 26

What does NATO stand for and what was NATO?

Answer 26

North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO was a collective security agreement for members to provide mutual defense. An attack against one member would be considered an attack against all members of NATO.

Question 28

Please explain the Baruch Plan.

Answer 28

This was a plan proposed to the United Nations in 1946. It suggested an elimination of ALL nuclear weapons and the use of nuclear power ONLY FOR PEACEFUL MEANS. The Soviet Union rejected this idea, which caused the US to be more suspicious of the Soviet Union and their intentions to develop their own nuclear weapons. The Soviets successfully detonated their own atomic bomb in 1949.

Question 29

This man was a former State Department official who was accused of being a communist spy by Whitaker Chambers. He denied it and was later convicted of perjury in 1950.

Answer 29

Alger Hiss

Question 30

Define “Raisin Bombers”

Answer 30

This was the nickname given by German children to the American bomber pilots who were carrying food into Berlin in 1948-1949. As they flew into Berlin, the pilots dropped candy (and raisins) using small parachutes to the children waiting below.

Question 31

What was President Truman’s campaign strategy in the 1948 Presidential Election?

Answer 31

Truman went on the offensive, traveling across the country in a “whistle stop” tour. He blamed the “Do Nothing” Congress that was controlled by Republicans. Everyone thought Truman was going to lose in 1948. However, in a shocker, he won the election.

Question 32

What does HUAC stand for and what did HUAC do?

Answer 32

House Un-American Activities Committee HUAC investigated real and suspected communists in positions of influence in American society, including Hollywood.

Question 34

Who was George Kennan?

Answer 34

George Kennan worked at the State Department as an expert in the Soviet Union. In his famous “Long Telegram” Kennan suggested the policy of containment.

Question 35

What was the Fair Deal?

Answer 35

A series of reforms or legislation proposed by Harry Truman as President. This included: 1. Civil Rights legislation 2. Increase in public housing 3. More money for education 4. Increase in the minimum wage 5. A national health insurance program AND MORE… Most of this was defeated by the Conservative Coalition in Congress!

Question 36

What was Levittown?

Answer 36

Begun in 1947, Levittown was a massive suburban development on Long Island, NY. It illustrated the trend of suburbanization that will carry into the 1950s. Levittown was built by Levitt and Sons - a home developer - who erected 6,000 almost identical houses.

Question 38

Explain what happened during the Berlin Airlift.

Answer 38

In response to the closing of all railways and roads into West Berlin, the US, Britain and France launched an airlift into Berlin to keep the city supplied. The city needed about 5,000 tons of food per day to survive! This put Stalin into a tough situation because these planes were carrying food, medicine, coal, milk, etc. to the people of Berlin. Had Stalin shot them down, this would have been viewed negatively. This was a success and Stalin reopened access to the city in May of 1949.

Question 39

What did the National Security Act do?

Answer 39

This act streamlined the US military, combining the Department of the Army with the Navy into the Department of Defense, which we have today. It also established the US Air Force as a separate branch of the armed services and created both the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Council to coordinate foreign policy.

Question 40

Define Cold War.

Answer 40

The Cold War, dated from 1945 to 1991, was a longstanding hostile rivalry between the Soviet Union (and allies) and the United States (and allies) during which the political, economic and military tensions ran high. It was NOT a war in the traditional sense of the word. There was no DIRECT fighting between the two sides, however “proxy wars” were fought in places like Korea and Vietnam.

Question 41

Who were the Rosenbergs?

Answer 41

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were accused, put on trial, and convicted of assisting the Soviet Union obtain American secrets for the Atomic Bomb in order to help the Soviet Union make their own bomb. The Rosenbergs are the only civilians executed for espionage in American history.

Question 42

This phrase refers to the practice of making allegations that are unfair and without evidence. It is also associated with conducting a “witch hunt.” This was part of the Red Scare of the late 1940s and 1950s.

Answer 42

McCarthyism Named after Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin.

Question 43

Define/Explain the Truman Doctrine.

Answer 43

The Truman Doctrine was a demonstration of Containment. Truman feared that Greece (and Turkey) were threatened with a communist takeover. Therefore, Truman announced the US would provide aid ($$$$$) to Greece and Turkey to prevent them from “falling” to communism.

Question 44

Why were there no major offensives in the Korean War between July 1951 and 1953?

Answer 44

This war, from Truman’s perspective, was to CONTAIN communism. Going on the offensive into North Korea would violate his policy of CONTAINMENT. Also, Truman and MacArthur disagreed over the war aims. Truman wanted a limited war to avoid provoking the Soviet Union and all-out war with China. MacArthur wanted to be more aggressive.