American History: A Survey (Brinkley), 13th Edition

Chapter 27: THE COLD WAR

Study Questions

1
Describe the legacy of mistrust between the Soviet Union and the United States up to World War II. How did the view of the world articulated by the United States contrast with the vision held by the Soviets and, to a great extent, the British?
2
What were the accomplishments of the Casablanca and Teheran Conferences?
3
How did the Yalta Conference deal with the Polish and German questions? What differing views of the conference did the Soviets and Americans hold?
4
What was the basic United Nations plan that was agreed to by Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin at Yalta?
5
When and where did President Roosevelt die?
6
Compare and contrast Roosevelt's and Truman's attitudes toward Stalin and the Soviet Union. To what extent was Truman's potential influence over the Soviet's economy constrained by wartime realities?
7
How did the U.S. deal with China and Chiang Kai-shek in the postwar period? How did the situation in China shape U.S. policy toward Japan?
8
What led to the Truman doctrine and containment? What pattern of foreign policy did the doctrine establish?
9
What motives led to the Marshall Plan? How successful was it?
10
How did the National Security Act of 1941 reorganize the administration of national security? What agencies were created?
11
Why did Stalin blockade Berlin? How did the United States respond, and what resulted?
12
What was the fundamental agreement central to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)? How did the Soviet Union respond?
13
What events of 1949 thrust the Cold War into a new and seemingly more dangerous stage?
14
What modification in containment policy was outlined in the NSC-68 report?
15
What factors combined to keep the United States from experiencing another depression after the war? What economic problems did the nation face? How did Truman respond?
16
How did reconversion affect the many women and minorities who had taken war-related jobs?
17
What was the Fair Deal? Why was it initially unsuccessful?
18
Describe the provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act. What was its impact on the labor movement?
19
What strategy did Truman use to win the 1948 presidential election despite problems within the party?
20
What were the successes and failures of Truman's reform agenda after 1948?
21
How did the fear of potential nuclear war affect the attitudes and daily lives of Americans in the 1950s and early 1960s? What were the positive expectations for atomic technology?
22
What caused the Korean War? What was the role of the U.N. in authorizing and fighting the war?
23
Why did the war turn into a stalemate?
24
Why did Truman dismiss Douglas MacArthur? Why was the decision so controversial?
25
What social and economic effects did the Korean War have in America?
26
Describe the factors and cases that combined to create the anticommunist paranoia of the late 1940s and early 1950s.
27
How did Joseph McCarthy exploit the existing mood of hysteria? What sort of tactics did he use in his attacks on alleged subversion?
28
What personalities and policies led to the Republican victory in the presidential election of 1952?
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