Deck 25: The Cold War and the Fair Deal, 1945-1952

Question 1

In the presidential election of 1948, Republicans saw little hope for victory.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Within a few months of the end of World War II, there were strikes and other labor disputes in many key industries.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

According to the textbook, revisionist historians contend that __________ was responsible for the start of the Cold War.

A)Harry S.Truman
B)George MacArthur
C)George Patton
D)Joseph Stalin
E)Franklin D.Roosevelt

Answer 3

Harry S.Truman

Question 4

At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union organized a communist "North Korea" and the United States established a democratic "South Korea."

Question 5

The Korean War showed that after the devastation of World War II, Japan would remain America's enemy and would not play a role in America's military presence in Asia.

Question 6

Israel's creation in 1948 was followed immediately by a war with its Arab neighbors.

Question 7

In the Far West, schools no longer segregated Mexican American children from whites after World War II.

Question 8

In 1945, the Soviet Union violated promises made at the Yalta Conference when they began to occupy

A)Western European nations.
B)Eastern European nations.
C)England.
D)Italy.
E)North Africa.

Question 9

The Fair Deal was President Truman's name for his approach to foreign policy in the early days of the cold war.

Question 10

Former Soviet spy Whittaker Chambers accused Alger Hiss, who had worked for several U.S.government agencies, of supplying U.S.secret documents to the Soviets.

Question 11

The Servicemen's Readjustment Act was also known as the GI Bill of Rights.

Question 12

In the early months of the Korean War, UN forces encountered little resistance until they reached the Chinese border.

Question 13

In the closing days of World War II, Truman threatened to bomb the Soviets if they did not abandon Poland.

Question 14

Truman's firing of General MacArthur in 1951 was one of the most popular actions of his presidency.

Question 15

As a result of shrinking military production, a deep recession followed the end of World War II.

Question 16

The Truman Doctrine announced that the United States would challenge the spread of communism worldwide.

Question 17

Harry Truman was inexperienced in many political areas when he became president in 1945.

Question 18

Which of the following statements describes the challenges President Truman faced as he took office after Franklin D.Roosevelt's death?

A)Waging a "cold war" against communism and helping to rebuild Europe
B)Attempting to end the New Deal to appease cost-cutting Republicans
C)Reversing another major stock market crash
D)Rebuilding the numerous American cities that were destroyed in World War II
E)Funding a health care system for all Americans

Question 19

Left-wing Democrats formed the Progressive party in 1948 and ran Henry Wallace as their candidate.

Question 20

The most severe economic problem Truman faced after World War II was deflation.

Question 21

What did Winston Churchill compare the boundary between Soviet-occupied Eastern Europe and Western Europe to?

A)A day of infamy
B)An iron curtain
C)A steel trap
D)A concrete ship
E)A blast furnace

Question 22

Why were the Soviets unconcerned about the threat of nuclear war with the United States?

A)They had regained the favor of the United States by allowing non-Communists to participate in the political process.
B)They did not understand how much destruction nuclear war would cause.
C)They were spying on U.S.scientific progress and developing their own nuclear weapons.
D)They knew the American public would never approve of such an action as nuclear war in the future.
E)They were not concerned about the amount of lives lost in nuclear war.

Question 23

A divisive concern within the Truman administration was whether "containment" should be a __________ approach or a __________ approach.

A)right-wing; left-wing
B)social; economic
C)military; political
D)capitalist; communist
E)fascist; communist

Question 24

In 1949 the United States became part of the __________, the largest collective defense alliance in the world.

A)Warsaw Pact
B)North Atlantic Treaty Organization
C)East-West Cooperative
D)Iron Curtain Alliance
E)Anti-Soviet Pact

Question 25

Upon the desegregation of the military, which branch was the last to comply?

A)Navy
B)Air Force
C)Army
D)Marines
E)Coast Guard

Question 26

Which of the following statements accurately describes the racial landscape African Americans experienced in the years after World War II?

A)Although racial prejudice and violence were still ingrained in American life, the fight against the racist Nazi regime helped fuel the movement against racial bigotry at home.
B)Truman refused to take any steps to ban racial discrimination, out of fear it would hurt his chances at reelection and because of his ignorance regarding the extent of racial violence.
C)Because African Americans had only been able to serve in the war in very small numbers, America's racial landscape remained unchanged.
D)African American veterans faced little danger in speaking out against racial bigotry because of the extent of white Americans' gratitude for their military service.
E)Southern Democrats had become far more receptive to equal opportunities for African Americans and called for increased intervention by the government in race relations.

Question 27

For eleven months, __________ provided food and supplies to the people of West Berlin while it was blockaded by Soviet forces.

A)the iron curtain
B)the Berlin airlift
C)the British Navy
D)Operation Sea Lion
E)Operation Overlord

Question 28

Congress curbed the power of unions after World War II by passing the

A)Taft-Hartley Labor Act.
B)Hawt-Smootly Act.
C)Mongrel Tariff.
D)Service Readjustment Act.
E)GI Bill.

Question 29

The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 prohibited labor practices such as

A)the "right-to-work" laws.
B)the "closed shop."
C)the import tariff.
D)anti-Communist "labor oaths" by union leaders.
E)rules preventing federal employees from going on strike.

Question 30

What was the effect of the Marshall Plan?

A)It temporarily restored good relations between the United States and the Soviet Union for several years.
B)It caused a major drop in the industrial production of Western and Eastern Europe, hurting international trade.
C)It was an unsuccessful military strategy that culminated in the largest battle and loss of life since the end of World War II.
D)It drew the nations of Western Europe further apart from one another, dissolving several of their alliances.
E)It greatly increased agricultural output and industrial production in Western Europe but heightened tensions with the Soviet Union.

Question 31

What did Joseph Stalin do in Berlin to try to force the United States to leave?

A)He dropped a hydrogen bomb on the city.
B)He ordered a blockade of West Berlin.
C)He tried to buy the city from the Americans.
D)He assassinated the mayor.
E)He fomented a rebellion against American forces.

Question 32

What did Secretary of State James Byrnes try to convince President Truman to use as leverage to force the Soviets to honor their agreements after World War II?

A)Financial assistance
B)The United States' wheat surplus
C)Nuclear weapons
D)The enormous Japanese army that could invade Russia
E)The ambitions of the Chinese government over those of the Soviets

Question 33

What was the name of the policy proposed by George F.Kennan to combat the growing Soviet threat after World War II?

A)Containment
B)Brinksmanship
C)Mutually assured destruction
D)McCarthyism
E)Mercantilism

Question 34

In what way did Truman establish the foundation of U.S.policy for the next forty years?

A)He adopted the "domino theory" in regard to the spread of communism, stressing the need for an aggressive strategy to limit it to Eastern Europe.
B)He sought to spread communism by supporting armed minorities who were attempting to subjugate Eastern Europeans.
C)He emphasized the need to use isolationism instead of interventionism when responding to the growth of communism.
D)He continued and expanded Roosevelt's efforts to collaborate with Stalin and the Soviet government rather than feeding into tensions.
E)He believed the United States only needed to address communism within Russia, not in other countries around the world.

Question 35

What was the name of the financial and technical assistance package provided to war-ravaged Europe after World War II?

A)The Truman Doctrine
B)The Marshall Plan
C)The Containment Plan
D)The Iron Curtain
E)The Olney Corollary

Question 36

What nations controlled portions of a divided Germany after World War II?

A)Austria and Hungary
B)The United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union
C)Italy, Poland, and Czechoslovakia
D)Sweden, Norway, and Denmark
E)Belgium and the Netherlands

Question 37

Which of the following was part of the terms of the Service Readjustment Act of 1944?

A)Education benefits such as vocational training
B)The guarantee that women in defense industries would keep their jobs after the war
C)Free housing for all veterans who served throughout the war
D)Equal pay for male and female veterans
E)Outlawing the use of military drafts in future conflicts or wars

Question 38

The Truman Doctrine was announced in response to turmoil in

A)Greece and Turkey.
B)Ethiopia and Somalia.
C)Macedonia and Crete.
D)Montenegro and Casablanca.
E)Dalmatia and Rhodesia.

Question 39

Which of the following was part of the process the Soviet Union used when they invaded Eastern European nations after World War II?

A)They wrote constitutions and held elections.
B)They formed a number of new political parties that promoted democracy.
C)They forced the monarchies to acknowledge Stalin as head of their governments.
D)They created secret police and took control of the media.
E)They replaced the official Protestant religions with the Roman Catholic Church.

Question 40

Why was the National Security Act of 1947 significant?

A)It discontinued the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thereby making it more difficult for leaders of different American military branches to communicate.
B)It created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to address deteriorating alliances among Western European nations.
C)It centralized control of the military establishment in the United States and formed institutions such as the Central Intelligence Agency.
D)It provided $13 billion to American World War II veterans to use for costs such as medical treatment and education.
E)It banned strikes by labor unions and lowered all wages and prices in the years after World War II.

Question 41

During the Korean War, who supplied communist North Korea with war material?

A)United States
B)Vietnam
C)Soviet Union
D)England
E)France

Question 42

The executive order issued by Truman to ensure there were no communists or anyone associated with communism in the United States government was called the

A)McCarran Internal Security Act
B)Sedition Act
C)Loyalty Order
D)Marshall Plan
E)Patriot Act

Question 43

In what way did the Chinese civil war prove significant for the cold war?

A)It reassured Truman that the scope of the cold war was diminishing because communism had not proved a major issue between the fighting Chinese factions.
B)It led the U.S.military to intervene immediately and demonstrated the strong support Americans showed early on for such a massive intervention.
C)It resulted in the victory of Communists over Chinese Nationalists, although the United States would continue to recognize the Nationalist government as the official government.
D)It ended with the Chinese Nationalists' victory over the Communists because of their detonation of the first atomic weapons since World War II.
E)It led to an alliance between the U.S.government and the Communist Chinese government, for their version of communism was much different than the Soviet Union's.

Question 44

The first African American to play baseball for a major league team was

A)Jessie Owens.
B)Jackie Robinson.
C)Carl Weathers.
D)Marcus Garvey.
E)Wilt Chamberlain.

Question 45

Why did President Truman not seek a second term in 1952?

A)He was ready to retire.
B)He died in office.
C)He felt he would not win since his approval rating was so low.
D)He was labeled a communist.
E)He was defeated in the Democratic primary.

Question 46

In 1949, the Chinese Nationalist government fled to

A)Japan.
B)Korea.
C)Taiwan.
D)Nippon.
E)Manchuria.

Question 47

What bill did President Truman veto because he said it would create government "thought control"?

A)McCarran Internal Security Act
B)Marshall Plan
C)Servicemen's Readjustment Act
D)National Security Act
E)Loyalty Order

Question 48

Who was arrested, tried, and executed for participating in a Soviet spy ring in the United States?

A)Alger Hiss
B)James and Connie Fields
C)Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
D)Douglas MacArthur
E)James Franklin

Question 49

Which of the following were policies proposed by Truman's Fair Deal?

A)A great reduction in American involvement in foreign affairs
B)Equal pay for men and women
C)Civil rights and federal aid to education
D)The reinstatement of the Taft-Hartley Act
E)Less government involvement in health insurance

Question 50

In May 1947, charges that __________ was a "hotbed of communism" led to a Congressional investigation.

A)Washington, D.C.
B)Harvard
C)The Brookings Institute
D)Hollywood
E)The Civil Service Commission

Question 51

What event heightened cold war tensions in 1949?

A)The Soviets detonated a nuclear bomb.
B)The Soviets sent a manmade satellite into orbit.
C)The United States developed an atomic bomb.
D)The Soviets erected the Berlin Wall.
E)The Soviets placed nuclear missiles in Cuba.

Question 52

Who was placed in command of the UN forces in Korea during the Korean War?

A)Dwight D.Eisenhower
B)George Patton
C)Gerald Ford
D)Douglas MacArthur
E)Fred McNamara

Question 53

When the United Nations forces drew too close to the North Korean northern border, which nation attacked them and forced a retreat?

A)Japan
B)Manchuria
C)Russia
D)China
E)Jakarta

Question 54

An impact of the Korean War was that President Truman authorized assistance for French troops in __________, beginning a long period of U.S.involvement there.

A)India
B)North Africa
C)Turkey
D)Southeast Asia
E)Berlin

Question 55

Arthur Miller's play __________ about the Salem Witch Trials was really an allegory for the HUAC hearings.

A)Witch Hunt
B)The Crucible
C)The Scarlet Letter
D)Death of a Salesman
E)Who's Your Commie?

Question 56

How did Truman's proposed Fair Deal policies fare?

A)Congress passed most of the policies because it considered them more just and bipartisan than Roosevelt's New Deal policies had been.
B)Although Truman was unsuccessful in his efforts to reinstate the Taft-Hartley Act, he secured national health insurance and a new approach for subsidizing farmers.
C)Conservative Republicans managed to get the policies passed by Congress because they agreed with Truman's new hands-off approach to foreign policy.
D)Most of the programs were rejected by Congress, in part because bipartisan conservatives considered them extensions of earlier New Deal programs such as social security.
E)Although Truman used the proposed policies as part of his platform for the 1948 election, he never actually brought them before Congress because he became distracted by foreign affairs.

Question 57

In 1949 the Supreme Court upheld the Smith Act of 1940 arguing that __________ overrode the right to free speech.

A)military commitments
B)large corporations' business reputations
C)the rights of atheists not to hear prayers
D)public school prohibitions against vulgar language
E)a clear and present danger to the United States

Question 58

Who was the U.S.senator who made reckless charges and groundless accusations of the extent of communist activity in America during the early 1950s?

A)Harry Truman
B)Richard Nixon
C)John Kennedy
D)Joseph McCarthy
E)William Jennings

Question 59

The American GI Forum was created after World War II to deal with prejudice facing

A)African Americans.
B)Mexican Americans.
C)Asian Americans.
D)Texans.
E)Native Americans.

Question 60

Because he was critical of President Truman, __________ was fired for insubordination in 1951.

A)Dwight D.Eisenhower
B)George Patton
C)Gerald Ford
D)Douglas MacArthur
E)Fred McNamara

Question 61

Explain the origins of the Cold War.Which nations were at the center of the tension? What were the difficulties in overcoming those tensions?

Question 62

Which of the following statements about Truman's legacy as president is accurate?

A)He spent too much of his energy on decreasing the power of the federal government and the presidency, which in turn dangerously limited the power of the military.
B)He was most successful in his ability to prevent widespread conformity of thought and behavior in the United States and to quell any anti-Communist hysteria.
C)He failed to use enough American resources in his efforts to address communism and focused too much on prioritizing his responses to Soviet adventurism.
D)He helped open the way for what Dwight D.Eisenhower would eventually call the military-industrial complex, in part through the creation of new government agencies.
E)He was considered far more corrupt than his administration, and in the early fifties toward the end of his presidency, the economy began to rapidly decline.

Question 63

Explain the political concept of "containment."

Question 64

What were the components of President Truman's Fair Deal? How did it compare to FDR's New Deal? What was Congress's response to the proposed policies, and why?

Question 65

What were the civil rights controversies of the Truman era? How did Truman respond? Was there any "progress" while he was president?

Question 66

Discuss the election of 1948.Who were the major (and minor) parties, and what issues dominated the campaign? What was the eventual outcome of the race?