Deck 28: The Cold War and American Globalism, 1945-1961

Question 1

The Soviet Union responded to American complaints about the absence of free elections in Eastern European nations by

A) threatening to invade Western Europe.
B) pointing out that the United States was pursuing a double standard because it did not demand free elections in Latin America where it supported several military dictators.
C) allowing free elections in Yugoslavia.
D) forming the Cominform.

Answer 1

pointing out that the United States was pursuing a double standard because it did not demand free elections in Latin America where it supported several military dictators.

Question 2

After the Second World War, why did American planners seek a world economy based on free trade and the quick reconstruction of Germany, Japan, and other nations?

A) They believed these policies would allow the United States to aid the impoverished masses in the newly emerging nation states.
B) They believed these policies would give the United States the military prowess it needed to overthrow the Soviet government.
C) They believed these policies would help enhance the prestige of the United States-backed United Nations.
D) They believed that both the economic well-being and the security of the United States depended on these policies.

Answer 2

They believed that both the economic well-being and the security of the United States depended on these policies.

Question 3

Which of the following was a consequence of the Russian decision to cut off Western land access to Berlin in 1948?

A) The United States, France, and Britain relinquished their sectors of Berlin to the Soviet Union.
B) President Truman ordered a massive airlift of supplies to the isolated city.
C) The United States threatened to use the atomic bomb if access was not restored.
D) President Truman ordered an armored tank division through the Soviet zone of Germany to West Berlin.

Answer 3

President Truman ordered a massive airlift of supplies to the isolated city.

Question 4

Which of the following is most consistent with Walter Lippmann's views expressed in his book The Cold War?

A) The Soviet Union had nothing to do with the start of the Cold War.
B) The United States must police all parts of the world to protect itself from the worldwide Soviet menace.
C) The containment doctrine is a strategic monstrosity that will drain the nation's patience and resources.
D) The containment doctrine will lead to nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Question 5

The Truman-Molotov meeting provides evidence of which of the following?

A) The Soviets used underhanded tactics in achieving their goals.
B) Truman did not appreciate the nuances of international diplomacy and adopted a "get-tough" approach toward the Soviet Union.
C) Truman privately realized that the Soviets had earnestly attempted to live up to their agreements at Yalta.
D) The Soviets refused to negotiate on even the most trivial of issues.

Question 6

The Truman Doctrine and George F. Kennan's "Mr. X" article both proposed

A) the policy of détente.
B) the containment doctrine.
C) that the United States refrain from getting involved in the internal affairs of other nations.
D) a plan to encourage dissent and instability within the Soviet Union.

Question 7

The diplomatic records of the immediate postwar years show that

A) Secretary of War Stimson favored using the atomic bomb in Eastern Europe.
B) the Soviets had no desire to develop an atomic bomb of their own.
C) American possession of the atomic bomb was never mentioned directly in diplomatic discussions.
D) some American officials believed that the U.S. could deter Soviet expansion by using the atomic bomb as a bargaining tool.

Question 8

Which of the following is true of NSC-68?

A) It cautioned that a rapid arms buildup by the United States might actually cause the Soviet Union to become more aggressive.
B) It warned that the Soviet Union and North Korea were conspiring to invade South Korea.
C) It presented evidence that the Soviet army was preparing to invade Western Europe.
D) It called for a much larger U.S. military budget as a response to the expansionistic communist regimes in China and the Soviet Union.

Question 9

The Soviets refused to join the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund because

A) the United States dominated both institutions.
B) they could not afford the contribution required to become a member.
C) both organizations had refused to lend money to the Soviet government.
D) both institutions provided funds to anticommunist rebels inside the Soviet Union.

Question 10

In 1947, those who criticized President Truman's request that Congress extend aid to the Greek government in its fight against leftists asserted that

A) the Greek resistance movement was composed of noncommunists as well as communists.
B) the leaders of the resistance movement in Greece had purged the movement of all noncommunists.
C) the Greek government could not be saved, regardless of whether it received American aid.
D) the British were fully capable of defending the Greek government without American aid.

Question 11

How did the United States respond to the Soviet Union's testing of its first atomic bomb?

A) President Truman called for the formation of an international agency to control atomic energy.
B) Secretary of State Acheson asked that a summit be scheduled for negotiation of differences between the superpowers.
C) The United States called for an agreement between the superpowers on the number of nuclear-capable warheads each side would be allowed to have.
D) The United States began development of the hydrogen bomb.

Question 12

The Baruch Plan provided for which of the following?

A) A unified German state
B) The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Iran
C) U.S. abandonment of its atomic monopoly only after the creation of an international agency to control the world's fissionable materials
D) Humanitarian loans to nations recovering from the Second World War

Question 13

The Marshall Plan was successful in accomplishing which of the following?

A) It corrected Western Europe's adverse balance-of-payments with the United States.
B) It brought about the complete economic integration of the Western European states.
C) It stopped postwar inflation in Western Europe.
D) It stimulated impressive industrial production and investment in Western Europe.

Question 14

In the "long telegram," George F. Kennan asserted that

A) the fanaticism expressed by the Soviets made even a temporary understanding with them impossible.
B) the United States should extend humanitarian aid to the Soviet Union.
C) the Soviets did not want confrontation with the United States.
D) the United States should use military force to liberate Eastern Europe from the Soviet Union.

Question 15

Which of the following is true of the Senate debate over the North Atlantic Treaty Organization?

A) Some opponents asserted that the treaty would provoke rather than deter conflict.
B) Conservative Republicans complained that the treaty did not provide for the stationing of American troops in Western Europe.
C) Although the treaty was fully supported by Truman, members of the president's own party led the opposition to Senate ratification.
D) Supporters of the treaty contended that it would keep the United States out of any future war between Western Europe and Russia.

Question 16

The purpose of the Marshall Plan was to

A) bring about the industrialization of Latin America.
B) remove Russian influence from the Middle East.
C) speed the economic recovery of Europe.
D) prevent the communist conquest of China.

Question 17

In postwar Yugoslavia, Josip Broz

A) became Russia's most reliable ally.
B) concluded a military alliance with the United States.
C) successfully staged a democratic revolution against a totalitarian communist regime.
D) established a communist government independent of Moscow.

Question 18

In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, which of the following was a major concern of officials in the American government about the Soviet Union?

A) The Soviet Union's economic power
B) The clear indication that the Soviet Union was preparing to attack Western Europe
C) The advanced technology of the Soviet Union
D) The possibility that the Soviet Union would exploit economic and political instability in Europe and Asia to the detriment of U.S. interests

Question 19

Why did economic turmoil throughout Europe and Asia cause conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union in the immediate postwar period?

A) Each believed it was the other's duty to invest large sums of money in European and Asian nations to ensure their recovery.
B) Each offered a different model to solve the economic problems that plagued Europe and Asia.
C) Each blamed the other for the economic problems that existed throughout the world.
D) Each contended that the other was responsible for extending humanitarian aid to the peoples of Europe and Asia.

Question 20

Which of the following was a source of instability in the aftermath of the Second World War?

A) Japanese military power
B) The disintegration of empires
C) Germany's recalcitrance in defeat
D) Economic competition among the European nations

Question 21

China entered the Korean War in response to

A) the commitment of American troops to the war.
B) the taking of Seoul by U. N. and South Korean forces.
C) the bombing of bridges on the Yalu River and the subsequent advance of American troops toward the Chinese border.
D) the involvement of Nationalist Chinese forces in the war.

Question 22

The Soviet Union and the United States both coveted good relations with Third World nations because such nations

A) could provide sites for military and intelligence bases.
B) had stable political systems.
C) were technologically advanced.
D) had productive industrial systems.

Question 23

Which of the following developments demonstrated the Eisenhower administration's difficulty in applying the concept of liberation?

A) The Suez crisis
B) The Lebanon crisis
C) The U-2 incident
D) The Hungarian revolution

Question 24

The first American president to provide military assistance to support a noncommunist government in Vietnam was

A) John Kennedy.
B) Harry Truman.
C) Dwight Eisenhower.
D) Lyndon Johnson.

Question 25

Which of the following is true of the Formosa Resolution of 1955?

A) It urged Jiang Jieshi to negotiate with the People's Republic of China concerning the status of Quemoy and Matsu.
B) It gave the president the authority to use American troops to defend Formosa.
C) It pledged United States support to the fledgling democratic movement against Jiang Jieshi's autocratic government.
D) It supported negotiations aimed at consolidating the governments of Formosa and mainland China.

Question 26

As a result of the Korean War,

A) the United States decided to rearm Japan.
B) the Eisenhower administration decided to cut off American aid to France in Vietnam.
C) the globalist foreign policy of the United States became highly militarized.
D) Japan requested that an American military base be established at Okinawa.

Question 27

The principle of "plausible deniability" holds that

A) nonaligned Third World nations should not receive foreign aid from the United States unless those nations can "plausibly" deny an affiliation with the Soviet Union.
B) the president of the United States is the chief instrument of American foreign policy and, as such, may deny Congress a role in foreign-policy decisions.
C) Congress should reassert itself in the making of foreign policy by denying foreign-aid money to nondemocratic nations.
D) the covert activities of the CIA should be planned and executed in such a way that the president can deny knowledge of them.

Question 28

In the year following the victory of Mao Zedong's forces over the Nationalist Chinese, the People's Republic of China

A) launched an offensive against the Nationalists on Formosa.
B) attempted to work constructively with Americans still in China.
C) launched attacks against the states of Indochina.
D) signed a treaty of friendship with the Soviet Union.

Question 29

The United States ultimately supported France in the war in Indochina because the American government

A) was firmly convinced that the French were legally entitled to the land.
B) wanted to punish the Vietnamese for the assistance they gave to Japan during the Second World War.
C) believed doing so would help curtail the further spread of communism.
D) believed that most Vietnamese wanted the French to remain.

Question 30

What country did President Truman believe had masterminded the North Korean attack on South Korea?

A) North Korea
B) Japan
C) The Soviet Union
D) The People's Republic of China

Question 31

Which of the following statements is true of President Eisenhower in the area of foreign policy?

A) Although he had little knowledge of foreign affairs, he refused to follow the advice of key foreign policy advisers and career diplomats.
B) Although he relied heavily on his secretary of state, he controlled the making of foreign policy.
C) Because Congress was controlled by Democrats, he encountered persistent resistance to most of his foreign policy initiatives.
D) Because he rejected the belief that communism posed a threat to United States security, he worked to reduce America's defensive commitments abroad.

Question 32

Which of the following is true of the "New Look" of the American military under Eisenhower and Dulles?

A) It relied on strong land forces.
B) It stressed superior conventional forces.
C) It emphasized air power and nuclear weapons.
D) It trained soldiers for guerrilla warfare.

Question 33

The United States refused to recognize Vietnamese independence in 1945 for which of the following reasons?

A) France was guaranteed the return of its colonies at the Potsdam Conference.
B) Ho Chi Minh had cooperated with the Japanese during the course of the Second World War.
C) The United States believed support of its French ally in Vietnam would ensure French support in the Cold War.
D) The State Department warned that recognition would jeopardize negotiations to end the Chinese civil war.

Question 34

How did President Truman ultimately define the American war goal in the Korean War?

A) North Korea was to be "contained" at the 38th parallel.
B) Korea was to be reunified by force.
C) The Communist governments in both North Korea and China were to be overthrown.
D) Indochina was to be taken and the territory divided among the United States, France, and Great Britain.

Question 35

General MacArthur was fired as commanding general in the Korean War because he

A) did not foresee Chinese entry into the war.
B) denounced the concept of limited war supported by President Truman and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
C) made several foolish tactical mistakes.
D) had secretly begun a presidential campaign.

Question 36

What was the main obstacle to achieving a negotiated settlement in the Korean War?

A) Questions concerning the number of troops the United States could leave in South Korea
B) Questions about whether the United States would sign an alliance with South Korea
C) Questions regarding the fate of many North Korean and Chinese POWs who did not want to return home
D) Determination of the new boundary between North and South Korea

Question 37

In the contest for power between the Soviet Union and the West, the West did not reap many propaganda points when the Soviets crushed the Hungarian uprising because

A) the United States had recently invaded Cuba in an attempt to crush the Cuban revolution.
B) the United States prevented its European allies from sending troops to liberate Hungary.
C) Great Britain, France, and Israel invaded Egypt just before the Soviets invaded Hungary.
D) the Soviets brought an end to the human rights abuses of the Hungarian rebels.

Question 38

After the Second World War, Japan's reconstruction was

A) a cooperative effort on the part of the United States, Britain, and Russia.
B) jointly undertaken by the United States and Russia.
C) monopolized by Russia.
D) monopolized by the United States.

Question 39

Why was the planned 1960 summit meeting in Paris between Eisenhower and Khrushchev canceled?

A) An attempt by dissenters in the Soviet Politburo to depose Khrushchev posed a threat to his power.
B) It appeared that the meeting might benefit the Democrats in the upcoming presidential election.
C) The United States refused to apologize after an American spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union.
D) Conservative Republicans bitterly protested Eisenhower's willingness to meet with Khrushchev.

Question 40

Which of the following was one of the political consequences of the Korean War?

A) It increased the powers of the presidency and weakened the powers of Congress in the conduct of foreign affairs.
B) It heightened public support for the Democratic Party in the 1952 election.
C) It increased bipartisanship in the making of American foreign policy.
D) It led the Republican Party to include a plank in its 1952 platform questioning the validity of the containment doctrine.

Question 41

Which of the following was a consequence of America's foreign investments?

A) Because revolutions in the Third World threatened such investments, it was usually in the best interests of the United States to support the conservative, propertied classes.
B) The far-flung nature and size of such investments caused the United States to suffer more than the Third World nations from the economic decline of the 1970s.
C) The humanitarian work made possible by these investments led to improved relations with underdeveloped nations in the 1970s.
D) Because such investments were made through the auspices of the United Nations, the commitment of the United States to that international body increased.

Question 42

Why did the CIA secretly plot to overthrow the Guatemalan government under Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán in 1954?

A) Arbenz began the systematic execution of his political opponents.
B) Arbenz refused to allow the United States Navy to continue using port facilities in Guatemala.
C) Arbenz, in a military coup, seized the Guatemalan government from its duly elected leaders.
D) Arbenz expropriated land belonging to the United Fruit Company and thus was suspected of being a communist.

Question 43

The United States responded to Gamal Abdul Nasser's declaration of neutrality in the Cold War by

A) threatening to use American warships to close the Suez Canal.
B) going back on its promise to finance the Aswan Dam project.
C) cutting off all foreign aid to Nasser's government.
D) threatening to use "disinformation" to destabilize the Nasser government.

Question 44

When Israel, Britain, and France invaded the Suez Canal area in 1956, the Eisenhower administration

A) demanded that they pull their troops out.
B) provided military support to Egypt.
C) applauded the action.
D) stood by and did nothing.

Question 45

Which of the following inhibited United States relations with Third World nations during the 1950s?

A) Segregation practices in the United States
B) The bumbling diplomatic style of John Foster Dulles
C) The opposition of the United States to the Soviet use of force in Eastern Europe
D) The unwillingness of the United States to extend foreign aid to Third World nations

Question 46

Which of the following was a provision of the 1954 Geneva accords?

A) The Diem government was recognized as the legitimate government of South Vietnam.
B) National elections to unify Vietnam were to be held in 1956.
C) The 17th parallel was established as the permanent boundary between North and South Vietnam.
D) The United States could permanently station a limited number of troops in South Vietnam.

Question 47

The 1957 Eisenhower Doctrine proclaimed that the United States would intervene in the Middle East if

A) the survival of Israel were endangered.
B) the Soviets moved troops into the area.
C) any government threatened by a communist takeover asked for help.
D) the United Nations called for United States intervention to keep the peace.

Question 48

Those members of Congress who warned the Eisenhower administration against military intervention in Vietnam did so, in part, for which of the following reasons?

A) They accepted the British view that such intervention was morally wrong.
B) They were reluctant to support French colonialism in Southeast Asia.
C) They accepted State Department warnings that such action would jeopardize American interests in the Third World.
D) Public opinion polls indicated that such action was not supported by the American people.

Question 49

How did John Foster Dulles react to the neutralist movement among some Third World nations?

A) Believing that the leaders of Third World nations had to pacify their people by professing to be anti-American, Dulles worked tirelessly to provide more aid to most of the neutralist nations.
B) Believing in the concept of self-determination, Dulles praised Third World nations for their independent and pragmatic approach to the Cold War.
C) Believing that such nations actually favored the United States over the Soviet Union, Dulles saw the neutralist movement as unimportant and non-threatening.
D) Believing that neutralism was the first step to communism, Dulles was alarmed by the neutralist movement.

Question 50

Which of the following was a consequence of America's foreign investments?

A) Such dependence meant that it was in the best interests of the United States to support the conservative, propertied classes against revolutionaries in the Third World.
B) Such dependence caused the United States to suffer more than the Third World nations from the economic decline of the 1970s.
C) Such dependence led to improved relations with underdeveloped nations in the 1970s.
D) Such dependence caused the United States to increase its commitment to and support for the United Nations.

Question 51

The CIA helped in the overthrow of Mohammed Mossadegh because he

A) ended Iran's nonaligned status by allying with the Soviet Union.
B) attempted to nationalize foreign oil interests in Iran.
C) vowed to build a military coalition to destroy the state of Israel.
D) attempted to create an organization through which the oil-producing nations of the Middle East could control the price of oil.

Question 52

Why did Ngo Dinh Diem and President Eisenhower refuse to allow national elections in Vietnam as called for in the Geneva accords?

A) They believed the elections would have been virtually impossible to administer.
B) They held that the 1955 South Vietnamese election had given Diem a mandate to govern.
C) They feared that Communist leader Ho Chi Minh would win.
D) They realized that the Communists would never allow a genuinely free election.

Question 53

It seems likely that Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán, president of Guatemala, turned to the Soviet Union for military aid because

A) the Soviet Union would sell him weapons without any restrictions on how those weapons would be used.
B) he was working under the direction of the Kremlin to create a Soviet-dominated empire in Central America.
C) Moscow would extend credit to Arbenz for weapons' purchases, but such purchases from the United States were on a cash-and-carry basis.
D) the United States was hostile to his government and its policies.