Deck 27: The Cold War

Question 1

In 1945, Joseph Stalin's vision of a postwar world in which great powers would control strategic areas of interest was largely shared by

A) Charles de Gaulle.
B) Winston Churchill.
C) Franklin Roosevelt.
D) Mao Zedong.
E) Harry Truman.

Answer 1

Winston Churchill.

Question 2

At the Teheran Conference in late 1943,

A) Franklin Roosevelt knew Joseph Stalin urgently needed American aid in fighting Germany.
B) Winston Churchill agreed to enter the war in the Pacific as soon as Germany was defeated.
C) Franklin Roosevelt urged Joseph Stalin to postpone his westward offensive.
D) it was agreed that Poland should be put under Soviet control after the war.
E) Franklin Roosevelt promised an Anglo-American second front within six months.

Answer 2

Franklin Roosevelt promised an Anglo-American second front within six months.

Question 3

In 1945, when Harry Truman became president, he

A) had almost no familiarity with foreign affairs.
B) believed Joseph Stalin could be trusted.
C) was already drawing up plans for his "Truman Doctrine."
D) looked to Great Britain to contain the Soviet Union.
E) renounced the Yalta accords signed by Roosevelt.

Answer 3

had almost no familiarity with foreign affairs.

Question 4

At the conclusion of the Yalta Conference in 1945, basic disagreements remained on

A) the government of Poland.
B) the unification of Germany.
C) war reparations to the Soviet Union.
D) both the government of Poland and the unification of Germany.
E) All these answers are correct.

Question 5

In early 1945 at the Yalta Conference,

A) Franklin Roosevelt was too ill to attend.
B) Joseph Stalin withdrew a promise to enter the Pacific war.
C) Winston Churchill left early in a dispute with Stalin.
D) it was agreed that the Soviet Union should regain land lost in the 1904 Russo-Japanese War.
E) Joseph Stalin refused to agree to Roosevelt and Churchill's plans for the United Nations.

Question 6

The United States was motivated to develop the Marshall Plan in 1947 due to

A) a humanitarian concern for the European people.
B) a desire to roll back communism from East Asia.
C) a desire to create strong European markets for American goods.
D) both a humanitarian concern for the European people, and a desire to create strong European markets for American goods.
E) All these answers are correct.

Question 7

In 1945, President Harry Truman conceded to communist authority in

A) China.
B) Poland.
C) Berlin.
D) Hungary.
E) Yugoslavia.

Question 8

In designing the structure of the new United Nations, planners called for

A) each nation on the Security Council to have veto power over the others.
B) a General Assembly in which select nations would have voting rights.
C) the president of the UN to be selected from one of the five major powers.
D) membership to be limited to one hundred nations.
E) Germany and Japan to be added to the Security Council after 25 years.

Question 9

In early 1943 at a meeting in Casablanca,

A) Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt agreed the Axis powers must surrender unconditionally.
B) Joseph Stalin had refused to attend.
C) Churchill and Roosevelt agreed to follow Stalin's strategy to defeat Germany.
D) Stalin threatened to make a separate peace with Germany.
E) Stalin argued against the Allies opening a second front in western Europe.

Question 10

U.S. aid through the Marshall Plan

A) was offered to the Soviet Union.
B) failed to significantly revive European industrial production.
C) had little impact on communist influence within nations that accepted aid.
D) was opposed by many Republicans in Congress.
E) grew more controversial, after a Soviet coup in Czechoslovakia in 1948.

Question 11

The National Security Act of 1947

A) created the National Security Council.
B) created the Central Intelligence Agency.
C) created the Department of Defense.
D) combined the functions previously performed separately by the War and Navy Departments.
E) All these answers are correct.

Question 12

In the years immediately following World War II, the United States policy toward Asia led

A) to U.S. military intervention in China to fight communist advances there.
B) President Harry Truman to place restrictions on industrial development in Japan.
C) President Truman to threaten communists in China with atomic bombs.
D) the United States to provide financial support to Mao Zedong for reasons of stability.
E) the Truman administration to encourage the rapid economic growth of Japan.

Question 13

Between the Yalta Conference and his death, President Franklin Roosevelt

A) saw no evidence that Stalin would not live up to his promises at Yalta.
B) concluded that diplomacy would not settle American differences with Stalin.
C) began to push for major reparations to the Soviet Union in hopes that it would bring Stalin on board with the Yalta agreements.
D) began to coordinate a military strike on the Soviet zone of occupation in Berlin.
E) became increasingly concerned, though not without hope, that Stalin was not going to fulfill conference agreements.

Question 14

In 1947, the Truman Doctrine

A) asserted it was the obligation of the United States to support free peoples around the world.
B) assumed the Soviet Union would continually attempt a global expansion of its authority.
C) was initially invoked to provide aid to Greece and Turkey.
D) both asserted it was the obligation of the United States to support free peoples around the world, and assumed the Soviet Union would continually attempt a global expansion of its authority.
E) All these answers are correct.

Question 15

Beginning in 1947, the United States' policy of "containment" was

A) the basis for its foreign policy for more than forty years.
B) first applied in Poland.
C) an extension of the Atlantic Charter.
D) both the basis for its foreign policy for more than forty years, and an extension of the Atlantic Charter.
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 16

In 1945, when the United States Senate considered the proposed United Nations, it

A) initially rejected American membership.
B) quickly ratified the agreement by a large majority.
C) refused to vote on the charter for nearly a year.
D) made major changes to its charter.
E) put the question to a national referendum.

Question 17

President Harry Truman initially decided to "get tough" with the Soviet Union

A) following the end of the war in the Pacific.
B) once the United States had successfully used the atomic bomb.
C) at the Potsdam Conference.
D) after his first few days in office.
E) after it became clear Stalin was supporting communist forces in China.

Question 18

By 1945, the Chinese government of Chiang Kai-shek had

A) grown antagonistic toward the United States.
B) designs on taking over conquered Japan.
C) little popular support.
D) drifted toward communism.
E) willingly ceded authority to Mao Zedong.

Question 19

The Soviet Union's 1948 blockade of West Berlin was primarily a response to the

A) Marshall Plan.
B) United States putting nuclear missiles in Turkey.
C) establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
D) Truman Doctrine.
E) creation of a unified West Germany.

Question 20

All the following statements regarding the "zones of occupation" of Germany in 1945 are true EXCEPT that

A) there were a total of four zones, each controlled by a different nation.
B) the zones were to be determined by the position of troops at the end of the war.
C) all of Berlin was to be placed under Soviet control.
D) at an unspecified date, Germany would be reunited.
E) Roosevelt preferred a reconstructed and reunited Germany.

Question 21

The 1950 National Security Council report known as NSC-68 stated

A) Western allies must take the initiative in resisting communism in their region.
B) the United States must resist communism anywhere it developed in the world.
C) the defense of Western Europe was the key to winning the fight against communism.
D) the United States must gradually increase its level of defense spending.
E) that Chinese aggression against Taiwan would result in war.

Question 22

Following World War II, the great majority of working American women

A) kept the same jobs they had had during the war.
B) voluntarily left the labor force.
C) moved to jobs outside the service sector.
D) found themselves excluded from nearly all employment.
E) wanted to keep working.

Question 23

The Supreme Court case of Shelley v. Kraemer (1948) dealt a blow to

A) voter discrimination.
B) housing discrimination.
C) communism in the United States.
D) labor unions.
E) Truman's plans for national health care.

Question 24

In the last months of 1949, events in the Soviet Union and China included

A) Russia's successful test of an atomic weapon.
B) the collapse of Mao Zedong's government to communist forces.
C) the death of Joseph Stalin.
D) both the collapse of Mao Zedong's government to communist forces, and the death of Joseph Stalin.
E) All these answers are correct.

Question 25

In 1949, the Truman administration made progress in civil rights by

A) making lynching a federal crime.
B) abolishing the poll tax.
C) ordering an end to discrimination in the hiring of government employees.
D) establishing the Fair Employment Practices Commission.
E) ordering the desegregation of public transportation.

Question 26

In the 1948 presidential election,

A) early polls had seemed to indicate that Harry Truman would lose.
B) President Truman refrained from attacking Republicans, for fear of alienating voters.
C) the Progressive and "Dixiecrat" candidates combined for 20 percent of the popular vote.
D) both of these were the case: early polls had seemed to indicate that Harry Truman would lose, and President Truman refrained from attacking Republicans for fear of alienating voters
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 27

In 1948, President Harry Truman responded to the Soviet blockade of West Berlin by

A) sending American paratroopers into West Berlin.
B) airlifting supplies to West Berlin.
C) threatening war with the Soviet Union.
D) encouraging the United Nations to pass economic sanctions.
E) creating a blockade of East Berlin.

Question 28

The immediate cause of the Korean War, in 1950, was the

A) decision by the United States to send troops to South Korea.
B) triumph of communism in China.
C) military invasion by North Korea into South Korea.
D) division of Korea into northern and southern halves.
E) military invasion of North Korea by China.

Question 29

The government of Syngman Rhee in Korea after World War II

A) was pro-Western.
B) had a powerful military.
C) was supported by the Soviet Union.
D) was backed by communists in China.
E) was remarkably democratic.

Question 30

In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

A) was created in response to the Soviet Union's Warsaw Pact.
B) called for a de-militarized zone across Western Europe.
C) declared that an attack on one member nation was an attack on all.
D) both was created in response to the Soviet Union's Warsaw Pact, and declared that an attack on one member nation was an attack on all.
E) All these answers are correct.

Question 31

In 1948, the Americans for Democratic Action

A) formed as a coalition of conservative Democrats.
B) supported Henry Wallace for president.
C) was the major support group for President Harry Truman.
D) supported Strom Thurmond for president.
E) tried to draft Dwight Eisenhower for president.

Question 32

In 1949, President Harry Truman succeeded in getting Congress to pass

A) civil rights legislation.
B) nationalized health care.
C) federal aid to education.
D) aid for public housing.
E) significant tax cuts.

Question 33

All of the following statements regarding Korea are true EXCEPT that

A) in 1945, both the United States and the Soviet Union had troops in Korea.
B) the Soviet Union established a communist government in the north.
C) the United States left Korea in 1946.
D) the Soviet Union left Korea in 1949.
E) the country was divided along the 38th parallel.

Question 34

The 1946 elections

A) revealed growing public support for President Harry Truman's domestic agenda.
B) saw the Democrats retain control of the House, but lose the Senate.
C) saw Republicans win control of both houses of Congress.
D) saw President Truman chastise Republican critics with the slogan "Had Enough?"
E) saw Republicans argue that Truman aimed to roll back the New Deal.

Question 35

President Harry Truman's actions after the 1946 election included

A) deciding not to run for office in 1948.
B) becoming more conservative.
C) proposing a major civil rights bill.
D) abandoning his Fair Deal.
E) calling his opponents "soft on communism."

Question 36

President Harry Truman's Fair Deal called for

A) a retraction of many New Deal programs.
B) an end to public housing.
C) a freeze on the minimum wage to combat inflation.
D) the creation of national health insurance.
E) an end to the Fair Employment Practices Act and other wartime measures.

Question 37

The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947

A) permitted the "union shop."
B) expanded the Wagner Act.
C) permitted the "closed shop."
D) prohibited states from passing "right-to-work" laws.
E) was supported by President Truman.

Question 38

During the mid-1940s, the American economy

A) was plagued by serious inflation.
B) experienced few labor strikes.
C) fell back to depression conditions.
D) witnessed a significant tax increase.
E) confronted a wave of unexpected bank failures.

Question 39

A 1948 public opinion poll revealed that a majority of Americans believed atomic power would

A) cause significant harm to the environment if used as an energy source.
B) likely result in the destruction of much of human civilization in the next few decades.
C) be used in war within the next five years.
D) have few practical applications in the foreseeable future.
E) in the long run, do more good than harm.

Question 40

The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944

A) was limited to servicemen who had been wounded in combat.
B) mainly provided counseling for emotionally troubled veterans.
C) helped to reduce government spending.
D) gave economic and education subsidies to veterans.
E) explicitly discriminated against African Americans.

Question 41

During the Korean War, the Truman administration faced major strikes in the industries of

A) rail and steel.
B) steel and textiles.
C) textiles and coal.
D) coal and rail.
E) rail and textiles.

Question 42

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were

A) not members of the Communist Party.
B) accused of passing American secrets to its enemies.
C) convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
D) both accused of passing American secrets to its enemies, and convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 43

During Joseph McCarthy's investigation into alleged subversion in government,

A) Republicans criticized his broad attacks on the Democratic Party.
B) Dwight Eisenhower spoke against him, after McCarthy attacked George Marshall in 1952.
C) he never produced conclusive evidence that any federal employee was a communist.
D) much of the public criticized his blunt tactics and coarse behavior.
E) he drew particularly strong support from the "eastern establishment."

Question 44

Joseph McCarthy burst into national prominence by charging that there were known communists in the

A) State Department.
B) Defense Department.
C) Truman Cabinet.
D) Central Intelligence Agency.
E) United States Senate.

Question 45

The McCarran Internal Security Act

A) outlawed all communist organizations in the United States.
B) created the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
C) was strongly supported by the Truman administration.
D) stripped American citizenship from all known communists.
E) required communist organizations to register with the government.

Question 46

Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin were in general agreement that the post-World War II world should not return to the traditional European balance of power.

Question 47

As a result of the Korean War, the

A) American economy was dragged into a recession.
B) American public felt reassured that communism was being contained.
C) stature of the American military increased.
D) American public believed there was something wrong with the United States.
E) government reduced the amount of money it was pumping into the economy.

Question 48

In 1950, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were accused of spying for

A) the Soviet Union.
B) North Korea.
C) China.
D) Poland.
E) Israel.

Question 49

When Joseph McCarthy first leveled charges of communist infiltration in the government, he was a

A) member of the State Department.
B) private citizen.
C) first-term Republican senator.
D) member of the Defense Department.
E) Democratic member of the House.

Question 50

The American invasion at Inchon during the Korean War

A) was aimed at preventing Chinese communists from entering the war.
B) was a military debacle.
C) led to a fight between General Douglas MacArthur and President Harry Truman.
D) prompted President Truman to try to push communists out of North Korea.
E) was ultimately thwarted due to the surprise intervention of the Chinese navy.

Question 51

The election of 1952 saw

A) a contest between two war heroes, neither of whom had ever held elective office.
B) President Harry Truman run for another term.
C) Richard Nixon forced to step down from the Republican ticket.
D) Joseph McCarthy run for president.
E) television play a role in the campaign.

Question 52

In 1947, the first target of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was

A) labor unions.
B) the Democratic Party.
C) the State Department.
D) the American Communist Party.
E) the movie industry.

Question 53

The results of the election of 1952 saw

A) the Republicans take control of the White House but not the Congress.
B) the end to a long period of Democratic dominance.
C) a close outcome between the two major parties.
D) all of these: the Republicans take control of the White House but not the Congress; the end to a long period of Democratic dominance; and a close outcome between the two major parties.
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 54

The initial response by the American public to the dismissal of General Douglas MacArthur was

A) anger at the United Nations.
B) criticism of MacArthur.
C) relief that nuclear war had been avoided.
D) anger at China.
E) criticism of President Truman.

Question 55

All of the following statements regarding the HUAC investigation of Alger Hiss and Whittaker Chambers are true EXCEPT that

A) Chambers was a former communist agent.
B) classified documents allegedly stolen by Hiss were kept hidden by Chambers in a pumpkin.
C) the case cast suspicion on a generation of liberal Democrats.
D) Hiss was convicted of espionage.
E) Hiss served several years in prison.

Question 56

In 1951, President Harry Truman relieved General Douglas MacArthur of command because MacArthur

A) publicly stated that an invasion of China would be a military disaster.
B) publicly criticized President Truman's policy in Korea.
C) refused to support Truman's plan to use atomic weapons in Korea.
D) both publicly criticized Truman's policy in Korea and refused to support Truman's plan to use atomic weapons in Korea.
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 57

Of the following, the HUAC investigation of Alger Hiss primarily helped the political career of

A) Richard Nixon.
B) Joseph McCarthy.
C) John Kennedy.
D) Ronald Reagan.
E) Lyndon B. Johnson.

Question 58

In 1947, the Truman administration responded to Republican attacks that it was weak on communism by

A) ignoring them.
B) charging the Republicans with harboring communists within their own party.
C) beginning an investigation into the loyalty of federal employees.
D) blaming lax security on the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
E) supporting passage of the McCarran Internal Security Act.

Question 59

At Casablanca, Roosevelt and Churchill announced that they would accept nothing less than the unconditional surrender of the Axis powers.

Question 60

The Truman administration responded in 1950 to the onset of fighting in Korea by

A) declaring war on North Korea.
B) calling on the United Nations to intervene.
C) warning China not to intervene.
D) threatening the use of atomic weapons.
E) telling South Korea to stand down.

Question 61

The Soviets responded to the creation of NATO by forming an alliance with communist governments, called the Warsaw Pact.

Question 62

President Truman's China policy was based on continued support of Chiang Kai-shek, but without a commitment to intervene militarily to save his regime.

Question 63

At the Yalta Conference, Stalin agreed again to enter the war in the Pacific against Japan.

Question 64

At Yalta, Roosevelt and Stalin agreed that Germany should be permanently divided.

Question 65

An integral part of the American policy of Cold War containment was to extend American economic aid to the rebuilding of Western Europe.

Question 66

The Yalta accords were less a settlement of postwar issues than a set of loose principles.

Question 67

Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin met together for the first time at Teheran.

Question 68

President Truman was not willing to risk war with the Soviets by undertaking an American military response to Stalin's 1948 decision to blockade Berlin.

Question 69

The National Security Act represented an attempt by Congress to gain a measure of control over the making of American foreign policy.

Question 70

The decision to lend aid to Greece and Turkey in 1947 was consistent with the Truman Doctrine.

Question 71

NSC-68 presumed that the United States could not necessarily rely on other nations to take the initiative in resisting communism.

Question 72

President Truman waited until after the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan to "get tough" with the Soviets.

Question 73

Marshall Plan assistance was eventually accepted by sixteen nations.

Question 74

At Yalta, the Big Three agreed to create a United Nations with a Security Council in which the major powers would have the power to veto proposed action.

Question 75

Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin avoided bitterness by coming to a final settlement on the future of Poland.

Question 76

The "zones of occupation" for postwar Germany left Berlin well inside the Soviet zone.

Question 77

The Soviet Union was invited to participate in the Marshall Plan.

Question 78

All members of NATO were required to maintain a standing military force in Europe to defend against a possible Soviet move into Western Europe.

Question 79

At Teheran, Stalin made it clear that he urgently needed a second front against Nazi Germany.

Question 80

At the time that he became president, Harry Truman shared former President Roosevelt's faith that Stalin would be reasonable and flexible.