The Cold War

Identification (4 Points)

• 1.Communism

Nikita Khrushchev

Answer One

• Communism is a system of government in which society as a whole owns and controls the property and means of production in a country. The Soviet Union under Stalin was a country that had a Communist government.

Identification (4 Points)

• 2.Truman

Answer Two

• Truman was the President who succeeded FDR after his death. He was thought to be ill equipped for the job but ended up being a very effective President. He proposed a “Fair Deal” after winning the election of 1948.

Identification (4 Points)

• 3.Marshall Plan

General George Marshall

Answer Three

• The Marshall Plan was a plan devised by General George Marshall that called for the US to give massive aid to Europe to help in the post-war recovery. It is considered to have been a very effective plan of action.

Identification (4 Points)

• 4.NATO

Answer Four

• NATO is an acronym for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This treaty was set up to defend Western Europe from Soviet aggression. NATO relied on nuclear weapons as a deterrent against the Soviet Union.

Identification (4 Points)

• 5.Warsaw Pact

Answer Five

• Warsaw Pact was set up by the USSR as an answer to NATO. It was a treaty that called for all the Eastern European nations under Soviet control to be aligned defensively against NATO.

Identification (4 Points)

• 6.Berlin Airlift

Answer Six

• Berlin Airlift-Berlin was isolated in Soviet controlled territory after WW II although it was split between sectors controlled by the US and USSR. The Russians decided to cut off all access to Berlin from West Germany.

Identification (4 Points)

• 7.Mao

Answer Seven

• Mao was the Communist leader of China who led the revolution against the Nationalist Chaing Kai-Chek. After WW II, he was successful in consolidating power in China in the hands of the Communists.

Identification (4 Points)

• 8.NAACP

Answer Eight

• NAACP stands for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. This was a huge civil rights group in the 50’s that pressed for equal rights for blacks.

Identification (4 Points)

• 9.Jim Crow Laws

Answer Nine

• Jim Crow Law were laws in the south which codified segregation. These laws were targeted by the NAACP for change.

Identification (4 Points)

• 10.Taft-Hartley Act

Answer Ten

• Taft-Hartley Act was a law passed by the Republican Congress in 1947 that greatly reduced the rights and powers of the Unions.

Identification (4 Points)

• 11.Election of 1948

Answer Eleven

• Election of 1948- Truman was thought to be a “dead duck” in this election as he was the candidate of a splintered party. He campaigned hard and won in an upset over Thomas Dewey and Strom Thurmond.

Identification (4 Points)

• 12.McCarthyism

Joe McCarthy

Answer Twelve

• McCarthyism is the use of indiscriminate, unfounded accusations to destroy the character of one’s opponent. This term was coined after Joe McCarthy, a Senator from Wisconsin who used these tactics in the 1950’s to question the patriotism of many government officials he opposed.

Identification (4 Points)

• 13.Fair Deal

Answer Thirteen

• Fair Deal was Truman’s plan for an expansion of the New Deal. His plans to advance the Democratic agenda failed in Congress and only later passed under future Democratic Administrations.

Identification (4 Points)

• 14.Inflation

Answer Fourteen

• Inflation occurs when there is a rise in the money supply leading to a sharp rise in prices. Inflation was a major problem for Truman in the post-war period.

Identification (4 Points)

• 15.Bipartisan

Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin

Answer Fifteen

• Bipartisan means that a particular policy is supported by both parties. An example of bipartisan cooperation would have been the support Truman enjoyed for his foreign policy initiatives in the post-war period.

Short Answer One (10 Points)

• What was the Truman Doctrine and how did it change the American position in dealing with Communist Countries?

Korean War

Answer

• The Truman Doctrine called for giving military and economic help to countries and other interested parties who opposed Communism. This Doctrine moved the United States as a country away from isolation and indicated that the US was willing to assume its’ role as a world super power. It also showed that the US was willing to engage the Communists and seek to contain its’ spread.

Short Answer Two (10 Points)

• What were the five reasons for economic growth during the immediate post war years?

Life in the Suburbs

Answer

• Farm income remained high as the US assumed the responsibility of feeding much of the world.

• Americans had saved $30 million during the war. After the war, they were free to spend it, leading to increased demand for American consumer goods.

• Congress cut taxes after the war leaving more money in workers’ pockets to spend.

• Military buildup in response to the Soviets fueled the economy.

• The Marshall Plan revived Europe as a market for American products.

Short Answer Three (10 Points)

• Why did Truman decide to fire MacArthur? What was the reaction of the country?

Truman & MacArthur

Answer

• Truman fired MacArthur after MacArthur proposed bombing China during the Korean War and Truman refused to allow it. MacArthur followed up his complaints about Truman with letters to Congress that became public. Truman felt as though he had to address this subordination and reaffirm Civilian rule over the military.

• After an initial uproar, the public, by and large, supported Truman’s decision to fire General MacArthur.

Short Answer Four (10 Points)

• What was the basis for the appeal of Communism to the people of the world?

Nikita Khrushchev

Answer

• The Communists promised to abolish poverty, privilege, and private property. They guaranteed productive work, shelter, education, health care and a classless society. These principles appealed to people who were poor and oppressed and seeking a system of government that they felt would better address their wants and needs.