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AP US History
Chapter 29 Questions
1) What is meant by “cold war?” What was the Cold War? To what extent was it cold, to what
extent was it hot?
The Cold War referred to the struggle between communism and pro-western that
occurred during the post-WWII era but did not involve much military action. Overall, the war
was mainly between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in their desires to overcome one another.
Despite being a “cold war”, there were a few major wars that occurred such as the Korean War
and the Vietnam War. In the Korean War, the U.S. did somewhat intervene militarily through
their commitment to the United Nations and efforts of containment. On the other hand, much
of the Cold War was focused on the technological competition between the two nations. As the
space program demonstrated, both the U.S. and the Soviet Union were struggling to overpower
the other through technological means. The point of the struggle was to prevent the other
nation from becoming a powerful force and increasing influence around the world. In general,
the Cold War was indeed a war focused mainly on nonmilitary actions as opposed to a hot war,
which would involve actual military battles.
2) In what ways was the Cold War an outgrowth of WWII? What were the ideological
differences between the U.S and the Soviet Union? How did the two sides compromise in the
aftermath of WWII concerning land/government control?
The Cold War had emerged almost directly following WWII because of the differences
in opinion over of the role of the government. After WWII, the U.S. and the Soviet Union had
proved to be two of the most powerful nations of the world, each wanting to spread their ideas
throughout the rest of the world. The main issue between the two nations was the difference in
opinions; the U.S. supported a mixed capitalist approach where the government simply regulated
the economy whereas the Soviet Union supported the idea of communism, in which the their
would be essentially a class-less society and where the government had extreme control. After
WWII, there were several meetings between the leading nations of the world: Soviet Union, U.S.,
England, and France. Many major issues remained unsolved at the time such as the Poland
dispute and the reunion of Germany. First of all, in Poland, there was some communist forces in
addition with pro-Western ones. Stalin was allowed to annex some of Poland under a communist
government but the rest of the nation would have to vote between the two types of government in
an undetermined date. Likewise, in Germany, there was a split between all four nations of
Germany’s territory. Germany was supposed to be reunited but the date had been undetermined
also. As a result of the misconceptions in the post-WWII meetings between the nations, there was
extreme tensions, especially between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
3) What was the doctrine of containment and what was done to implement it? USE KEY
TERMS!
Containment was a term used to describe the attempt to prevent communism from
spreading which was put into action through the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan. The idea
of containment first originated from George Kennan who concluded that the best approach
towards dealing with the Soviet Union was through containing the spread of communism. As a
result, Truman was influenced to used $400 million to economically assist Turkey and Greece,
along with their armed forces. In addition, the Marshall Plan was put into effect to provide
economic assistance to Europe as a whole, helping build confidence in their existing noncommunist governments. Both policies of containment showed that much of the rising
communism was a result of economic concerns in Europe.
4) What was the Fair Deal and what were its successes and failures?
The Fair Deal was an economic plan formed by President Truman in an effort to push
towards liberal reform within the United States. At first, under the Republican controlled
Congress, most of Truman’s ideas were rejected. He had proposed to expand Social Security
benefits, raise the minimum wage, increase federal spending for full employment programs,
environmental/public works planning, and a national health insurance. After the election of
1948, Democrats once again gained control of Congress, allowing many of Truman’s Fair Deal
proposals to be passed. Among them, the increase in minimum wage, expansion of SS benefits,
and the construction of low-income housing were passed. On the other hand, a national health
insurance was not passed in addition to Truman’s proposals for several civil rights acts.
5) What was the significance of China’s communist revolution and how did it change relations
between China and the U.S?
China’s communist revolution created a negative impact on its previous relationship
with the United States. After China became a communist nation, the United States was
determined to switch its policies of containment to a more offensive method. In the Korean
War, the United States decided to take the offensive and attack North Korea which proved to
be quite successful in the beginning. As the United Nations pushed deeper into the northern
territory, China felt threatened and as a result, joined the communist forces, pushing into the
South Korean territory. As a result, much of the tensions that had relaxed during WWII had
been restored with the new Chinese government.
6) How was McCarthyism a reflection of the times? Describe McCarthyism, the Red Scare, and
the extent to which Americans’ rights were being abused.
McCarthyism was a reflection of the anti-communist fear that the American population
was feeling during the beginnings of the Cold War. Joseph McCarthy was considered a bold
figure during the early 1950s due to his accusation of 205 known communist government
officials. As a result, the public was appalled over the idea that there was subversion within
their own government and increasing fear emerged as more accusations were placed, creating
the Red Scare. In a way, Americans’ rights were being abused through McCarthy’s accusations
because of the constant attacks towards government officials. Such attacks were detrimental to
their careers and resulted in unnecessary searches in people’s lives because of the obviously
insufficient evidence that was produced. As time passed, the public would soon realize that
McCarthy’s supposedly “bold” accusations were simply ludicrous and unbelievable.