Download Ch. 27: The Cold War and the American Dream – 45 points

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Ch. 27: The Cold War and the American Dream – 45 points
Section 1 – Peacetime Adjustments and the Cold War (20 points)
1. Why was there an economic “boom” after WW II? What changes took place in the U.S.?(2 points)
After the war, people began to purchase goods they had put off buying during the war. The result
was a sharp increase in demand for many goods that led to skyrocketing prices.
Industry shifted to peacetime goods… Rising prices fueled labor unrest. Women lost jobs to
returning vets. Population boomed. Suburbs grew.
2. What led to the demand for new homes in the post war years? How was this demand met? (2
points)
Prosperity and the baby boom led to the demand for new houses. The government
guaranteed housing loans for veterans. As a result, many people bought homes, and many moved
to the suburbs. William Levitt met the demand by using assembly line techniques to mass produce
houses and sell them cheaply.
3. What happened when labor unions went on strike in 1946? (1 point)
During a railroad strike, Truman threatened to take over the railroad and use the army to drive the
trains, but the strike was settled before that could happen.
4. What actions did Truman take to handle U.S. social issues? (2 points)
Truman created a civil rights commission and ordered an end to racial segregation and
discrimination in the military. He also proposed the Fair Deal that called for new housing and
employment projects and an end to racial discrimination in hiring.
5. What were the origins of the Cold War? (1 point)
Stalin had promised to allow free elections in the Eastern European countries that the Soviets had
freed from Nazi rule, but when the war ended, he installed pro-Soviet governments throughout
Eastern Europe. The resulting tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, as each
suspected the other of trying to dominate world affairs, resulted in a “Cold War”.
6. What was the Berlin Airlift? (2 points)
The city of Berlin (located in the eastern Soviet controlled half of Germany) was divided into four
sectors --West Berlin occupied by the U.S., Great Britain and France, and East Berlin occupied by
Soviets. In June 1948, the Soviet Union attempted to control all of Berlin by cutting surface traffic
to and from the city of West Berlin. Starving out the population and cutting off their business was
their method of gaining control. The US reacted with a continual daily airlift that brought much
needed food and supplies into the city of West Berlin. On May 12, 1949, the Soviet government
yielded and lifted the blockade.
7. Why was the Berlin Wall built? Why was it torn down? (2 points)
It was built to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Germany. It was torn down when
Communism began to fall in 1989.
8. Describe Truman’s Cold War strategy. (1 point)
Using various military and non-military methods to stop the spread of Communism. This was
known as “containment”.
9. How does the Marshall Plan relate to the Truman Doctrine? (1 point)
The Truman Doctrine promised U.S. aid to people fighting to maintain democracy. The Marshall
Plan offered 1.3 billion dollars in aid to Europe to help them rebuild after WWII. The purpose was
to help prevent the spread of Communism by helping to revive their economies.
10. What was NATO? Why was it formed? What was the Warsaw Pact (3 points?)
NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization), was an alliance of the U.S., Canada, and 10 western
European nations. It formed in reaction to the installation of pro-Soviet governments in Eastern
Europe.
The Warsaw Pact was an alliance of the Eastern European nations and the Soviet Union formed in
response to the formation of NATO.
11. Explain how fear of communism affected people in the United States. (1 point)
Americans were accused of spying, forced to resign from their jobs, blacklisted (people were
suspicious and paranoid)
12. Why were Alger Hiss and the Rosenbergs put on trial? (1 point)
They were accused of passing secrets to the Soviets.
13. How did Truman’s “loyalty checks” and the HUAC affect people in the United States? (1 point)
Thousands of government workers lost their jobs because they were forced to resign. People in the
movie industry were blacklisted and had their careers ruined by suspicion and fear of communism.
Section 2 – The Korean War and McCarthyism (15 points)
14. How was Korea divided up after WWII? Which side was communist? Which was non-communist?
(2 points)
Korea was divided at the 38th parallel (line of latitude). North Korea became communist, and
South Korea was non-communist.
15. What event in June of 1950 started the Korean War? (1 point)
In June 1950, North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea. The U.S. asks the UN
to stop the Communists.
16. What prompted China to enter the war? (1 point)
UN forces had pushed North Korean forces back to the Yalu River, the boundary between North
Korea and Communist China. They saw the UN forces as a threat and warned against any further
advances, but MacArthur’s troops ignored the warning.
17. Why did President Truman refuse to blockade China? Why was MacArthur fired? (2 points)
Truman did not want to bring the Soviet Union into the War. MacArthur was fired because he
disagreed with President Truman about how to handle the Korean War. MacArthur wanted to take
the war into China and Truman wanted to avoid WWIII. He criticized Truman publicly, which led to
his firing
18. How did American’s feel about the outcome of the Korean War? Why? (2 points)
American’s were frustrated by the outcome of the war. The UN and U.S. were aiding South Korea.
China was helping North Korea. In the end, nothing changed. The two Koreas remained split at the
38th parallel, and so it ended with a cease-fire and a stalemate rather than a clear victory.
19. Why does McCarthyism refer to reckless charges against innocent citizens? (1 point)
During the early 1950s, Joseph McCarthy made accusations of treason, disloyalty and subversion
against U.S. citizens without any real evidence.
20. How was Eisenhower’s foreign policy on Communism different from Truman’s? (1 point)
Eisenhower favored a more aggressive stand against communism -brinkmanship rather than
containment - both are efforts to stop the spread of Communism, but containment merely says it
will aid countries in trying to remain free, while brinkmanship would push matters to the brink of
war.
21. What was the arms race? How did it lead to the United States and the Soviet Union both
stockpiling weapons? (2 points)
Competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union to develop weapons that are more destructive.
Fear of the “other side” lead to the buildup of huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons.
22. How did the Soviet Union push the United States to research outer space? (1 point)
The Soviets launched Sputnik, the world’s first space satellite that ignited the “space race”. The
United States set aside billions of dollars for space research so that we could beat the Soviet Union
in space exploration.
23. How did the U-2 incident lead to the collapse of peace talks between the Soviet Union and the
U.S.? (1 point)
When the United States was caught spying on the Soviet Union, Khrushchev (the Soviet leader)
demanded an apology and Eisenhower (the U.S. President) refused.
24. How is U.S. involvement in Iran, Guatemala, and Egypt (Suez Canal incident) similar? (1 point)
In all three incidents, the U.S. became involved in foreign countries because they thought they
might be in favor of Communism or because they had ties to the Soviet Union in some way.
Section 3 – American Life in the 1950s (7 points)
25. Describe the growth and movement of the U.S. population during the 1950s. (2 points)
There was a sharp increase in the U.S. birthrate after WWII. Prosperity and the “baby boom” led
many people to move to the suburbs and to move to the warmer climate of the Sunbelt.
26. Describe suburban life in the 1950s. (1 point)
People dreamed of living a more comfortable, secure life. The prosperous economy encouraged
them to buy new goods, get married, start families, and move to new areas. They became
consumers of modern conveniences, such as washing machines and vacuum cleaners. They also
owned cars, televisions, and record players.
27. What caused urban decay? (1 point)
Well-to-do Americans headed for the suburbs, and shops and businesses moved with them. Fewer
people remained in the city to pay taxes for services (garbage collection, firefighting, road repair,
etc.). Cities began to decay without proper care and maintenance.
28. Would a beatnik live in a suburb? Why or why not? (1 point)
No, they would not. Beatniks did not like the conformity and “shallowness” of American society,
which included suburban life.