Download The Cold War (Part 1) and 1950s

AH 2 Final Exam Study Guide – The Cold War (Part 1) and 1950s
Please use the textbook (Chapter 25 - 26 – very helpful!), your notebook, and the Review Packet and Fact
Sheet to complete the following questions. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper (NOT your
notebook). You must answer at least 8 questions for minimum credit of 70%. Each question beyond that
will raise your grade for this assignment.
1. What was the Cold War?
An era of high tension and bitter rivalry between the US and the Soviet Union (USSR) follwong the end of
WWII
2. What was the Iron Curtain?
the political division between communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe after WWII
3. What was the containment policy?
A policy developed by George F. Kennan in the late 1940s to stop the spread of communism by providing
economic and military aid to countries opposing the Soviet Union
4. What was the Truman Doctrine?
President Truman’s pledge to provide economic and military aid to countries threatened by communism
5. What was the Marshall Plan?
Secretary of State George Marshall’s plan to provide economic aid to help democratic countries in Europe
rebuild after WWII to strengthen them against the Soviets
6. What was the crisis in Berlin in the late 1940s and how was it resolved?
Soviets blocked traffic into West Berlin; British and American airplanes delivered supplies to West Berlin
7. What is NATO and why was it formed?
North Atlantic Treaty Organization – an alliance of European countries, Iceland, Canada and the US; it was
formed to provide security to these countries in case of an armed attack (likely by the Soviet Union)
8. How did the US and other countries try to build a better world after the war?
By working together to form the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and
agreements on tariffs and trade
9. Why was the fear of communism growing in the late 1950s (the Second Red Scare)?
Americans were worried because communism was spreading in Eastern Europe, and China
10. What did the House Un-American Activities Committee do?
Investigated possible radical groups in the US
11. Why did Truman create a plan to investigate federal employees to determine their loyalty?
Republicans in Congress claimed that there were Communists working in the federal government
12. How did spy cases, like those involving Alger Hiss and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, fuel the fear of
communism?
They convinced Americans that that communists were infiltrating the government and giving atomic secrets
to the Soviets
13. Who was Senator Joseph McCarthy and what was his role in the Second Red Scare?
US Senator from Wisconsin; scared Americans with the charge that Communists worked in the State
Department; his tactic was spreading fear and making baseless accusations/charges (known as
McCarthyism)
14. What was the situation in Korea before the war began in 1950?
Korea was divided at 38th parallel; Soviet Union controlled North – Americans were in charge of South
15. Why was Truman committed to helping South Korea after the North invaded?
He wanted to stop the spread of communism – containment; and to show that the US would defend the
freedom of smaller countries
16. How did the Cold War affect the Eisenhower administration?
Led to an escalation of the arms race; US developed policies of brinkmanship and massive retaliation; CIA
agents were used in secret missions against foreign Communist targets
17. What was the Eisenhower Doctrine?
a policy set forth by President Eisenhower in 1957 that declared the right of the US to help, on request, any
country in the Middle East trying to resist Communist aggression
18. What was the arms race and what were its effects in the US?
Competition between US and Soviets to prevent the other country from gaining newer technology or
weapons; US began to stockpile weapons and look for new and better ways to deliver them to targets
19. How did US military strategy change during Eisenhower’s administration?
Shifted away from traditional forces and relied more on nuclear weapons
20. How did Americans react to the growing threat of nuclear war?
With fear – built bomb shelters, held drills
21. What were some key features of cultural change in the 1950s?
Baby boom, advertising fueled demand for products; people moved to suburbs – also to the South and West,
interstate highway system made travel easier