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Discussion Questions: Ch. 39 Sections 2-6
Ch. 39 Sect. 2: Notebook Handout 39A
1. What actions did the United States take in Europe to contain the threat
of communism?
-The USA provided aid to West Berlin via the Berlin Airlift in response to
the Berlin blockade (West Berlin) by the Soviet Union.
-The USA did nothing in response to the coup d’etat in Czechoslovakia.
-The USA formed a military alliance, NATO, to stop the spread of
communism by the S.U and its military alliance with others, Warsaw Pact=>
divided Europe in half.
-The USA sent military force into Hungary to help anti-communist
protesters (1956).
2. What overall strategies did these actions reflect?
=>The USA was trying to keep a strong military alliance (in Europe). This
alliance could be needed to enforce the Truman Doctrine  stop the
spread of communism.
3. Was US foreign policy toward Europe successful during these years? Why or
why not?
=>The USA foreign policy was successful because West Germany continued
to remain democratic and the Marshall Plan enabled Western European
countries to rebuild their economies after WWII.
Ch. 39 Sect. 3: Notebook Handout 39B
4. What actions did the United States take in Asia to contain the threat of
communism?
-The USA supported (verbally) Chiang Kai-Shek, leader of the Nationalist
Party, during the four year civil war in China.
-The USA refused to recognize the new communist leader of the People’s
Republic of China, Mao Zedong. The USA declares the Nationalist regime as
the legitimate government and sends aid to them in Taiwan.
-The USA sent military forces to South Korea (democratic) to assist in its
fight against unification by communist North Korea.
-The USA allies itself with Japan.
5. What overall strategies did these actions reflect?
=>The USA sent military forces in hopes of containing communism;
preventing communism from “leaking out” to China, Taiwan, and South Korea.
6. Was US foreign policy toward Asia successful during these years? Why or
why not?
=>USA foreign policy was to send military force to countries resisting
communist takeover (China and South Korea). The USA also allied itself with
Japan as it feared a Chinese alliance with the Soviet Union.
=>The USA’s efforts to contain communism in Asia was not very successful
as communism spread quickly through Asia.
Successful: alliance w/ Japan; S. Korea remained democratic
Not successful: Mao Zedong still leader of communist China
Ch. 39 Sect. 4: Notebook Handout 39C
7. What actions did the United States take in Latin America, the Middle
East, and Africa to contain the threat of communism?
-In 1965, the USA sent troops to Dominican Republic to prevent a communist
president from regaining power.
-In 1954, the US CIA covertly supported a military coup that helped to
overthrow an elected leader and restore a pro-American government.
-In 1956, the USA withdrew aid from the Aswan Dam after Egypt builds
trade ties with communist countries.
8. What overall strategies did these actions reflect?
=>The USA sent military forces to prevent the success of communist leaders
coming into power.
=>The USA withholds aid in an attempt to prevent non-communist countries
from forming relations with communist countries.
9. In which events in Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa would you say
that US foreign policy was successful? Why?
=>Successful in Latin America
-The USA foreign policy in Guatemala the US CIA covert operation was
successful in overthrowing an elected government leader in order to restore
a pro-American.
-In the Dominican Republic the US troops were successful when sent to
crush a revolt and prevent a communist president from regaining power.
10. In which events in Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa would you say
that US foreign policy was unsuccessful? Why?
=>Not very successful in Middle East and Africa
-The USA foreign policy regarding the Aswan Dam was unsuccessful. The
USA withdrew aid from Egypt when it did not cease to trade with communist
countries but it was still built and Egypt kept its ties with communist
countries.
Ch. 39 Sect. 5 and 6: Notebook Handout 39D
11. What was the arms race?
-Competition between nations, specifically the USA and the Soviet Union, to
build up the weapons arsenal in hopes of ensuring each country’s status as a
superpower.
12. What was brinkmanship?
-Brinkmanship is the USA policy under President Eisenhower to go to the edge
of all out nuclear war in order to prevent the spread of communism.
13. How did the arms race and brinkmanship affect the war between the United
States and the Soviet Union?
-Brinkmanship intensified the already strained relationship between the USA
and the Soviet Union.
14. What is Mutual Assured Destruction?
-Mutual Assured Destruction is a USA policy under which the USA and the
Soviet Union would respond to a nuclear attack by launching its own missiles.
15. How has Mutual Assured Destruction changed today?
-Since the INF Treaty the arms race has slowed down. In 1987 the USA and
the Soviet Union signed the treaty agreeing to reduce their arsenals.