Q&A Hero

Q: Why did Truman establish a loyalty program in 1947? A) to interrogate citizens suspected of being political activists B) to investigate government employees who were potential Communists C) to investigate accusations of cowardice and treason in the military D) to reward veterans of the Korean War for bravery and valor E) to appoint campaign contributors to positions of power

Q: Actions in which area helped Truman win the 1948 election? A) the Cold War B) labor issues C) civil rights D) his handling of the Korean War E) New Deal reforms

Q: Truman's prospects in the 1948 election looked _______. A) very promising because he had successfully kept inflation down after World War II B) promising because he unified Democrats and even some GOP leaders in his support C) promising because he remained wildly popular with the public throughout his term D) bleak because Democratic support had been split among several candidates E) bleak because he lacked the funds to travel the country and garner support

Q: The most significant result of the Korean War was that it _______. A) vindicated the United States in the eyes of the world B) succeeded in unifying Korea for thirty years C) brought about massive American rearmament D) reinforced Truman's popularity with the American people E) inhibited the further expansion of communism

Q: After General MacArthur's victory at Inchon, Korea, Truman _______. A) ordered UN troops to cross the Yellow Sea and attack China B) ordered UN troops not to advance beyond the 38th parallel C) withdrew UN troops from Korea because he had made his point to Stalin D) shifted his military goal to unifying Korea E) declared the Korean War over with a UN victory

Q: How did the United States react to the 1950 Sino-Soviet treaty? A) It congratulated Stalin and Mao on their treaty and offered to join their new alliance. B) It openly threatened Stalin with war if he contributed to the spread of communism in Asia. C) It warned the Soviet Union to stay out of East Asian politics. D) To maintain its alliance with China, the U.S. sought to make peace with the new regime. E) It refused to recognize the new Chinese regime and focused on Japan as its main ally in Asia.

Q: In the Chinese Civil War, Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists _______. A) lost support due to runaway inflation and corruption among Nationalist leaders B) lost support due to the violence of the Nationalists' repression of the Chinese C) gained support because the Chinese middle class was finally flourishing D) gained support because of Chiang's pledge to end government corruption E) faded as a factor in the Chinese political world

Q: The defense policy known as NSC-68 was based on the premise that _______. A) isolationism should continue to be a major part of American foreign policy B) appeasement of aggressive foreign powers should continue to be a part of foreign policy C) the Soviet Union wanted to take over the world and was a threat to the United States D) military spending was out of control and needed to be curbed immediately E) the United States was so powerful that it did not need to worry about foreign threats

Q: The passage of the National Security Act in 1947 _______. A) indicated America's desire to decrease its military strength B) coordinated and unified America's military establishment C) served only to further divide the Defense Department D) weakened the intelligence-gathering capabilities of the United States E) added unnecessary bureaucracy to matters of defense

Q: In order to test the resolve of his American, British, and French opponents, in 1948 Stalin _______. A) tested his first atomic bomb B) invaded China C) invaded France D) initiated a blockade of Berlin E) began shooting down American planes

Q: What effect did the formation of NATO have on the Cold War? A) It changed the Cold War into a full-scale military confrontation. B) It intensified Russian fears of the West and escalated the Cold War. C) It had minimal or no effect on the Cold War. D) It decreased Russian fears and eased Cold War tensions. E) It dissolved U.S.-Soviet tensions and ended the Cold War.

Q: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed due to _______. A) Western powers' fears of Soviet military aggression B) European fears of American military aggression C) American fears of Chinese military aggression D) Soviet fears of Chinese military aggression E) Soviet fears of American military aggression

Q: What effect did the Marshall Plan have? A) It had very little effect because it was not carried out effectively. B) It inspired the Soviet Union to continue to expand its communist empire. C) It succeeded in forcing the Soviet Union to stop expanding its communist empire. D) It failed to revive the sagging postwar economies of Western Europe. E) It sparked a successful financial recovery in Western Europe.

Q: Why were people in Italy and France voting for communist parties in 1947? A) They were drawn to the irresistibly charismatic communist leaders. B) They felt discontent due to economic problems and food shortages. C) They were responding to pressure and threats from the Soviet Union. D) They wanted to defy the American anti-communist attitude. E) There were few other organized political parties in postwar Europe.

Q: What was the biggest factor in placing the United States on a collision course with the Soviet Union? A) the American commitment to stopping the spread of communism B) the American commitment to spreading Christianity around the globe C) the American commitment to improving international trade D) the Soviet commitment to improving international trade E) the Soviet commitment to spreading Catholicism around the globe

Q: How did the Soviet Union approach disarmament discussions after World War II? A) with a plan to gradually reduce the number of weapons of mass destruction B) with a plan to give atomic bombs to all the countries in the United Nations C) with a plan to destroy all existing atomic bombs and ban the production of new ones D) with a plan to have the United States serve as an international peacekeeping force E) with a plan to give the Soviet Union possession of the world's only atomic weapon

Q: What effect would the Baruch Plan have had on America? A) It would have given the United States a monopoly on atomic weapons. B) It would have neutralized America's military advantage. C) It would have returned the United States to isolationist foreign policies. D) It would have had a catastrophic effect on the American military. E) It would have greatly decreased American power overseas.

Q: The Soviet Union first learned of the American atomic bomb _______. A) from President Roosevelt during the Yalta Conference B) from President Truman at the Potsdam Conference C) when Truman invited Stalin to see a film of a test D) through the use of espionage E) when the first one was dropped on Hiroshima

Q: How did the Allies decide to divide reparations in postwar Germany? A) The Soviet Union would take all the war reparations from Germany. B) The United States would take all the war reparations from Germany. C) Each country would take reparations from its own occupation zone. D) The countries would divide reparations from all of Germany. E) No country would take war reparations from Germany.

Q: In 1954, Secretary of State Dulles signed a security treaty to agree to defend _______ from Chinese forces. A) Vietnam B) South Korea C) Thailand D) Indochina E) Formosa

Q: In 1954, Indochina was divided at the 17th parallel, creating _______. A) North and South Korea B) Cambodia C) North and South Vietnam D) Indonesia E) Cambodia and Vietnam

Q: What was Eisenhower's campaign pledge that helped seal the election? A) to bolster the economy with thousands of new jobs B) to support labor unions in their fight for fair employment laws C) to invade Russia and destroy the communist regime D) to stop the creation of weapons of mass destruction E) to bring the Korean War to an end

Q: Joseph McCarthy led the crusade against alleged __________ in American government during the 1950s. A) embezzlers B) interventionists C) communists D) racists E) isolationists

Q: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg _______. A) helped the CIA break a Soviet spy ring in the United States B) were executed for passing American atomic secrets to the Soviet Union C) were responsible for exposing Alger Hiss as a communist D) admitted to being responsible for heinous war crimes during the Korean War E) were American spies who shared valuable information about the Soviet Union

Q: The most famous disclosure of espionage activities in the U.S. government in the late 1940s involved the case of _______. A) Alger Hiss B) Dean Acheson C) George C. Marshall D) Thomas E. Dewey E) Henry A. Wallace

Q: The Taft-Hartley Act was a 1947 bill that outlawed _______. A) some labor union activities B) the formation of labor unions C) racial discrimination in hiring practices D) gender discrimination in hiring practices E) many child labor practices

Q: As president, Truman tried to _______. A) win reelection in 1948 with the worst smear campaign in U.S. history B) block the Congressional vote to end wartime controls C) convert the entire Democratic Party into Dixiecrats D) abolish New Deal programs that upset conservatives E) perpetuate New Deal legislation begun under Roosevelt

Q: What erroneous advice did General MacArthur give President Truman during the Korean War? A) MacArthur advised Truman to authorize an invasion of North Korea. B) MacArthur advised Truman to retreat from the 38th parallel to avoid a possible Chinese counterattack. C) MacArthur advised withdrawing troops from Korea altogether because he thought that China and the Soviet Union would obliterate U.S. forces. D) MacArthur advised Truman to use diplomacy to negotiate peace because he thought military efforts would be ineffective. E) MacArthur advised Truman to drop an atom bomb on Seoul.

Q: Where did the United States and the Soviet Union face their first Cold War confrontation? A) China B) Japan C) Vietnam D) Korea E) Cambodia

Q: The defense policy statement known as NSC-68 _______. A) proposed to cut funding from the American military B) advocated a massive expansion of the American military C) allocated funds to Western Europe to combat communism D) prohibited the development of the hydrogen bomb E) emphasized the need to rely on diplomacy to deal with the Soviets

Q: After the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb, Truman appointed a committee to explore the possibility of _______. A) using biological weapons B) building a hydrogen bomb C) improving stealth planes D) experimenting on "supersoldiers" E) sabotaging the Soviet weapons arsenal

Q: As a result of military reforms during the Cold War, the __________ became the dominant branch of the American armed forces. A) Navy B) Army C) Air Force D) Marines E) National Guard

Q: The National Security Act (1947) established the _______. A) U.S. embassy in Moscow B) Navy SEALs C) Air Force D) Department of Homeland Security E) three federal defense agencies

Q: What was the Berlin airlift? A) a state-of-the-art transportation system designed to revive the postwar German economy B) a top secret method of transporting American spies into and out of the Soviet Union C) a military operation to bring supplies to troops and civilians in Soviet-controlled Berlin D) the first plane capable of dropping a hydrogen bomb anywhere in the world E) a mission to bomb Berlin after the Soviet Union cut off the city from American forces

Q: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) _______. A) gave the Soviet Union more leeway in spreading communism in Europe B) confirmed that the Soviet Union would halt its expansion in Europe and Asia C) assured European countries that the United States would help defend them D) committed the United States to an isolationist policy in the future E) gave the United States the right to import goods tariff-free from Western Europe

Q: The Marshall Plan proposed _______. A) infusing massive amounts of American capital into Western Europe B) bolstering the German army to prevent the spread of communism C) an international effort to stop postwar global inflation D) that all nations should immediately destroy their atomic weapons E) dividing Germany into several areas of military occupation

Q: The Truman Doctrine stated that American policy would be to _______. A) remain isolated from European and Asian affairs B) take a more active part in rebuilding the war-ravaged Soviet economy C) use military force to defend China against Soviet aggression D) support any nation resisting armed minorities or aggression from a foreign power E) help create democratic governments in the emerging nations of Africa

Q: In 1946 and 1947, conflict in __________ caused the Truman administration to worry about the spread of communism around the globe. A) Egypt and Iran B) Sweden and Norway C) Belgium and France D) Vietnam and Japan E) Greece and Turkey

Q: George Kennan's "containment" policy proposed _______. A) a long-term neutrality for the United States with respect to European affairs B) a series of aggressive maneuvers against the Soviet Union C) efforts to stop the expansion of communism and Russian control D) a return to pre-war isolationist policies E) a coup to replace communism with democracy in Europe and Asia

Q: The disarmament plan that the Truman administration proposed to the United Nations after World War II was called _______. A) the Potsdam Summit B) the Baruch Plan C) the Manhattan Project D) the Cold War Treaty E) containment

Q: Which country came under Soviet control after World War II? A) France B) Norway C) Hungary D) the Philippines E) Switzerland

Q: To what does the term "Iron Curtain" refer? A) the border between North and South Korea B) the military operation in which the United States dropped the atom bomb on Japan C) the railroad system that was restored in Europe after World War II ended D) the separation between Soviet-dominated Europe and Western Europe E) the seemingly insurmountable class divide in postwar Western Europe

Q: The fundamental disagreement between the United States and the Soviet Union at the beginning of the Cold War was over _______. A) who would control postwar Europe B) who would control postwar Asia C) which country had contributed more to the Allied victory D) whether Truman or Stalin would lead postwar alliances E) whether collective security was possible in the postwar world

Q: The conference at Potsdam in July of 1945 ended on a note of _______. A) harmony B) discord C) uncertainty D) confusion E) regret

Q: Which of the following best describes the state of the nation in the wake of World War II? A) The United States was drastically weaker than it had been before the war. B) The United States was slightly weaker than it had been before the war. C) The United States had about the same amount of power as it had before the war. D) The United States was slightly more powerful than it had been before the war. E) The United States had become the most powerful country in the world.

Q: America's use of the atomic bomb to defeat Japan resulted in all of the following EXCEPT _______. A) a tightening of the U.S.-Soviet alliance B) a decisive end to the war C) the death of thousands D) the postwar arms race E) an unconditional surrender

Q: Which of these slowly pushed popular sentiment in the U.S. to favor entering the war? A) assaults on Poland B) the battle of Britain C) the invasion of Ethiopia D) the Soviet entry into the war E) the fall of France

Q: Which factors most contributed to American isolationism in the 1930s? A) the Great Depression and fear of the costs of war B) the Great Depression and the Catholic Church C) the Kellogg-Briand Pact and anti-Semitism D) the Kellogg-Briand Pact and a lack of resources E) a lack of resources and a religious revival

Q: What was President Truman's primary motive for using atomic weapons against Japan? A) to impress the Soviet Union B) to kill as many Japanese as possible C) to justify a secret government project D) to completely destroy Japan E) to end the war as quickly as possible

Q: Which approach did the U.S. military favor when Japan's defeat was deemed inevitable? A) negotiating a peace treaty to avoid further loss of life B) modifying the unconditional surrender formula C) an all-out, full-scale invasion of Japan D) destroying Japan with a series of atom bombs E) creating a second front in the Philippines

Q: How did Americans feel about collective security toward the end of World War II? A) They were eager to make new attempts at collective security. B) They acknowledged that collective security was useful, but remained reluctant. C) They still thought that isolationism was preferable to collective security. D) They realized that collective security was ineffective, but it kept their alliances in place. E) They vowed never to make another attempt at collective security.

Q: How did the contribution of the Soviet Union in Europe during the war compare to the American contribution? A) It was significantly smaller. B) It was somewhat smaller. C) It was about the same. D) It was significantly larger. E) It was impossible to determine.

Q: Why was the Battle of the Bulge an important battle during World War II? A) It was the battle that drew the United States into the war. B) It was Hitler's first loss in the war, showing the world that he could be beaten. C) It was the first time the Allies gained significant ground in Europe. D) The Allies won the battle and immediately ended the war. E) The engagement exhausted Hitler's reserves and fatally weakened his army.

Q: What led to riots in both Los Angeles and Detroit in 1943? A) food shortages B) abusive labor conditions C) racial tensions D) strong antiwar sentiments E) layoffs in wartime industries

Q: Why did A. Philip Randolph threaten a massive march on Washington in 1941? A) to end racial discrimination in the defense industry B) to bring the United States into World War II C) to support U.S. neutrality D) to end discrimination in federal aid programs E) to allow women to work in wartime industries

Q: Which of the following statements describes a social problem during World War II? A) Couples had fewer children, which meant a surplus of teachers and daycare centers. B) There was insufficient housing for workers in cities with wartime industries. C) Fewer couples were getting married due to the uncertainties of wartime. D) Middle-aged, married women were edged out of the workforce by single women. E) California's economy almost collapsed because it lacked wartime industries.

Q: What did the United States look forward to after its victory in World War II? A) controlling post-war governments in Germany and Italy B) breaking up the Soviet Union C) seizing German resources D) controlling western Europe E) dominance in the Pacific

Q: What did the Soviet Union look forward to after its victory in World War II? A) creating communist regimes in eastern Europe B) establishing trade routes with Britain and the United States C) improving its relationship with the United States D) establishing a communist government in Russia E) receiving monetary compensation from the United Nations

Q: Which of the following best characterizes U.S.-Soviet relations during the war? A) especially close and trusting B) especially hostile, almost to the point of warfare C) strained by significant ideological differences D) hurt by the United States' refusal to recognize the Soviet Union E) significantly influenced by Roosevelt's personal dislike of Stalin

Q: Why were the Chinese displeased with the Allies' initial strategy? A) The Allies refused to include Chinese troops in the European theater of war. B) The Allies refused to provide any war supplies to China. C) The Allies took over the fight against Japan, leaving no place for China. D) The Allies wanted to focus on defeating Germany first, rather than Japan. E) The Allies refused to declare war against Japan immediately.

Q: How did President Roosevelt attempt to halt Japanese aggression between 1940 and 1941? A) by applying economic pressure on Japan through a trade embargo B) by waging an undeclared war against Japanese naval forces in the Pacific C) by signing mutual defense pacts with other Asian nations D) by securing legislation allowing the United States to send troops to China E) by using an executive order to send troops to fight on Japanese soil

Q: Which statement best describes Hitler's orders to his submarine commanders in the Atlantic? A) Hitler ordered them not to fire on American vessels to avoid drawing the United States into the war. B) Hitler ordered them not to fire on American vessels because German U-boats were inferior to U.S. submarines. C) Hitler ordered them to fire on American vessels because he wanted to draw the United States into the war. D) Hitler ordered them not to fire on American vessels because he knew the Americans were considering an alliance with Germany. E) Hitler ordered them to fire on American vessels because they were supplying the navy of Great Britain.

Q: How did FDR help Great Britain after France fell to the Nazis? A) He placed a total embargo on all trade to Nazi Germany and any countries allied with Hitler. B) He traded destroyers in exchange for the rights to build bases on British possessions in the Western Hemisphere. C) He negotiated an agreement with Hitler in exchange for American neutrality in the war. D) He supplied Great Britain with two hundred fighter planes and fifty military advisors. E) He brought the United States into World War II on the side of the Allied nations.

Q: Why were Americans worried about Hitler's attacks against Great Britain in particular? A) The United States had an alliance with Great Britain that could force the nation into war. B) Many Americans had British ancestors or ties to businesses in Great Britain. C) Many Americans still had family members living in Great Britain. D) If Hitler took Great Britain, he would have access to an atomic bomb. E) If Hitler invaded Great Britain, he could use the British navy to attack the Americas.

Q: With the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939, President Roosevelt _______. A) immediately declared war on Germany B) immediately loaned war supplies to Britain and France C) declared American neutrality D) warned Germany not to invade France E) made a secret pact with the Russians

Q: How did Great Britain and France respond to initial German aggression in 1938? A) by immediately threatening war B) by allying with the Soviet Union C) by seizing German territory D) by attempting to appease Hitler E) by blockading German ports

Q: Which of the following was a consequence of the Nye Committee's findings? A) Congress passed the neutrality acts of 1935, 1936, and 1937. B) Secretary of State Kellogg signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact. C) The R.O.T.C. was temporarily disbanded on college campuses. D) The pacifist movement in America dwindled significantly. E) Congress banned the sale of guns inside the United States.

Q: What did the League of Nations do after the Italian invasion of Ethiopia? A) It protected the southern half of the country from Mussolini's army. B) It halted Mussolini's forces just before they crossed the Ethiopian border. C) It authorized billions of dollars in aid for the Ethiopians. D) It made halfhearted and unsuccessful efforts to stop Mussolini. E) It recognized Italy's authority and new government in Ethiopia.

Q: Why did the U.S. back off from its interventionist policy in Latin America in the 1920s and after? A) A pan-American alliance made intervention unnecessary. B) The threat of European involvement in the region disappeared. C) The depression shifted attention away from foreign affairs. D) The Roosevelt Corollary made intervention unnecessary. E) A coalition of Latin American countries used the threat of force to keep the U.S. out.

Q: The United States dropped its first atom bomb on the city of _______ on August 6, 1945. A) Osaka B) Nagasaki C) Tokyo D) Hiroshima E) Fukushima

Q: What was the Manhattan Project? A) a plan for ground troops to take Tokyo and end the war B) a government program to deal with criminals of war C) an elite team of secret agents that nearly assassinated Hitler D) a diplomatic project to negotiate a Japanese surrender E) a top-secret program that developed the atom bomb

Q: The Soviet Union experienced a diplomatic triumph when Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met in 1945 at the _______. A) Munich Convention B) Yalta Conference C) Casablanca Meeting D) Paris Talk E) London Symposium

Q: When American troops entered Germany, they were shocked to discover _______. A) the lack of damage to German infrastructure B) the presence of American expatriate communities C) the destruction committed by Russian troops D) the establishment of a third front E) the conditions inside concentration camps

Q: The term "D-Day" refers to which of the following dates? A) the day President Roosevelt died B) the day Hitler committed suicide C) the day the Allies invaded Nazi-occupied Europe D) the day the Germans invaded France E) the day the Germans surrendered to the Allies

Q: During World War II, which group was placed in relocation camps in the United States? A) Italian Americans B) German Americans C) Japanese Americans D) Russian Americans E) Jewish Americans

Q: The Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) was a federal agency designed to protect _______. A) children from abusive working conditions B) workers in wartime industries from harsh conditions C) women from discrimination in the workplace D) minorities from prejudice in war industries E) the elderly from discrimination in the workplace

Q: What was the role of the Office of Economic Stabilization? A) It provided lucrative contracts for urgently needed goods. B) It rationed scarce goods, such as sugar and canned foods. C) It settled disputes between different federal agencies. D) It withheld income tax from workers' wages. E) It provided federal incentives to the manufacturing industry.

Q: Which of the following statements best describes the migration of the American population during World War II? A) Rural areas lost many residents while coastal areas grew in population. B) People moved from urban to rural areas to help grow food to support the troops. C) Coastal areas lost population as millions moved into America's heartland. D) The South and West lost population as millions moved to states in the Northeast. E) The United States lost a number of citizens as millions fled to Canada.

Q: The turning point of the Pacific war was the American victory at the battle of _______, which gave the United States control of the Central Pacific. A) Coral Sea B) Guadalcanal C) Midway D) Iwo Jima E) Leyte Gulf

Q: United States troops first went into combat against German troops in _______. A) Italy B) France C) Greece D) Poland E) Africa