Roots of the Cold War
Describe the division of Germany at the end of World War II.
The U.S., Britain, Franch, and the Soviet Union each occupied a sector of Germany, and a sector of Berlin (which was within the Soviet sector). In June 1948, the U.S., British, and French zones united to form West Germany and West Berlin, and the Soviet zones became known as East Germany and East Berlin.
Harry S. Truman
Describe the state of the Korean peninsula between the end of World War II in August 1945 and the beginning of the Korean War in June 1950.
A Soviet-backed Communist government controlled North Korea above 38 degrees latitude, and a U.S.-backed government controlled South Korea.
Who was the American president through most of the 1950s? What was the best known for before becoming president?
Dwight D. Eisenhower was Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II.
Why did humans arrive in North America before arriving in South America?
The earliest humans in the Americas arrived across a land bridge (Beringia) from northeast Asia to modern-day Alaska. It took thousands of years to gradually move south through the Americas.
This term refers to the symbolic division between East and West in Europe during the Cold War
Iron curtain
This term refers to a program of domestic reforms presented in September 1945, included increased government spending to create jobs, build housing, and build a health insurance system. Many of its programs were not supported by Congress.
The Fair Deal
This term refers to a region where military forces are not allowed.
Demilitarized zone
This term refers to a measure of the necessities and comforts enjoyed by an individual or group.
Standard of living
Name at least three European nations engaged in the discovery and exploration of the Americas in the 1500s. Why were Europeans able to conquer Native American cultures so quickly?
Spain, Portugal, England, France, Netherlands
Disease was a critical factor as native groups had no immunity to many diseases introduced by the Europeans, resulting in devastating epidemics.
The earliest European explorers had weapons and animals which terrified natives and gave the Europeans a huge military advantage. They also took advantage of political divisions between native groups.
Describe the history of the Chinese Civil War and the American role in the war.
Communists (Mao Zedong) vs. Nationalists (Chiang Kai-shek) began fighting in the 1920s. The Nationalists were winning, but Japan invaded and the Civil War was paused. The Nationalists did most of the fighting against Japan, but came out of the war weakened, while the Communists had built up there strength. The Civil War began again very soon after Japan surrendered, with the U.S. supporting the Nationalists and the Soviets supporting the Communists. Despite American aid, the Communists won and the Nationalists fled to Taiwan.
In general terms, what was the main Republican opposition to the Democratic party's view of the size of government and the role of government in the economy in the late 1940s?
The Republicans supported smaller government with a more limited role in the economy.
Describe the relationship between MacArthur and Truman. What was one major point of disagreement between the two?
Why was it so difficult to shrink the size of the U.S. government in the 1950s?
The arms race with the Soviet Union put enormous pressure on the U.S. to increase military spending. Because military spending is a large portion of overall government spending, it was difficult to reduce government spending while engaging in the arms race.
What geopolitical alliance was key to the Americans' victory over the British in the Revolutionary War? What was the most important contribution of this ally?
The French provided naval power to partially offset the British naval advantage.
What was the Truman Doctrine? How did the Marshall Plan affect the Truman Doctrine?
The Truman Doctrine was an American commitment to support countries resisting the spread of Communism. The Marshall Plan was a major effort to deliver aid to Western European countries to rebuild the economy after World War II.
Name one change to the structure of the U.S. government made by the National Security Act of 1947. Why did the U.S. need these changes?
The creation of the National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency. These organizations were needed to better understand foreign countries and support the Truman Doctrine's goals.
What is the current status of the Korean War? What has changed in the past twenty years to change the dynamic?
The war was never officially ended, and a cease-fire agreement has been maintained since 1953 without any major violence. In recent years, North Korea has developed a nuclear arsenal, which threatens South Korea, Japan, and American military facilities in the region.
How did growth of the suburbs impact the urban population in major American cities?
While many Americans eagerly moved to the suburbs, those who could not afford to move often remained in inner cities which became islands of poverty, violence, poor education and public services, and few job opportunities. Racial segregation made this division worse, with the suburbs primarily occupied by white people, and inner cities occupied by black and Hispanic Americans.
What are the three branches of government described in the Constitution? What does the system of "checks and balances" mean? What is Federalism?
Executive, Legislative, Judicial
Checks and balances refers to the Constitutional system by which each branch of government limits power of each other branch.
Federalism refers to sharing power between federal and state governments.
Describe major elements of the shift in the American economy from "wartime" to "peacetime".
Industry shifted from war goods back to primarily consumer goods.
Returning soldiers expected their old jobs or new jobs and training. Many women, teens, and older Americans wanted to remain in their wartime employment, while others wanted to transition back to "normal" life.
With lots of savings and pent up demand, increases in spending on consumer goods caused inflation in many products.
Workers expected increasing wages, but the return of many veterans put downward pressure on wages. Many workers unionized and striked for better wages and working conditions.
Describe Chinese military tactics in the Korean War. How does the importance of quantity vs. quality factor in this discussion?
The Chinese military had poor training, equipment, and organization, but was willing to take massive casualties to achieve its goals, and won many significant victories against better trained and equipped U.S. forces. The Chinese used "human wave" attacks which overwhelmed many American positions. This demonstrated the idea of "quantity is its own type of quality".
What does the term "Sputnik Moment" mean? Name an example of a "Sputnik Moment" since the 1957.
A "Sputnik Moment" uses the example of the Soviet Union's 1957 launch of the Sputnik satellite to represent a surprise technological breakthrough that causes a "wake up call" for the U.S. government and military. Many commentators referred to China's recent release of its "DeepSeek" AI platform as a "Sputnik Moment" because it represented a top U.S. adversary demonstrating unexpected advancement in a key technology with military application.
Describe the major differences between the Northern and Southern economics on the eve of the Civil War. How did these differences impact the ability of each side to fight a long, intense war?
The Northern economy was largely based on factories, technology, and trading across a wide range of industries. The Southern economy was primarily based on agriculture, and by the 1850s was very focused on cotton production for shipment to the North and Europe. The Northern economy could support a far greater volume and variety of military production during the war, while the Southern economy struggled to sell cotton and buy war products, and was less capable of producing what it needed on its own.