APUSH Chapter 25 Study Guide

Vocab:
Yalta Conference: Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met in Yalta to discuss maintaining Allied
unity, led to the decision to divide Germany into four zones and to replace the League of Nations
with the United Nations
Potsdam Conference: Harry Truman attempted and failed to stand up to Stalin and his
communist government
United Nations: An organization that contains a General Assembly representing all nations and
Security Council made up of the five major Allied powers
Containment: A strategy developed by America against the Soviet Union that attempted to limit
Stalin’s influence over Eastern Europe and reconstitute democratic governments in Western
Europe
Truman Doctrine: Proposed by President Truman, encouraged large-scale assistance for
Greece and Turkey against the Soviet Union
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): A pact the included twelve nations who agreed
that an “armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be
considered an attack against them all”
Chinese Civil War: Communist forces led by Mao Zedong fought Nationalist forces led by Jiang
Jieshi, the United States funded and supported Jiang’s army
Taft-Hartley Act: An overhaul of the 1935 National Labor Relations Act, passed by Democrats
under Truman’s veto
Fair Deal: Truman proposed national health insurance, aid to education, a housing program,
expansion of Social Security, a higher minimum wage, and a new agricultural program
Loyalty-Security Program: Permitted officials to investigate any employee of the federal
government
Hollywood Ten: A group of writers and directors who were sent to jail for contempt of Congress
after they refused to testify about their past associations under the HUAC investigation
Douglas MacArthur: A United States General who commanded the United Nations army in
Korea during the Korean War
Alger Hiss: A New Dealer and State Department official who had accompanied Franklin
Roosevelt to Yalta
Dwight D. Eisenhower: A President who set the tone for “modern Republicanism”, an updated
GOP approach that aimed at moderating, not dismantling, the New Deal state
New Look: Defense policy under which the Eisenhower administration stepped up production of
the hydrogen bomb and developed long-range bombing capabilities
Arms Race: A critical feature of the Cold War, as Soviet engineers worked tirelessly to produce
weapons and bombs with the same capabilities as those produced by the United States, and
the Soviets specifically aimed to produce an atomic-tipped missile similar to one launched by
America
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): An agency that operated covert operations against
governments that were believed to be too closely aligned with the Soviets, still exists today
The Rosenbergs: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of passing atomic secrets to the
Soviet government and were executed as Communists, fueling McCarthyism
Domino Theory: A representation of an extension of the containment doctrine, the idea that
non-Communist governments in the region would fall like dominoes
Eisenhower Doctrine: Stated that American forces would assist any nation in the region that
required aid “against overt armed aggression from any nation controlled by International
Communism”
JFK: John F. Kennedy, a Harvard alumnus, World War II hero, and Senator from Massachusetts
who projected an air of idealism and shaped the nation’s foreign policy by drawing both on his
ingenuity and on old-style Cold War power politics
New Frontier: Kennedy’s term for the challenges the country faced during his presidency
Berlin Wall: A symbol of the Cold War, a concrete barrier constructed dividing Communist East
Berlin and West Berlin
Peace Corps: Launched by Kennedy, a nonmilitary initiative that embodied a call to public
service put forth in his inaugural address: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what
you can do for your country.”
Vietcong: Guerrilla forces of the National Liberation Front, who formed a revolutionary
movement backed by North Vietnam

Guided Reading Questions:

What two critical questions framed Cold War conflicts?
What conditions and whose interests and desires would be supported by the new balance of
power in North America and Europe? How would new nations be protected and supported as
they grew and became more powerful among larger powers?

What issues divided the Allied powers at the Yalta Conference? How did these set the
tone for the Cold War?
The Big Three were divided over the fates of the nations of Eastern Europe. Stalin insisted that
Russian national security required pro-Soviet governments in Eastern Europe, while Roosevelt
pressed for an agreement that guaranteed self-determination and democratic elections in
Poland and neighboring countries. The decision to hesitate in establishing these agreements
eventually helped to encourage the Cold War.

How did American and Soviet viewpoints differ over the postwar fate of Europe?
Following the war, the United States wanted Europe to become a group of free, democratic
nations and the Soviet Union wanted Europe to establish Communist countries. This
disagreement eventually helped lead to the Cold War.

How did the decreasing strength of Britain increase America’s role in Eastern Cold War
conflicts?
The United States and the Wilson administration believed that as Britain began to hold less
power within the world, its place would either be taken by the United States or by the Soviet
Union. They believed that Communism and capitalism could not peacefully exist alongside each
other and therefore allotted themselves greater power and established the Truman Doctrine.
Why did the United States enact the Marshall Plan, and how did the program illustrate
America’s new role in the world? Why did it increase tension with the Soviet Union?
The Marshall Plan, a pledge to financially support European and anti-Communist nations, was
ultimately enacted because of Stalin’s support of a communist-lead coup in Czechoslovakia.
This illustrates how the United States is beginning to develop a more influential and powerful
role over other countries with similar governmental systems and beliefs. It increased tensions
with the Soviet Union because this support impacted Communist countries and their economies.

Analyze Truman’s reaction to the Berlin Blockade.

Truman and the American and British government were determined to help the citizens of Berlin
and prove their power over Stalin and other nations. They supplied and transported millions of
tons of supplies for the public in the Berlin Airlift, and refused to yield to the increasingly violent
and threatening Soviet Union.

What did NSC-68 recommend? Why?

The report proposed “a bold and massive program of rebuilding the West’s defensive potential
to surpass that of the Soviet world”, including the development of a hydrogen bomb and
dramatic increases in military forces. This is because the National Security Council assessed
the power and goals of the Soviet Union and considered them to be threatening and dangerous
to democracy in Europe and to the United States itself.

What was the significance of the “loss” of China?

When the Chinese government was reestablished under a Communist leader, the country
aligned itself with the Soviet Union. This helped to further grow and develop the reach and
power of Stalin and Russia over the world, which threatened President Truman and the United
States. “Red China” was not permitted to join the United Nations because of their newly
established political system.

Analyze the consequences of the Korean War.

Truman’s decision to commit troops to the war without congressional approval set a new
precedent that would eventually be cited in future undeclared wars, and his refusal to utilize the
atomic bomb helped to set the ground rules for the Cold War conflict. The Korean War
expanded United States involvement in overseas neations, specifically in Asia, which would
later impact the Cold War. Additionally, the Korean War resulted in the setting of a new border
line between North and South Korea.

What divisions existed in the Democratic Party during the Election of 1948?
During the Election of 1948, the Democratic Party was split into a left-wing Progressive Party,
represented by Henry A. Wallace, and a right-wing southern group who called themselves the
Dixiecrats. However, new promises made by Harry Truman helped him to regain popularity
among voters and he was reelected.

What factors led to the postwar Red Scare, and what were its ramifications for civil
liberties in the US?
The Red Scare was encouraged by the concept of Communism penetrating the United States
government and spreading throughout the Western world. It was responded to with the
establishment of government organizations and programs that attempted to curb the panic by
seeking out and punishing Communist supporters in the United States. One of these programs
was the Loyalty-Security program, which permitted officials to investigate any employee of the
federal government. Another program was the House Un-American Activities Committee, or
HUAC, which further sparked the Red Scare and led to the false imprisonment of several
people.

Describe Eisenhower’s “modern Republicanism”.

“Modern Republicanism” was an updated GOP approach that aimed at moderating, rather than
dismantling, the New Deal state. Eisenhower supported international initiatives such as NATO
and the Marshall Plan, and were willing to accept labor unions and the welfare state. They
believed in Democracy and in limiting the power of the military.

Describe Eisenhower’s New Look policy.

Using his New Look policy, Eisenhower hoped to limit the cost of containment and economize
by relying on a nuclear arsenal and deemphasizing the support of expensive conventional
forces. The policy increased production of the hydrogen bomb and encouraged the
development of new long-range bombing technologies. The New Look policies eventually
resulted in the Arms Race between the United States and the Soviet Union that became an
important and influential event of the Cold War.

How did Cold War tensions affect the Middle East?

The Eisenhower Doctrine stated that American forces would assist any nation in the Middle East
that required aid “against avert armed aggression from any nation controlled by International
Communism”. This helped the United States to further spread the global influence of
containment. Failed negotiations over the control of the Suez Canal also resulted in the Middle
East declining to agree to an alliance with the US, which could have had positive outcomes for
both countries.

What events increased Cold War tension during Kennedy’s administration?

During Kennedy’s administration, Fidel Castro attempted to overthrow the Cuban government to
convert the country to a Communist state. This resulted in the Bay of Pigs, where the United
States was defeated after sending troops trained by the Central Intelligence Agency to dispatch
Cuban exiles to foment an anti-communist, anti-Castro uprising. Later, the Berlin Wall, which
would eventually grow to be an important symbol of the Cold War, was constructed. Finally, the
Cuban Missile Crisis added further tensions between the United States, Cuba, the Soviet Union,
and other foreign nations.

Why does the formation of the Peace Corps make sense in the context of the Cold War?