Truman Era Flashcards booklet

Flashcards covering Truman's foreign policy, the beginning of the Cold War, the Korean War, Civil Rights, the Second Red Scare, and domestic policies.

What was the Yalta Conference?

Conference in Feb 1945 where agreements were made about the division of Germany and Berlin.

When did Roosevelt die?

April 12, 1945

When did the US protest Tito's Yugoslavian troops moving to Trieste?

May 1945

When was the first atomic weapon detonated in New Mexico?

July 16th, 1945

What was the Potsdam Conference?

Conference in July 1945 where post-war settlements were finalised

When were the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

August 6th & 9th, 1945

What was Kennan’s Long Telegram?

Telegram sent in Feb 1946 offering a historical explanation for Soviet foreign policy.

What was the Iron Curtain Speech?

Speech given on March 5th, 1946 referring to the Soviet sphere of influence in Europe.

What was the Truman Doctrine?

Doctrine announced to support Greece and Turkey to prevent the spread of communism.

What was the Marshall Plan?

U.S. program to aid Western Europe, giving large grants to purchase food and machinery.

When did the Berlin Blockade begin, leading to the Airlift?

June 1948

When was NATO established?

April 1949

When did the Soviet Union test its first nuclear weapon?

August 1949

When did the Korean War break out?

June 25th, 1950

In what year was the October Revolution?

1917

What were the characteristics of Lenin’s state?

One party state, a command economy and closed society.

When was the American Communist Party founded?

1919.

How did Americans view the Nazi-Soviet pact?

Between two dictatorships.

What was the impact of the German invasion of the USSR in 1941?

Transformed US/USSR relations as a period of unprecedented cooperation began.

Why was Stalin's suspicious about the US promise of an invasion of France?

Was repeatedly delayed until D-Day 1944.

How many agents were working for the USSR within the US during WW2?

349

Approximately how many soviet messages were decoded through the Venona project?

2,200

What was Stalin’s overriding concern?

The security of the USSR.

What pro-Soviet government did Stalin set up in Poland in 1944?

The Lublin Committee.

What was Stalin's reaction to Truman announcing the successful detonation of an atomic bomb?

Accelerated weapons development programme in the USSR.

What was a key agreement at the Potsdam Conference regarding Germany?

Germany was divided into 4 zones of occupation.

How were reparations to be handled in Germany after the Potsdam Conference?

Each occupying power was to take reparations from its own zone.

How did the Soviets violate the agreements reached at Potsdam?

The soviets treated their zone as a separate economic entity and removed German factories from the zone.

What did Truman believed that the US atomic bomb would do to Stalin?

The news of the US atomic bomb would make Stalin more amenable in Potsdam negotiations.

What was the impact of the war on Soviet power?

A huge increase in Soviet power.

Which parties were involved in the Chinese Civil War?

The CCP and the KMT.

Who was dominant in Yugoslavia in 1945?

General Tito’s communists.

What was the situation in Iran that concerned the US after WW2?

USSR troops were only 40 miles from Tehran.

Who sent the Long Telegram from the US embassy in Moscow?

George Kennan.

What theory did Kennan suggest inspired Soviet foreign policy?

Marxian theory.

What policy did Truman adopt after receiving the Long Telegram?

A tougher policy against the USSR.

Who gave the Iron Curtain Speech in Fulton, Missouri?

Churchill

What policy did Truman adopt toward the USSR?

Containment

What was the Baruch Plan?

Proposals for the control of atomic weapons through inspections in member states.

What conditions did the US attach to loans to the USSR?

Drop trade barriers in eastern Europe.

What happened when the US appealed to the UN to tell Stalin to withdraw from Iran?

Stalin is angered that the US went to the UN but does withdraw.

What was Korea's status from 1910-1945?

Korea was a Japanese colony.

Along what line was Korea temporarily divided after the surrender of Japan?

The 38th parallel.

Who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the North?

Kim Il Sung

Who was elected leader of the Republic of Korea in the South?

Syngman Rhee

Whose communist forces defeated the nationalist forces in China?

Mao Zedong

What event occurred on June 25th, 1950 initiating the Korean War?

North Koreans attacked South Korea.

What allowed a UN resolution to pass calling for military action against North Korea?

The absence of the USSR

Who turned the Korean War around with an amphibious assault on Inchon?

General Douglas MacArthur

How did Truman's aims change during the Korean War?

Containment to taking North Korea.

What were Truman's aims after China's entry into the Korean War?

Limited war, to preserve the south’s independence.

Who led operation killer and operation ripper in the Korean war?

Lieutenant General Matthew Ridgeway

When was the armistice agreed in the Korean War?

July 1953

What warning did NSC 68 give to Truman in April 1950?

NSC 68 warned Truman the soviets were intent on dominating all of Europe and Asia.

What was the US's incorrect belief about the USSR's role in the North Korean invasion?

The US wrongly believed the USSR directed the north to invade the south.

What was one reason Truman felt obliged to intervene in Korea?

South Korea was an anti-communist state the US had helped create, obliging Truman to intervene.

Truman viewed the Korean War as a test for the UN with what possible results?

Truman believed this was a test of the UN by north Korea, and failure to support the UN could encourage aggression & WW3.

What percentage of the public approved of Truman’s actions sending troops to Korea in July 1950?

75%

What was one consequence of the Korean War regarding alliances?

NATO was strengthened.

How did the US accelerate military preparation under the Truman Doctrine?

Between June 1947 and June 1948 the USA increased the stock of its atomic bombs from 13 to 50.

What was the purpose of the National security act 1947?

Designed to improve the USA’s war making capacity by merging the war and navy departments into a new enlarged defence department

Who announced the programme of economic assistance for western Europe, known as the Marshall Plan?

George Marshall

What was the purpose of the Marshall Plan?

Containment

What action did America and Britain take in response to the Berlin Blockade?

American and British planes flew more than 200,000 planes into Berlin in 320 days.

In which part of the US was black population not able to vote as easily?

South

due to what bill, was there a growing black middle class?

the GI bill entitling to free college education

How was infreriority of black people maintained in the south?

Segregation maintained through Jim Crow laws

What contributed to the low pay faced by african americans in the south?

Lack of education

What was the long term movement of African Americans from the south known as?

The great migration

What increased black soldiers consciousness

Black soldiers witnessing a less racist society in France

What did Philip Randolph realise about black people campaigning?

mass non-violent action could force the federal gov into helping blacks

What was the name of the group James Farmer set up in 1942 that was influenced by Ghandi’s non-violent protests?

CORE

Which supreme court case ruled that estate agents could not refuse to show houses to black people?

Shelley V Kramer

Which Surpreme Court case ruled segregation was illegal in railroad dining cars?

Henderson V US

What was the title of the report issued by Truman's Presidental Commission?

To secure these rights

What did Truman highlight of racism in the released report?

That they undermined democracy and American principles

What was the reason why Southern Democrats were opposed to Black people voting?

They assumed if African Americans could vote they’d vote republican

What was the intial purpose for HUAC?

Set up to investigate left-wing Americans

What was the name of the group of actors investigated by HUAC and sentenced to a year in prison?

The Hollywood 10

How did truman look into the loyalty of federal government employees?

Executive Order

Why did Truman not intervene with McCarthy’s actions

Truman felt pressurised into supporting the red scare otherwise his administration would be attacked for being too soft

what was the lasting impact of McCarthy being able to get away with the things he did?

Stifled freedom of expression and censored reading

What did Truman's bill to Congress commit the government to do for returning soldiers?

provide full employment for returning soldiers.