A Divided Union: Civil Rights in the USA, 1945-74

Question 1

What is a capitalist democracy?

Answer 1

The government is voted for by people during regular elections and businesses are owned privately by individuals, largely free of government control

Question 2

What is a communist state?

Answer 2

The only candidates in elections are communist and businesses are owned and run by the government

Question 3

What did the first Red Scare (1919-20) make the Americans fear?

Answer 3

Immigrants from Eastern Europe would try to take over their government and make the USA communist as well

Question 4

How were the American fears of communist takeover justified?

Answer 4

One of the stated aims of some Russian communists in 1917 had been world revolution and to encourage communism in other countries

Question 5

When did the Cold War begin?

Answer 5

After the surrender of Nazi Germany in 1945

Question 6

What type of government was set up when Soviet Union troops remained in the liberated countries at the end of the Second World War?

Answer 6

Communist governments

Question 7

What did the set up of communist governments in the liberated countries provide the Soviets at the end of WWII?

Answer 7

A buffer zone of protection against another invasion from the west

Question 8

How did the set up of communist governments in the liberated countries look to Western Europe and the USA?

Answer 8

Like the Soviet Union was trying to take over Europe

Question 9

When did the USA successfully test an atomic bomb for the first time?

Answer 9

July 16, 1945

Question 10

How did the Soviet Union see the USA’s successful test of an atomic bomb?

Answer 10

As a threat

Question 11

When did the US Air Force drop two atomic bombs on Japan?

Answer 11

6 and 9 August 1945

Question 12

How did the Soviet Union help the Greek communists trying to take over the government in 1946?

Answer 12

By voicing encouragement

Question 13

What US fears did the Soviets voicing encouragement to the Greek communists add to and how did the US respond?

Answer 13

Added to the fears of a communist takeover of Europe. The US government sent money to the Greek government to remove the communists

Question 14

Which European countries became communist throughout 1947 and 1948?

Answer 14

The remaining countries under Soviet influence in Eastern Europe

Question 15

How did the remaining Eastern European countries under Soviet influence become communist?

Answer 15

Some were taken over by force while others held elections in which the only candidates allowed to stand were members of the Communist Party

Question 16

By what year had all the countries of Eastern Europe had communist governments?

Answer 16

1950

Question 17

What did the Truman Doctrine (March 1947) promise?

Answer 17

Help to support any country resisting takeover by other groups or countries (by which they meant communists) (simple terms: the USA would help any country at risk of communist takeover)

Question 18

What did the Marshall Plan do?

Answer 18

Back up the Truman Doctrine with financial help (in the belief that communist ideas were more likely to take hold in areas of poverty) - gave millions of dollars of aid to many European countries suffering from economic problems after the Second World War

Question 19

What did Stalin do in response to the Marshall Plan/Truman Doctrine?

Answer 19

Believe the USA was trying to extend its influence and did not allow Eastern European countries to accept the aid offered

Question 20

How was Germany divided in 1945?

Answer 20

Into four: the USA, the Soviet Union, France, and the UK each controlled a zone

Question 21

Berlin was also divided into four, but which zone was it inside?

Answer 21

The Soviet zone of Germany

Question 22

What did Britain, France, and the USA do in 1946 without consulting the Soviet Union?

Answer 22

Combine their zones into one area that later became West Germany

Question 23

What did Stalin do in Jun 1948 that started the Berlin Crisis?

Answer 23

Block all road, rail, and canal supply lines into West Berlin

Question 24

What was Stalin’s aim in blocking access to West Berlin?

Answer 24

To make the whole of Berlin dependent on the Soviet Union and free from Western influence

Question 25

How did President Truman see the isolation of West Berlin?

Answer 25

As a test of the Truman Doctrine

Question 26

How were supplies taken into West Berlin during the Berlin Crisis?

Answer 26

By aircraft from Western allies

Question 27

When were the supply lines reopened?

Answer 27

May 1949

Question 28

How did the Soviets see the supply lines reopening?

Answer 28

As a moral defeat

Question 29

What did the events of 1949-50 convince Americans?

Answer 29

That the Soviet Union wanted world domination

Question 30

What did the events of 1949-50 provide support for?

Answer 30

For the communists in the Chinese civil war and to North Korea in its attempt to take over South Korea

Question 31

Where were there other communist uprisings after the Chinese communists won the civil war and took control of China in 1949?

Answer 31

Malaya, Indonesia, Burma and the PhilippinesW

Question 32

When did communist North Korea invade capitalist South Korea?

Answer 32

1950

Question 33

The US government persuaded the United Nations to do what to help South Korea?

Answer 33

Send military help

Question 34

Who was North Korea supported by?

Answer 34

The Soviet Union

Question 35

How far did the UN forces manage to push the North Korean forces back by?

Answer 35

Beyond the original border

Question 36

Who did North Korea/UN forces threaten by pushing back beyond the original border and what did it provoke them to do?

Answer 36

Threatened China and provoked the Chinese into joining the war in support of North Korea

Question 37

How long did the Korean War last for despite no more further gains and when did fighting end?

Answer 37

2 more years of conflict, fighting ended in July 1953

Question 38

When did the Soviet Union successfully test its own atomic bomb?

Answer 38

August 1949

Question 39

Why were Americans shocked and afraid after the Soviets tested an atomic bomb?

Answer 39

Their country's biggest enemy had a weapon capable of huge destruction

Question 40

Who was the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)?

Answer 40

J. Edgar Hoover

Question 41

What were J. Edgar Hoover's government views and what did he do to support his views?

Answer 41

He had very strong anti-communist views

Question 42

What role did J. Edgar Hoover play in the first Red Scare?

Answer 42

He played a major role in arresting suspected communists

Question 43

What did the FBI start doing as the Cold War began?

Answer 43

Creating files of evidence on those it suspected of spying for communist Russia

Question 44

What did the order President Truman gave in March 1947 (after Hoover wrote to him of his concern of communist spies working within Federal government departments) state?

Answer 44

It allowed government employees to be removed from their posts if there were 'reasonable grounds' to believe they were disloyal to the US

Question 45

What did Federal Loyalty Boards to?

Answer 45

Investigate government employees to find out if they were communists or had links to communism

Question 46

How many government workers were investigated between 1947 and 1951?

Answer 46

Around 3 million

Question 47

How many government workers were fired or forced to resign because they were considered to be a security risk between 1947 and 1951

Answer 47

Up to 3,000 people

Question 48

Was any evidence of actual spying found between 1947 and 1951 when 3 million government workers were investigated?

Answer 48

No

Question 49

How did states, cities and private businesses respond to the growth of the fear of communism?

Answer 49

Investigated their workforce and thousands of employees, some of which were only suspected of being sympathetic to communists, lost their jobs

Question 50

What does HUAC stand for?

Answer 50

The House Committee on Un-American Activities

Question 51

When was HUAC set up, by who and for what?

Answer 51

In 1938 by the US government to monitor extremist groups suspected of 'Un-American' activities

Question 52

When did HUAC begin public hearings and on what threat?

Answer 52

In the climate of 1947 on the threat presented by the Communist Party of America

Question 53

Who was the most important witness of HUAC hearings and what did he see in HUAC's potential?

Answer 53

J. Edgar Hoover saw HUAC's potential in educating the public and exposing traitors

Question 54

What did the FBI begin secretly passing to HUAC?

Answer 54

Intelligence

Question 55

What was the concern with communists and the film industry?

Answer 55

That communists would try to use the film industry to spread propaganda

Question 56

How many writers, producers and directors did HUAC call for questioning about communism in Hollywood in October 1947?

Answer 56

41

Question 57

How many people did the writers, producers and directors name as communists?

Answer 57

19

Question 58

How many of the 19 people named as communists refused to answer any questions in their appearance before HUAC and what did they plead?

Answer 58

10 pleaded the First Amendment of the US Constitution

Question 59

What was the result of the Hollywood Ten refusing to answer any questions at their trial?

Answer 59

They were jailed for 1 year for contempt and were blacklisted

Question 60

How did investigating Hollywood affect HUAC and what did it increase?

Answer 60

It gave huge publicity to HUAC's work and increased anti-communist hysteria

Question 61

What impact did the investigation of Hollywood have on Hollywood itself?

Answer 61

A big impact as film makers increased their production of anti-communist films

Question 62

Who was Alger Hiss?

Answer 62

A member of the State Department who had been an important adviser to Presiden tRoosevelt in the 1930s and during WWII

Question 63

What was Hiss named a member of during a HUAC hearing in 1948?

Answer 63

A communist group

Question 64

How did Hiss respond to HUAC when he was called for questioning?

Answer 64

He denied being a communist

Question 65

What did Richard Nixon, a member of HUAC, insist about Alger Hiss?

Answer 65

That he had been leaking information to the Soviet Union

Question 66

How long was Hiss sentenced, when was he sentenced and for what reason?

Answer 66

In January 1950 he was sentenced to 5 years in prison for lying to the court

Question 67

Was Hiss ever convicted of spying? How did people react to his sentence?

Answer 67

He was never convicted of spying but many people thought that he had been a spy, because he had been found guilty of something and sent to prison

Question 68

How did Alger Hiss being sent to prison and his position in the government affect the fear of communists in America?

Answer 68

Hiss worked at the highest level of government, which seemed to prove that J. Edgar Hoover was right that communist spies where everywhere, even in the highest offices in the land