Key Individuals

Question 1

Who was Franklin D. Roosevelt?

Answer 1

32nd President of the United States from 1933 to 1945
One of the most popular presidents in US history
Led America through the Great Depression and WW2
Attended Tehran and Yalta
Began the ‘New Deal’ policy before his untimely death in April, 1945

Question 2

Who was Harry S Truman?

Answer 2

33rd President of the United States from 1945 to 1952
Kickstarted American aggression towards communism through his doctrine and policy of ‘containment’
Widely unpopular by the end of his presidency (22% Approval rating)

Question 3

Who was Winston Churchill?

Answer 3

Prime Minister of Britain during WW2
Attended Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam (briefly)
Replaced by Clement Atlee at Potsdam
Delivers the ‘Iron Curtain’ speech in 1946

Question 4

Who was Joseph Stalin?

Answer 4

Premier of the Soviet Union from 1929 to 1953
Attended Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam
Delivers the February 9th Speech in 1946 - inevitability of war between capitalism and communism
Enacts the Berlin Blockade in 1948

Question 5

Who was Douglas MacArthur?

Answer 5

Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers
Oversaw Japan’s occupation (1945-52)
General of the UN forces in the Korean War until he was relieved of duty by Truman due to his suggestion of atomic warfare against China (April, 1951)

Question 6

Who was Hirohito?

Answer 6

Emperor of Imperial Japan
Allowed to keep his title after WW2, had no power within Japan during it’s American occupation

Question 7

Who was George Kennan?

Answer 7

The US ambassador based in Moscow
Sent Truman the ‘Long Telegram’ (Feb, 1946) highlighting how the USSR are expansionist and wanting to spread communism however will back down if challenged
Criticised the Truman Doctrine for being too sweeping with no criteria for what labels a country threatened

Question 8

Who was Nikolai Novikov?

Answer 8

Soviet ambassador based in Washington
Sends the ‘Novikov Telegram’ to Stalin (Sept, 1946) highlighting US foreign policy’s end-goal being ‘world supremacy’

Question 9

Who was Walter Lippman?

Answer 9

American Journalist
Criticised the Truman Doctrine to be ‘an ideological crusade [which] has no limits. It cannot be controlled.’
Highlighted the impulsivity of Truman could cause devastating after-effects for his foreign policy (proven later on via China + Korea)

Question 10

Who was George Marshall?

Answer 10

Truman’s Secretary of State
Suggested the basis of the Marshall Plan after touring a war-torn Europe
Argued against endorsing the partition of Palestine - ignored by Truman

Question 11

Who was William Tunner?

Answer 11

US General in charge of orchestrating the Berlin Airlift
His ‘straight-in approach’ to the Airlift maximised the efficiency of supplies being flown into Berlin
Boasted how ‘We can keep pouring it in for 20 years if we have to.’

Question 12

Who was Mao Zedong?

Answer 12

Communist Leader of China (1949-76)
Defeated Kai-Shek’s Nationalist forces ending the Chinese Civil War
Established China as the ‘People’s Republic of China’

Question 13

Who was Chiang Kai-Shek?

Answer 13

Leader of the Chinese Nationalists
Supported by the USA in the Chinese Civil War ($2 billion given)
Once defeated by Mao, him and his forces fled to Taiwan

Question 14

Who was Tsiang Tingfu?

Answer 14

The Chinese Nationalist Representative at the United Nations (1947-62)
Warned the world that the fall of China to communism would cause a rippling effect throughout Asia for more revolts of democracies in favour of communism - proven right by 1950 via the Korean War/Indochina

Question 15

Who was Ho Chi Minh?

Answer 15

Formed the Indo-Chinese Communist Party (1930) to fight against French occupation in Vietnam
Fought guerrilla warfare against the Japanese in WW2 - expected US support after WW2
Truman refused to support Minh, instead covering 78% of France’s cost invading Indo-China
Viewed as a ‘puppet’ of Stalin by the USA

Question 16

Who was Kim Il Sung?

Answer 16

Installed by the Soviets to rule North Korea (1948-94)
Supported by China during the Korean War

Question 17

Who was Syngman Rhee?

Answer 17

Elected to rule South Korea (1948-60)
Supported by UN/US during the Korean War

Question 18

Who was Matthew Ridgway?

Answer 18

US General of the UN forces after MacArthur’s dismissal in 1951
His tactic of ‘Dynamic Defence’ revitalised UN troops and helped stabilise the Korean War

Question 19

Who was David Ben-Gurion?

Answer 19

The first Prime Minister of Israel
Proclaimed the nationhood of Israel on the 14th May 1948 - struck a table to emphasise ‘The name of our state shall be Israel’

Question 20

Who was Chaim Weizmann?

Answer 20

The first President of Israel
His gift to Truman was accepted on the 25th May 1948 - a Torah - due to Truman’s recognition of Israel earlier that month

Question 21

Who was Clark Clifford?

Answer 21

A key advisor to Truman leading up the 1948 election
Pushed for Truman to endorse the UN partition of Palestine in order to win the votes of Jewish people within America
Said the infamous ‘Harry Truman the man’ phrase in regards to who won the 1948 election

Question 22

Who was Dwight Eisenhower?

Answer 22

General of the Army within Europe during WW2
Saw the bombings of Japan to be ‘completely unnecessary’
Declined both Republican and Democrat prepositions to run for President pre-1948

Question 23

Who was Joseph Martin?

Answer 23

House Minority Leader
‘not even President Roosevelt had asked for so much at one sitting.’ - highlights how Truman wasn’t respected unlike his predecessor, FDR

Question 24

Who was Strom Thurmond?

Answer 24

Leader of the ‘Dixiecrat’ party which stemmed from Democrats who broke away from the party (1948)
Attempted to run for President in 1948 under ‘State’s Rights’ slogan

Question 25

Who was Thomas Dewey?

Answer 25

Truman's Republican opposition in the 1948 election Ran an 'overconfident and uninspired' campaign Lost by 2 million votes

Question 26

Who were Fielding L Wright and Earl Warren?

Answer 26

Running Mates of their respective parties during the 1948 election Wright - Dixiecrats Warren - Republican

Question 27

Who were Robert A. Taft and Fred A. Hartley?

Answer 27

Republicans who pushed for the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947 This act curtailed the power of unions, made them non-compulsory and liable for breaching contract

Question 28

Who was Joseph McCarthy?

Answer 28

Republican Senator who capitalized on the 'Red Scare' Figurehead of 'Red Scare' and threw 'red-bait' accusations at virtually everyone who opposed him

Question 29

Who was Roy Cohn?

Answer 29

American lawyer McCarthy's chief counsel Rose to prominence due to his 'prosecutorial misconduct' in using Greenglass' testimony (perjury) to convict the Rosenbergs (1951)

Question 30

Who was Douglas Maclean?

Answer 30

Member of the 'Cambridge 5' British Spy who had passed US/UK/Canadian atomic secrets (specifically plutonium developments) to Moscow while based in Washington (1944-48) Also informed Soviets of the formation of NATO and Marshall Aid to Greece + Turkey

Question 31

Who was Millard Tydings?

Answer 31

Chairman of 'Tydings' Committee' which investigated McCarthy's claims on communists - 'a fraud and a hoax' Fell from influence after a forged photograph between him and the US Communist Party leader was spread by McCarthy's followers (1950)

Question 32

Who was Arthur Vandenberg?

Answer 32

US Senator during Truman's Presidency Advised Truman to 'scare the hell' out of the American people during the 'Truman Doctrine' speech Kickstarted the 'Red Scare' thanks to this advice

Question 33

Who was Alger Hiss?

Answer 33

US government official Accused + convicted of espionage and communist connections (1948)

Question 34

Who was Klaus Fuchs?

Answer 34

German physicist working on Manhattan Project Confessed to leaking atomic documents to Soviets (1950)

Question 35

Who were Ethel and Julius Rosenberg?

Answer 35

Communist Spies who were the couriers of Fuchs' atomic documents to the Soviets 'Shopped' by Ethel's brother, David Greenglass, in exchange for the freedom of his wife Convicted (1951) and executed by electrocution (1953)

Question 36

Who was Adlai Stevenson?

Answer 36

Presidential Candidate in 1952 after Truman stepped aside as the Democrat's choice Victim of the public mob (McCarthyites/Right-wingers) led by McCarthy Hated due to being a 'commie-crat' and his speeches being 'trilled' in a 'fruity' voice (homophobia)

Question 37

Who was J. Edgar Hoover?

Answer 37

Chief of the FBI during 'Red Scare' Between 1947 - 1952, over 3 million FBI investigations on supposed communist leads Truman had privately compared him and the FBI to the Nazi Gestapo'

Question 38

Who was Edward Dmytryk?

Answer 38

Member of the 'Hollywood 10' Only one to 'flip' - after serving 4 months he admits to being communist and named other alleged members This led to his blacklisting ending, and he continued directing films in the US

Question 39

Who was Dalton Trumbo?

Answer 39

Member of the 'Hollywood 10' Screenwriter who refused to testify to the HUAC Despite his blacklist from entertainment, continued publishing screenplays with no credit given

Question 40

Who was Thurgood Marshall?

Answer 40

Civil Rights activist Lawyer for the NAACP (won 29 out of the 32 cases) Specifically won the 'Brown v. Board of Education' (1954) - desegregated public schools

Question 41

Who was A. Philip Randolph?

Answer 41

Civil Rights Activists Influential in civil rights within trade unions His pressuring of presidents meant the establishing of the FEPC (1940), Executive Order 9981/Desegregation of Army (1948) and the Civil Rights Act (1964)

Question 42

Who was Adam Clayton Powell?

Answer 42

Civil Rights activist Founded the newspaper - 'People's Voice' Elected 12 times consecutively to House of Reps Became Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labour (1961)

Question 43

Who was George McLaurin?

Answer 43

Cause for 'McLaurin v. Oklahoma State' (1950) Allowed to enter the University of Oklahoma to pursue a PhD - kept segregated

Question 44

Who was Herman Sweatt?

Answer 44

Cause for 'Sweatt v. Painter' (1950) The Court had ruled him attending a different school just because of his race was unequal - accepted to Texas University