AP United States History
Chapter 27
Postwar America, 1946 - 1952
Section 1: Reconversion
1.
2.
3.
4.
(pgs. 785 – 787)
Who first coined the phrase that the 1900’s would be the “American Century”?
After World War II, what were America’s 3 most important assets?
Describe the 2 biggest problems facing the US after World War II.
Regarding post war military contracts:
a. What was the total value of military contracts cancelled?
b. What was the amount of factory lay-offs?
Veterans Return
5. Regarding returning veterans:
a. How many US veterans were there by 1945?
b. What was the age range of these veterans?
c. Name the 2 personal hardships experienced by this generation of
Americans
d. List the 2 biggest problems facing returning veterans
6. Regarding the GI Bill:
a. How much funding did Congress appropriate for the GI Bill?
b. List the 3 goals of the GI Bill
Toward Prosperity
7. Regarding national finances:
a. Between 1941 and 1945, how much did Americans save?
b. Describe the increase of weekly wages
c. What was the American consumer ready to do?
8. Regarding Truman’s management of the economy:
a. What was his decision on controlling inflation?
b. What was the response of the business community?
c. Describe market reaction after inflation controls were lifted
d. What was labor’s response to inflation?
9. Regarding the labor strikes:
a. What was the number of workers engaged in strikes?
b. Give the number of nationwide strikes
c. Give the number of lost work days due to strikes
10. Regarding Truman’s response to labor demands:
a. Describe how Truman handled the railroad strike
b. Describe Truman’s response to the coal strike
c. List the 2 negative political results of Truman’s response
d. What party won back Congressional control in the 1946 midterm elections
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Section 2: Affluence and Anxiety
(pgs. 787 – 791)
Postwar American Family
11. Regarding the postwar baby boom:
a. What was the average marrying age
b. Describe the increase of children per family
c. Cite the increase in American population during the 1940’s
12. Regarding the changing role of women:
a. What was the postwar expectation of women?
b. What was the level of women employment in the work force?
c. List 3 social pressures placed on women
d. Describe the 2 childrearing attributes advocated by Dr. Benjamin Spock
e. List the 3 opportunities opened to women during World War II
f. Cite the affect of peace on women attendance to colleges
13. Regarding the Kinsey Report on Sexual Behavior:
a. Cite the finding on male sexual behavior (1948)
b. Cite the finding on female sexual behavior (1953)
c. What did critics charge Kinsey on his report?
14. Regarding American economic consumption:
a. List the 4 leading items consumed by American families
b. List the 4 leading causes for increased consumption
c. What was the 1950 consumer debt level?
d. What affect did consumer debt have on women in the workplace?
e. What were the general areas of employment available to women?
f. What was the % of women’s wages when compared to that of men?
Suburbia
15. Regarding the growth of suburbs:
a. What were the levels of new home construction for 1944, 1946, and 1950?
b. Where were 80% of these new homes built?
c. List the 2 forces driving the home construction boom
d. List 5 factors that attracted people to suburban living
Section 3: The Soviet Threat
(pgs 791 – 793)
16. Regarding divisions between the United States and the Soviet Union:
a. List the 2 biggest problems in 1946
b. What charge did the Soviet make on the United States?
c. What charge did the United States make on the Soviet Union?
Containment
17. Regarding the concept of containment:
a. List 2 actions taken by Truman in 1945 that excluded the Soviet Union.
b. Describe Stalin’s moves in 1946
c. Who delivered the “Iron Curtain” speech in Fulton, MO in 1946?
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18. Regarding the policy of containment:
a. Who developed the doctrine?
b. What was the stated ultimate goal of the Soviet Union
The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan
19. Regarding the Soviet threat in 1947:
a. List 3 Middle East nations under Soviet threat
b. What US ally gave up control of the Middle East?
c. Who was the United States Secretary of State in 1947?
d. How did the US view the Soviet threat in Greece?
20. Regarding the Truman Doctrine:
a. Describe the 2 choices Truman believed were before the nations of the
world.
b. What did critics charge against the Truman Doctrine?
c. How much funding did Congress allocate to Turkey and Greece?
21. Regarding the Marshall Plan:
a. What was the political goal behind the plan?
b. What was the economic goal of the plan?
c. Describe Russia’s response at the Paris Peace Conference in June 1947
d. How much funding did the United States appropriate for the Marshall
Plan?
e. List the 3 nations that received most of the aid
f. List 6 benefits of the Marshall Plan
22. Regarding Soviet actions in Eastern Europe:
a. Hungary
b. Czechoslovakia
23. Describe the following acts and organizations:
a. National Security Act
b. National Security Council
c. Central Intelligence Agency
Section 4: Liberalism in Retreat
(pgs. 793 – 798)
24. Regarding Truman’s Domestic Programs:
a. What was the name of Truman’s domestic legislation agenda?
b. List 2 reasons why Republicans failed to support Truman
The Cold War at Home
25. List 2 psychological affects the Iron Curtain had on Americans
26. What was the function of the 1947 Loyal Security Program?
27. Regarding the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC):
a. What was its focus in the 1930’s?
b. What was its focus in 1947?
c. Who was the leading Congressman of the committee?
d. What accusations were made against FDR?
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e.
f.
g.
h.
What became of the “Hollywood Ten”?
What famous actor openly expressed disdain for all communists?
List 2 prominent men accused of being communists
What became of Hiss in 1948?
The Domestic Agenda
28. Regarding Truman’s domestic agenda:
a. List 2 Truman programs that failed to pass Congress in 1947
b. What was the function of the Taft-Hartley Act?
c. List 2 reasons why Republicans wanted to reduce the power of unions
d. What was the total union membership by 1947?
e. What 2 aspects of the Taft-Hartley Act were designed to dispel future
strikes?
29. Regarding Truman’s efforts on Civil Rights:
a. List 2 changes instituted by Truman as Chief Executive
30. Regarding Major League Baseball breaking the “color line”:
a. In what year did Jackie Robinson break the color barrier in major league
baseball?
What team did Robinson play for?
b. List 3 popular black baseball stars of the old Negro League
c. Name the Dodger General Manager responsible for enlisting Robinson to
play major league baseball
Man of the People
31. Regarding the 1948 election:
a. List the 2 biggest obstacles confronting Truman
b. Name the faction of the Democratic Party led by Wallace
c. Who were the Democratic President and Vice-Presidential candidates?
d. What issue rallied the faction of Dixiecrats?
e. Who ran as the Dixiecrat candidate?
f. Who were the Republican Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates?
32. List the 5 components of Truman’s request of Congress
33. What controversial nation did Truman diplomatically recognize in 1948?
34. Regarding the 1948 Berlin Crisis:
a. What 3 Allied powers wanted to merge their occupied zones into the new
nation West Germany?
b. On what side of the dividing line did Berlin lie?
c. Describe the reaction of the Soviet controlled East Germany
d. Describe the US reaction to the Soviet blockade of Berlin
35. Regarding the 1948 election results:
a. Truman’s popular vote %
b. Dewey’s popular vote %
c. Dixiecrat popular vote %
d. Progressive popular vote %
e. Who carried MO?
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Section 5: Trouble in Asia
(Pgs 798 – 801)
The Fall of China
36. Regarding Soviet nuclear programs:
a. In what year did the Soviet Union develop nuclear weapons?
b. What was the US belief of Soviet nuclear capabilities
37. Regarding the Chinese Crisis:
a. Who led Nationalist China?
b. Who led Communist China?
c. Who did Chiang expect to help him against the communists?
d. What did the US contribute to Chiang’s efforts?
e. Who was the US Secretary of State?
f. Describe the US reaction to the fall of China to the communists
38. What was the function of the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty Organization
39. List the 4 major components of the NSC-68 document
The Korean War
40. Regarding post World War Korea:
a. What nation controlled North Korea?
b. What nation controlled South Korea?
c. Who was the political leader of North Korea?
d. Who was the political leader of South Korea?
e. Described the promise elections scheduled for 1948
f. Describe the action of North Korea in June 1950
41. Regarding US reaction in Korea:
a. What was Truman’s action toward South Korea in 1949?
b. List 2 reasons why Truman felt pressure to send US troops to South Korea
c. Who commanded US troops in Korea?
42. Regarding US advances in the Korean War:
a. Describe the extent of US progress by November 1950
b. List 2 problems associated with Mac Arthur’s success
c. What nation entered the Korean War on the side of North Korea in
November 1950?
d. List the 3 military objectives called for by Mac Arthur
43. Regarding Truman’s reaction to Mac Arthur’s military leadership:
a. List 3 reasons why Truman was opposed to widening the Korean War
b. What did Truman view as the leading threat to American interests?
c. Describe Mac Arthur’s persistence?
d. Describe Truman’s action with Mac Arthur
e. Describe the American public’s opinion of Truman’s actions with Mac
Arthur
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Section 6: McCarthyism and the Election of 1952:
(pgs 801 – 805)
The Rise of Joe McCarthy
44. Describe McCarthy’s claim in his 1950 political speech for US Senate
45. Regarding McCarthy’s claims:
a. List 4 recent gains by Communists that made American actually believe
McCarthy’s false claims
b. How did Republicans “use” McCarthy’s claims?
c. List the 3 top Democratic officials and the charges made by Senator
McCarthy of each one
d. What eventually became of Joe McCarthy?
“I Like Ike”
46. Regarding the end of Truman’s Presidential term:
a. What was Truman’s public approval rating by 1952?
b. Who were the 1952 Democratic Presidential and Vice Presidential
candidates?
c. List the 2 political liabilities of Stevenson
47. Regarding the 1952 Republican Convention:
a. List the 2 leaders of the moderate Republicans
b. List the 3 leaders of the Conservative Republicans
48. Regarding the political rise of Dwight Eisenhower:
a. Eisenhower’s birthplace?
b. Military school attended
c. Military position by 1930’s
d. Military position by 1941
e. Military position by 1944
49. Regarding the Republicans of 1952:
a. Who were nominated as Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates?
b. List the 3 biggest concerns for the Republicans
c. What was the popular chant of Eisenhower supporters?
50. Regarding Nixon’s “Checkers Scandal”:
a. What was discovered in Nixon’s possession?
b. What was Nixon accused of?
c. Who did Nixon blame for his bad relations with the public?
d. How did Nixon confront the accusations?
e. Describe the political reaction of the public to Nixon’s “Checkers speech”
51. Regarding Eisenhower’s 1952 campaign:
a. List 4 aspects of FDR’s New Deal supported by Eisenhower
b. What was Eisenhower’s popular vote and electoral vote results?
c. What was Stevenson’s popular vote and electoral vote results?
52. With Republicans only gaining a small majority of seats in Congress, what can
best be said as to why so many Americans chose Eisenhower over Stevenson for
President?
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