The Cold War, 1945-1960
Test Review Guide
The test will be in two parts. Part One will consist of twenty-six objective questions, each worth
one point; Part Two will be two short essays, each worth twelve points. Here is the material you
should review, in addition to your notes and homework.
Readings and Other Sources:
Ambrose Chapter 4 – The Beginnings of the Cold War
The Cold War and the Nuclear Age, documents 1-10
Ambrose Chapter 5 – The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan
The Berlin Airlift
Red Americans, Chapter 26.1: Origins of the Cold War
Mapping America’s Past - The Korean War
Ambrose Chapter 7 – Korea
Ambrose Chapter 8 – Eisenhower, Dulles, and the Irreconcilable Conflict (pp. 127-135, 141-150)
Notes on Eisenhower’s Foreign Policy
Events During the Eisenhower Years
The U2 Incident: The Ill-Fated Mission
Eisenhower’s Farewell Speech
Key Terms, Events and People:
Any of these may be the subject of a multiple-choice question. Also, this list should be a helpful
reference as you prepare for the essay questions.
 George F. Kennan
 Containment
 Iron Curtain
 Truman Doctrine
 National Security Act of 1947
 National Security Council
 Marshall Plan
 Berlin Airlift
 Josef Stalin
 NATO
 Chinese Revolution
 Mao Zedong
 Chiang Kai-Shek
 Taiwan (Formosa)
 Soviet Atom Bomb
 NSC-68
 Red Scare
 Joe McCarthy
 McCarthyism
 Korean War
 MacArthur’s Dismissal
Alcorn, CA500, Fall 2007
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Korean Armistice
38th Parallel
CIA
Nikita Kruschev
Dwight Eisenhower
John Foster Dulles
Allen Dulles
Arms Race
New Look Policy
Massive Retaliation
Brinkmanship
Sputnik
Space Race
ICBM
Coup in Iran
Coup in Guatemala
Warsaw Pact
Hungarian Uprising
Suez War
Abdel Nasser
Eisenhower Doctrine
Cuban Revolution
Fidel Castro
U-2 Incident
Military-Industrial Complex
Essay Questions: Three of these questions will be on the test; you will select two to answer.
 Assess the impact of domestic politics on US foreign policy during this period.
 Was the arms race evidence of a rational foreign policy?
 Was American foreign policy during this period consistent with the principles articulated
in the Truman Doctrine?
 Imagine you are President. Select one important event during this period and explain
how and why you would handle it differently from the actual president.
Alcorn, CA500, Fall 2007