APUSH Cold War Questions

1.Analyze the influence of TWO of the following on American-Soviet relations in the decade following the Second World War.
Yalta Conference Communist Revolution in China
Korean War McCarthyism
2.What were the Cold War fears of the American people in the aftermath of the Second World War? How successfully did the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower address these fears?
3.In what ways did the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson respond to the political, economic and social problems in the United States? Assess the effectiveness of these responses.*
4.1968 was a turning point for the United States. To what extent is this assessment accurate? In your answer, discuss TWO of the following.
National Politics Vietnam War Civil Rights

1. American-Soviet relations :
Yalta Conference (1945) – divided Germany into four zones between British, French, American and the Soviets and did the same to the city of Berlin. Because Berlin was in Soviet territory, it caused tension between the Soviets and the Americans. When the Soviets blockaded Berlin in 1948, the Americans, proving their commitment to the Truman doctrine of 1947, started the massive Berlin Airlift to bring supplies to the people of Berlin. Eventually, the Soviets relented, but this event showed tensions between the two superpowers.
The Korean War began in 1950 and was primarily a proxy war between the US and the USSR. The problem was that both North Korea's leader and South Korea's leader wanted to unite Korea which had been previously split at the 38th parallel. The Soviets were interested in a Communist controlled state while the United States vouched for a democratic society. Aided by Soviet tanks, weapons and funds, North Korea initiated an assault against South Korea. When the United Nations declared this illegal, the United States and other nations intervened on behalf of South Korea. The conflict eventually ended in 1953 but showed how intent the Soviets and Americans were at spreading their respective ideologies.
2.Cold War Fears and Eisenhower
Following World War II, there was a “Red Scare.” Fueled by the accusations of Senator Joseph McCarthy, American politics turned into a modern-day Salem Witch trial. People were accused left and right with no evidence to back up claims, yet despite how untrue those claims may have been, many of the accused lost their livelihoods. A striking example of this was the Hollywood Ten, a group of writers and directors in Hollywood who stuck up to the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) in 1947.
On the international level, President Eisenhower and his Secretary of State John Dulles shaped US foreign policy to be consistent with George Kennan's theory of containment. In response to Soviet nuclear stockpiles, Eisenhowever responded with the New Look defense policy. In Vietnam, after the French withdrew as compliant with the Geneva Accords, the United States intervened. For the Chinese Civil War, the United States openly backed the more democratic Nationalists. Although Eisenhowever “lost” China at the end, his attempts to contain Communism were well recorded and showed the United States' commitment to a democratic world.
3. LBJ's Administration
In response to economic problems, President Johnson designed the “Great Society.” His reforms were similar to those of President Roosevelts' in that they served to help the disabled or unemployed. During Johnson's presidency, he initiated a “War on Poverty” and helped pass Medicare (health care for the elderly) and Medicaid (health care for the poor). In regards to education, Johnson helped pass the Higher Education Act of 1965 which would provide financial assistance to lower income children who wanted to go to college.
On the Civil Rights front, he helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a momentous achievement for civil rights activists. The next year, he passed the Voting Rights Act and in 1967, nominated Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court which would lead to an era of liberal court cases.
In politics, Johnson continued the policy of containment in Vietnam. Under the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, he initiated US involvement in the ground war in Vietnam. Although President Johnson sought to help the civil rights movement and aid the poor, the Vietnam War often impeded and delayed necessary reforms. Johnson tried to help, but because of US involvement in Vietnam, many of his goals failed to be met and many Americans were upset with him.
4.1968: Politics, Vietnam, Civil Rights
1968 was a turning point for National Politics and the Civil Rights movement. In 1968, support for the Vietnam war had fallen greatly particularly thanks to the Tet Offensive that revealed that Americans were making little progress in Vietnam. In the same year, presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was shot and killed and at the Democratic National Convention, there were confrontations between police and protestors. In the Election of 1968, Richard Nixon went primarily against Democrat Hubert Humphrey. Although they won around the same amount of the popular vote, Nixon won by more than 100 electoral votes and thus the election.
On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was shot in Memphis, Tennessee. Martin Luther King was a strong leader of the Civil Rights Movement who advocated nonviolent protest and initiated the successful Montgomery Bus Boycotts. Due to this death, riots across the nation sprung up causing millions of dollars of property damage, hundreds of deaths, and thousands of arrests. Although King would die from his injuries at around 7pm at St. Joseph's Hospital, his legacy would survive him and help pass the Civil Rights Act of 1968.