1. Explain the rationale for the postwar policy of containment. Show how it was applied in a. the Truman Doctrine.

b. the Marshall Plan.

c. NATO.

2. Trace the origins of the Cold War, including

a. the historical background of United States — Soviet Union relations.

b. the wartime relationship. c. early postwar developments.

3. To what degree do you think each of the following contributed to the Cold War:

a. President Truman’s style? b. the Soviet Union’s security interests?

c. American expectations for the postwar world?

4. Weigh the contributions made by both the United States and the Soviet Union to the developing Cold War. Do you think the Cold War was inevitable? Why? If so, at what point did it become inevitable?

5. Identify the factors that produced the anti-Communist "witch-hunt" after World War II. List some of its most important short- and long-term consequences.

6. Assess President Truman’s response to the outbreak of hostilities in Korea in 1950. Do you think he acted properly with regard to

a. the United Nations?

b. Congress? c. his military commanders?

Why or why not?

7. Why did President Truman relieve General MacArthur from command in Korea? Do you think it was a wise decision? Why or why not?

8. Though he was decidedly unpopular when he left the presidency, President Truman has since come to be viewed as one of America’s ten "greatest" presidents. Explain

a. why his popularity was so low in 1952. b. why he is so well rated in retrospect.

9. Evaluate the trade-offs at the Yalta Conference in 1945. Do you think it was a "sellout" to the Soviet Union? Why or why not?

10. Do you think the Nazi and Japanese leaders should have been tried in "war crimes" trials even though their crimes were not clearly defined as such before the war began? Why or why not?

11. Explain why the United States had such a tremendous "success story" in postwar Japan but the opposite in China. Who was responsible for the "fall of China"?

12. Evaluate President Truman’s strategy and conduct as commander in chief during the Korean War. Assess the realism of his goals and the propriety of his means.

13. How important has the post—World War II "baby boom" been to recent American history? Indicate its impact on each decade since 1945. What importance is it likely to have in the next twentyfive years?