Chapter Chronology

Quiz for Documenting the American Promise: “The Emerging Cold War”

Choose the best answer to each question.

Question

1. When Joseph Stalin said, in his speech to the people of Moscow in February 1946, “The Red Army heroically withstood all the adversities of the war, routed completely the armies of our enemies, and emerged victoriously from the war. This is recognized by everybody—friend and foe,” he was likely

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is C. Stalin’s words refer to the fact that the Red Army bore a significant part of the burden of fighting the Nazis in Europe until May 1944, when the United States finally invaded France. Stalin had been resentful of the Americans’ long delay in initiating military operations in Europe, and the fact that the Soviet Union lost more than 20 million soldiers and civilians in the war. That resentment does seem implicit in this statement.
Incorrect. The correct answer is C. Stalin’s words refer to the fact that the Red Army bore a significant part of the burden of fighting the Nazis in Europe until May 1944, when the United States finally invaded France. Stalin had been resentful of the Americans’ long delay in initiating military operations in Europe, and the fact that the Soviet Union lost more than 20 million soldiers and civilians in the war. That resentment does seem implicit in this statement.

Question

2. In his February 1946 speech in Moscow, Joseph Stalin stated, “I have no doubt that if we render the necessary assistance to our scientists, they will be able not only to overtake but also in the very near future to surpass the achievements of science outside the boundaries of our country.” To what did Harry Truman and Winston Churchill and others from the United States and Britain probably believe Stalin was referring?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is D. The United States and Britain believed that Americans’ place at the pinnacle of world power was guaranteed by their exclusive possession of the atomic bomb at the end of World War II. Churchill and Truman were focused on maintaining the United States’ position as the preeminent superpower, and, because atomic weapons made that possible, they assumed Stalin was similarly focused on obtaining them.
Incorrect. The correct answer is D. The United States and Britain believed that Americans’ place at the pinnacle of world power was guaranteed by their exclusive possession of the atomic bomb at the end of World War II. Churchill and Truman were focused on maintaining the United States’ position as the preeminent superpower, and, because atomic weapons made that possible, they assumed Stalin was similarly focused on obtaining them.

Question

3. In his speech at Westminster College in Missouri in March 1946, Winston Churchill describes events in Eastern Europe as follows: “The Communist parties, which were very small in all of these eastern states of Europe, have been raised to preeminence and power far beyond their numbers and are seeking everywhere to obtain totalitarian control. Police governments are prevailing in nearly every case.” With this description, Churchill is making an implicit comparison between Soviet communism and

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is C. In this speech, Churchill was implying that communism and Nazism were essentially the same, aiming to fire up opposition to his former ally Joseph Stalin.
Incorrect. The correct answer is C. In this speech, Churchill was implying that communism and Nazism were essentially the same, aiming to fire up opposition to his former ally Joseph Stalin.

Question

4. In his speech at Madison Square Garden in September 1946, Secretary of Commerce Henry Wallace said, “To achieve lasting peace, we must study in detail just how the Russian character was formed—by invasions of Tartars, Mongols, Germans, Poles, Swedes, and French; by the czarist rule based on ignorance, fear, and force; by the intervention of the British, French, and Americans in Russian affairs from 1919 to 1921; by the geography of the huge Russian land mass situated strategically between Europe and Asia; and by the vitality derived from the rich Russian soil and the strenuous Russian climate.” By framing his speech with this description, Wallace was ascribing what type of motive to Stalin’s actions in Eastern Europe at the end of World War II?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is A. In this speech, Wallace was pointing to Russian history and culture as the source of its desire to create a defensive buffer zone in the countries of Eastern Europe after World War II.
Incorrect. The correct answer is A. In this speech, Wallace was pointing to Russian history and culture as the source of its desire to create a defensive buffer zone in the countries of Eastern Europe after World War II.

Question

5. The speeches of Winston Churchill and Henry Wallace both acknowledge Stalin’s desire to defend the Soviet Union against future German aggression, and both concede that the Soviets probably do not desire war. In which of the following ways do the two leaders’ suggestions about the West’s approach to relations with the Soviet Union in the postwar era differ?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is B. Churchill’s speech promotes the necessity of military strength and toughness on the part of the West in order to defend against the Soviet Union’s geographical and ideological expansion. Wallace argues that the United States and Britain should seek to understand the Soviet Union and pursue peaceful cooperation with Stalin to avoid another war.
Incorrect. The correct answer is B. Churchill’s speech promotes the necessity of military strength and toughness on the part of the West in order to defend against the Soviet Union’s geographical and ideological expansion. Wallace argues that the United States and Britain should seek to understand the Soviet Union and pursue peaceful cooperation with Stalin to avoid another war.