The U.S. Enters the Vietnam War

1. Many neutral observers in Vietnam were critical of US policy. Explain why.

Many neutral observers in Vietnam were critical of US policy because democracy was subsided to capitalism, keeping these observers back so that communists will not easily win elections in Vietnam.

2. Explain how US politicians would have defended their policies.

US politicians would have defended their policies by not only exposing the true evils of communism, but also by emphasizing the domino theory.

3. The following events are not listed in correct date order. Place them in the correct chronological order. (Write the year inside the parenthesis, i.e. (1965). Then note the reason for each U.S. action, and how it brought the U.S. into deeper involvement in Vietnam.

The reasons you can choose from are: No direct involvement; financial support; political involvement; military involvement. Also, note what events triggered the increased involvement.

(1954) Formation of South Vietnam_____No direct involvement: It triggered the increased involvement

(1954) U.S. stops elections in Vietnam_____Political Involvement

(1960) Viet Cong formed_____No Direct Involvement: It triggered the increased involvement

(1960) Viet Cong attacks on U.S. and South Vietnam bases_____No direct involvement: It triggered the increased involvement

(1962) JFK sends military advisers_____Military Involvement

(1962) Number of 'advisers' reaches over 11,500_____Military Involvement

(1963) U.S. supports South Vietnam government after army overthrow Diem_____Financial Support

(1963) Assassination of JFK - Johnson becomes president_____No direct involvement: It triggered the increased involvement

(1964) Gulf of Tonkin Incident_____No Direct Involvement: It triggered the increased involvement

(1965) U.S. Marines land at Da Nang_____Military Involvement

4. Choose two events that you think were critical in getting the U.S. involved in a war in Vietnam. Explain

your choice.

1)

2)

The Cuban Missile Crisis

1. Kennedy described Wednesday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 27 as the darkest days of the crisis. Use the information on page 350 to explain why.

On October 24, the blockade of Cuba begins, and on October 27, tension builds as an american U-2 plane is shot down, Kennedy is forced to accept the terms suggested by Khrushchev the day before, and he threatens an invasion if the USSR didn't withdraw.

2. Do you think that nuclear war was ever a possibility in this crisis?

Because of the extreme growing tension between the US and the Soviet Union, I feel that nuclear war was indeed a possibility in this crisis, because if tension continued to grow more and more, more severe actions could be taken until nuclear war became the only option.

3. Is Source 26 a Soviet or an American cartoon? Explain your answer by referring to the details in the cartoon.

I think that Source 26 is an American cartoon for a few reasons. First, it seems as though more detail is drawn for Kennedy, which leads me to believe that since it is easier to draw someone easier to see, such as your own president, this would be the drawing of an American. Second, it seems like the details of the bomb under Kennedy are more complex, which may be for the reason that an American writer doesn't know the details on the look of a Soviet bomb.

4. Using Source 27 list any evidence you can find for and against each of the explanations.

To bargain with the USA- Khrushchev tried to bargain with the United States and was promised that the US would not invade Cuba

To test the USA- Testing the US could only increase tension between the two countries.

To trap the USA- This most likely was not the case, as Khrushchev knew that nuclear war would not be good for anyone

To get the upper hand in the arms race- Although this would cause tension, it seems a possibility as it would make nuclear war less of a threat to the Soviets

To defend Cuba- I feel that this could easily be a reason why the Soviets put missiles on Cuba because Cuba was crucial to the Soviet Union, and protecting Cuba would be a smart action

5. I think that Khrushchev most likely put missiles on Cuba to defend Cuba, because Cuba was the only communist country in the West, and it was necessary to protect Cuba to keep it communist.

The U.S. Attempts to Contain Cuba

1. Cuba was important to the United States not only was Cuba close to the US, but it could be used for missile launches.

2. I think the Americans chose to equip Cuban exiles rather than invading themselves because they thought that if they were to directly invade, the Soviet Union would take equal actions toward the US.

3. The invasion failed because the US feared that if they supported the Cuban exiles to a greater extent, they would be shown to be a large part of the invasion, so the US did not supply them well enough.

4. The Soviet Union missiles on Cuba changed the Cold War balance of power because it showed that the Soviet Union could be just as able to attack the US as the US would be able to attack the Soviet Union.

The American Dream in the 1950s

1. Baby Boom- "Baby Boom" was the biggest increase in birthrate in America.

2. Dr. Jonas Salk- Dr. Jonas Salk is responsible for clearing America of Polio by creating an injection to prevent the disease.

3. Interstate Highway System- The Interstate Highway System made it possible for urban and suburban areas to become more abundant.

4. Franchise- A Franchise is a company which has many outlets to offer their products around the world.

5. In the 1950s, Americans spent their leisure time doing various things to stay occupied. Reading was quite popular at the time, and many children, teenagers, and adults read for pleasure in their spare time. Families and couples spent time outdoors as well as participating in popular activities such as sports. Another thing people did was watched television, which became extremely popular around this time. In the 1950s, people did things very similar to what people do today, basing what they do on what can be entertaining and time wasting.

The Arms Race

1. I think Dulles had in mind either to defeat the USSR in an economical sense or to negotiate with them in order to 'liberate captive peoples' without a war.

2. Yes, I would agree that the Communist world was encircled because of NATO, SEATO, and CENTO which surrounded the USSR, causing increased tension.

3. I think that the development of nuclear weapons was what Dulls might have had in mind because he was the creator of brinkmanship, therefore he had a belief in nuclear weapon stockpiles.

4. The Soviet cartoon is saying that the US is spying on the USSR with the use of U-2 planes.

5. The USSR was angry about the US spy flights because they were negotiating with the US, and they thought of their spying as a sign of distrust and betrayal.

6. The US could've justified the violation of Soviet territory by the use of U-2 planes by saying they were spying to make sure the USSR wasn't stockpiling weapons of mass destruction against the US, yet the USSR could still look at that as a sign of distrust.

7. I think that if the USSR had U-2 planes they would use them because it would have been much more sufficient than using human spies.

8. I think that the US had missiles based in Europe in order to attack the USSR quicker than if they launched them from the US itself.

9. Nuclear deterrent is when you stockpile nuclear weapons to appease your enemy.

Eisenhower & The Cold War

1. The United States reacted to the first atomic bomb exploded by the Soviet Union by trying to create an even more destructive weapon, the H-Bomb, because the US feared the Soviet Union was becoming as technologically advanced as the US.

2. When the Iranian prime minister placed the oil industry under the Iranian government's control, the US feared that Mossadegh might turn to the Soviets for help, so the CIA gave millions of dollars to anti-Mossadegh suporters, which caused pro-American Shah of Iran to return to power.

3. The CIA trained an army which invaded Guatamala because Eisenhower believed that Guatamala's government had Communist sympathies.

4. When Britain, France, and Israel invaded Egypt and occupied the Suez Canal, the UN stepped in to stop the fighting and persuaded Great Britain, France, and Isreal to withdraw, however it allowed Egypt to keep control of the canal.

5. When the Soviet tanks invaded Hungary and fired on protestors in 1956, the United States did nothing to help Hungary break free of Soviet control.

6. When the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957, Americans were shocked at being beated and pured money into their own space program, launching their first successful satellite in 1958.

7. When the Soviets brought down an American U-2 piloted by Francis Gary Powers in 1960, Khrushchev demanded an apology for the flights and a promise to hallt them, and Eisenhower agreed to stop the U-2 flights, and because of this incident, the 1960s opened with tension between the two superpowers.

The Red Scare (1950s).

1. HUAC- The House Un-American Activities Committee investigated possible Communist influence inside and outside of the United Statues government. The committee believed that Communists were sneaking propaganda into films, and investigated suspects of these acts.

2. Blacklist- A list of people whom the HUAC condemned for having a Communist background.

3. Alger Hiss- Alger Hiss was accused of spying for the Soviet Union and was sent to jail for perjury, as they thought he lied about passing the documents. He claimed he was innocent and that Chambers forged the documents used against him, but it was not enough to prove he was innocent.

4. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg- Ethel and Julius Rosenberg denied the charges against them when asked if they were Communists and pleaded the 5th Amendment. They claimed they were being prosecuted for being Jewish and holding radical beliefs, yet were found guilty of espionage and were sentenced to death. They were directly responsible for one of the deadliest clashes of the Cold War.

5. Joseph McCarthy- A Republican who spoke out against the government, accusing them of treason and allowing Communists into the government. He was eventually alienated by his followers and was condemned by the Senate, and he died of alcoholism 3 years after his downfall.

6. McCarthyism- McCarthyism was attacks by McCarthy on suspected Communists in the early 1950s.

7. During the 1950s, Joseph McCarthy wanted to be reelected in 1952, in which he would need a winning issue as he had acquired a reputation for being an ineffective legislator in his first 3 years in the Senate. McCarthy charged that Communists were taking over the government. He accused many people of disloyalty without providing evidence and claimed he had proof of 57, 81, and 205 Communists in the State Department. He also charged that the Democratic Party was guilty of 20 years of treason for allowing Commuynists infiltration into the government. He then made accusations against the US army, which led to an investigation. His bullying of witnesses alienated his audience and costed him public support, and he was condemned for improper conduct that "tended to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrespute".