SAT II US History : Facts and Details in U.S. Foreign Policy from 1899 to the Present

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT II US History

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Example Questions

Example Question #11 : Facts And Details In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

The Munich Pact                   .

Possible Answers:

was an agreement between Germany and Russia, to divide the territory of Poland between themselves

dictated that only those born to two Aryan parents were true citizens of Hitler’s Germany

allowed one-time German territorial expansion, without war being declared, with the caveat that expansion was not to continue 

ordered the capture and imprisonment of Jews throughout Europe

divided post-war Germany into a capitalist West Germany and a communist East Germany

Correct answer:

allowed one-time German territorial expansion, without war being declared, with the caveat that expansion was not to continue 

Explanation:

The Munich Pact was an agreement made between the major European powers in 1938, which allowed Germany to occupy the Sudetenland, then part of Czechoslovakia. The agreement was primarily the result of British, French, and German diplomatic maneuvering. As part of the agreement, Hitler promised to halt his desire for territorial expansion. At the time it was viewed as a successful measure to avoid war; however it quickly began to be seen as a catastrophically failed and  act of appeasement. The Pact was important for the United States, because it precipitated a series of events that would draw the United States into the conflict. Had war in Europe been declared in 1938, as opposed to 1939, the United States would have had less time to prepare, and the whole conflict might have gone differently.

Example Question #11 : Facts And Details In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

Which President represented the United States at the Potsdam Conference?

Possible Answers:

Woodrow Wilson

Harry S. Truman 

Franklin D. Roosevelt

John F. Kennedy

Dwight Eisenhower

Correct answer:

Harry S. Truman 

Explanation:

The Potsdam Conference convened in occupied Germany in July and August of 1945. It was a meeting of the heads of state of the victorious powers (the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and the United States). The purpose for the Conference was to sign a series of post-war treaties, to decide how to organize war ravaged Europe and to establish order throughout the world. The United States was represented by Harry S. Truman who had very recently succeeded to the presidency, following the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Example Question #12 : Facts And Details In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

The Camp David Peace Accords was a negotiated Peace Treaty between which two nations?

Possible Answers:

Iran and Iraq

France and Britain

Israel and Egypt

India and Pakistan

China and Japan

Correct answer:

Israel and Egypt

Explanation:

The Camp David Accords were signed by Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin in 1978. The agreement was initially designed to end decades of Arab and Israeli hostilities, but later evolved into a concerted effort to promote bilateral agreements between Egypt and Israel. The agreement represented the culmination of a year’s intense diplomatic work by President Jimmy Carter. The specific terms of the two accords provided for demilitarization of the border between the two nations, the promise that they would work together to establish a legitimate Palestinian governing body, and that both countries would receive regular aid from the United States. 

Example Question #13 : Facts And Details In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

Which United States President oversaw the negotiations at the Camp David Peace Accords?

Possible Answers:

Harry S. Truman

Ronald Reagan

John F. Kennedy

Richard Nixon

Jimmy Carter

Correct answer:

Jimmy Carter

Explanation:

President Jimmy Carter was present at Camp David, in 1978, when the Peace process was formalized. In the months leading up to the agreement, Carter had travelled extensively throughout the Middle East, meeting with heads of state in an attempt to see how peace between the Arab nations and Israel could be established.

Example Question #21 : U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

"General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

Which American president, while standing near the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate on June 12th, 1987, issued this challenge to the Soviet Union's leader, Mikhail Gorbachev?

Possible Answers:

Ronald Reagan

Bill Clinton

George H. W. Bush

Jimmy Carter

George W. Bush

Correct answer:

Ronald Reagan

Explanation:

It was President Ronald Reagan who issued this challenge to the reform-minded Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev.  The Berlin Wall eventually fell on November 9th, 1989.

Example Question #22 : U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

The Red Scare of the 1950s, including hearings by the House UnAmerican Activities Committee and investigations by Senator Joseph McCarthy, was animated by what immediate post World War II factor?

Possible Answers:

Success of Republican forces in the Chinese Civil War

Soviet style Communism's weakening after war with Germany

The existence of remaining Fascist states in Spain and Argentina

The revival of nationalism in post-war Japan

The spread of Communism throughout Eastern Europe and China

Correct answer:

The spread of Communism throughout Eastern Europe and China

Explanation:

The Red Scare of the 1950s was aimed at an increasing fear of Communists infiltrating the United States Government. Thanks to the spread of Soviet-style Communism throughout Eastern Europe in the late 1940s and victory by Mao Tse Tung's Communists in China, Communism had reached its apex by 1950. In the American government, worries that Soviet spies were leaking secrets to Moscow continued to grow. Many members of the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) were brought to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities committee in the late 1940s, resulting in the dismissal of many government officials and the creation of the Hollywood blacklist. By leading a series of committees which attempted to find communists in various parts of government, Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy became the most famous "red hunter" in the congress.

Example Question #14 : Facts And Details In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

On June 27th, 1950, President Harry Truman committed U.S. troops without Congressional approval to what conflict?

Possible Answers:

The Cambodian Civil War

The Vietnam War

The First Indochina War

The Korean War

The Laotian Civil War

Correct answer:

The Korean War

Explanation:

On June 27th, 1950, in order to assist non-Communist forces on the Korean peninsula, President Harry Truman sent U.S. troops to help push back the Communists who had invaded South Korea.

Example Question #62 : U.S. Foreign Policy

In 1945, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on these two Japanese cities.

Possible Answers:

Tokyo and Nagasaki

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Hiroshima and Osaka

Tokyo and Osaka

Hiroshima and Tokyo

Correct answer:

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Explanation:

On August 6th and August 9th of 1945, the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulting in the Japanese surrender of World War II.

Example Question #15 : Facts And Details In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

What is the name given to the 1962 U.S. naval blockade of Cuba, which was a consequence of the Soviet Union's installation of secret missile bases on the island?

Possible Answers:

The Cuban Blockade

The Cuban Missile Crisis

The Bay of Pigs

The Crisis of '62

The Soviet Confrontation

Correct answer:

The Cuban Missile Crisis

Explanation:

In 1962, President Kennedy ordered the naval blockade of Cuba which many believe pushed the USA and the USSR perilously close to conflict, until the Soviet Union eventually withdrew.

Example Question #19 : Facts And Details In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

On October 25th, 1983, what country did the U.S. invade after a Marxist coup?

Possible Answers:

The Falkland Islands

Cuba

Grenada

Nicaragua

Panama

Correct answer:

Grenada

Explanation:

The U.S. invaded Caribbean nation of Grenada in response to the coup orchestrated by a Marxist faction within the Grenadine government.

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