SAT II US History : Representative Viewpoints in U.S. Foreign Policy from 1899 to the Present
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Example Questions
Example Question #11 : Representative Viewpoints In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present
The containment policy during the Cold War referred to America's and its allies’ attempts to do what?
Keeping Communism from spreading further than it already had.
Allowing Communists to be elected by popular consent.
Preventing Communist governments from taking control in previously neutral nations.
Fighting to erase Communism from the world map.
Allowing Communism to spread throughout the globe.
Keeping Communism from spreading further than it already had.
Most associated with the presidencies of Truman, Kennedy, and Johnson, containment was an attempt to stop the spread of Communism to countries where it was not currently the form of government. The other policies advocated at the time were rollback, attempting to actually reverse new communist government victories, and appeasement, which sought to make concessions with Communist governments to avoid all out conflict.
Example Question #12 : Representative Viewpoints In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present
The Truman Doctrine is best summarized as __________.
providing debt relief to war ravaged European countries after World War II
providing financial and diplomatic assistance to countries under threat from Communism
assisting any Latin American nation which was on the verge of having a Communist government
supporting the new nation of Israel in its conflicts against its Arab neighbors
intervening militarily in any conflict between Communist and non-Communist troops
providing financial and diplomatic assistance to countries under threat from Communism
The Truman Doctrine was announced by President Harry Truman to a joint session of Congress on March 12, 1947. Truman was specifically responding to political unrest in Greece and Turkey, where it appeared highly likely that Communist governments would take power. Truman asserted that the U.S. would financially assist in any way it could to prevent Communism from spreading, but would nit be involved militarily.
Example Question #11 : Representative Viewpoints In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present
At the turn of the 20th century, what policy did the United States adopt in order to expand its influence and involvement in China?
The United States allied itself with the European Spheres of Influence policy, which sought to use industrial might to influence Chinese culture to become more open to Western sensibilities.
Prompted by a zealous lobby of nativists who feared the influx of Chinese immigration, the US adopted the Chinese American Exclusion Act, prohibiting naturalized Chinese Americans from holding certain jobs in the United States, in hopes that they would return to China.
The US adopted a highly isolationist stance, hoping to prevent China from presenting a threat to American dominance in Eastern trade.
The United States allied itself closely with investors from other Western powers to push the Chinese government to accept a liberalized free trade policy that was friendly to foreign interests.
The US adopted an "Open Door Policy" toward China, which it made explicit to all the other Western powers. This policy intended to keep China open to trade with all countries on an equal basis, preventing any one nation from gaining hegemony over the country. It called upon each of the major powers to refrain from interfering with any treaty port or any vested interest, to permit Chinese authorities to collect tariffs on an equal basis, and to refrain from showing favoritism towards their own nationals with regard to transportation tariffs.
The US adopted an "Open Door Policy" toward China, which it made explicit to all the other Western powers. This policy intended to keep China open to trade with all countries on an equal basis, preventing any one nation from gaining hegemony over the country. It called upon each of the major powers to refrain from interfering with any treaty port or any vested interest, to permit Chinese authorities to collect tariffs on an equal basis, and to refrain from showing favoritism towards their own nationals with regard to transportation tariffs.
The United States was eager to expand its trade markets, and wanted access to Chinese ports. Various European nations and Japan had succeeded in carving out exclusive trading rights to certain key ports in China, which allowed them to block entire regions from US business. The thriving climate of US economic expansionism encouraged policies such as this one, which was proclaimed by Secretary of State John Hay in 1899, in order to open up all “exclusive” ports to American business, and eliminate the granting of favoritism toward certain countries at Chinese ports.
The Open Door policy was rooted in the desire of U.S. businesses to trade with Chinese markets, though it also tapped the deep-seated sympathies of those who opposed imperialism, with the policy pledging to protect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity from partition.
Example Question #13 : Representative Viewpoints In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present
"A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that's true, but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not." -Ronald Reagan
The above quote is a reference to __________________.
the Iran-Contra Scandal
the Watergate break-in
the Iranian hostage crisis
the Bay of Pigs Invasion
the invasion of Panama
the Iran-Contra Scandal
Throughout the 1980s, Nicaragua was involved in a fierce civil war pitting the left-wing Sandinistas against the right-wing Contras. In the mid-1980s, the Reagan administration openly supported and publicly encouraged the Contras as part of their general anti-communist foreign policy. It was revealed in 1987, however, that the Reagan administration had been giving arms to the Contras that were acquired through secret hostage negotiations with the government of Iran, which had a putative embargo during the period.
Example Question #14 : Representative Viewpoints In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present
The Domino Theory suggests that _________________.
Helping to fix the economies of Western European nations is the best policy to help promote global economic prosperity
Once one country in a region succumbs to Communism other neighboring countries will be more likely to succumb as well
Tax breaks afforded to the wealthy will lead to a ripple effect whereby the poor are paid more
Once a district changes its support from Democrats to Republicans than neighboring districts will be significantly more likely to follow suit
None of these
Once one country in a region succumbs to Communism other neighboring countries will be more likely to succumb as well
The Domino Theory was an integral part of United States anti-Communist policy in the decades following World War Two. Many American politicians maintained that if Communism was allowed to spread it would have a domino effect which would cause other countries to adopt Communism also. It was provided as justification for numerous anti-Communist wars, campaigns and embargos - most notably, throughout Central America and South-East Asia.
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