SAT II US History : 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 #4 : Representative Viewpoints In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

How did the Nye Committee affect America’s involvement in global conflict in the 1930s?

Possible Answers:
It declared that Hitler represented a threat to the entirety of the free world and, as a result, the United States had a moral imperative to enter the war on the side of the allies
It suggested that the American military was the strongest and best armed in the world and therefore the United States should not fear military intervention in Europe or Asia
It argued that the British and French had a very small chance to resist the might of the German military and therefore the United States should remain neutral so as to avoid joining the losing side
It stated that United States banks and corporations, in order to gain personal profit, had tricked the American people into entering World War One and therefore the United States should remain a neutral state in future conflict
It contended that the Japanese were preparing a series of large scale attacks aimed at disrupting American economic might and that the government should enlarge the armed forces so as not to be caught unprepared
Correct answer: It stated that United States banks and corporations, in order to gain personal profit, had tricked the American people into entering World War One and therefore the United States should remain a neutral state in future conflict
Explanation:

The Nye Report was a Senate report issued during World War One that stated that American banks and corporations had tricked the American people into supporting a war so that they could gain profit from the sale of arms, post-war reconstruction projects and the elimination of foreign competitors. The report was widely quoted as a very significant reason for avoiding conflict in Europe and Asia in the 1930s and persisted into the early 1940s, as a reason not to join World War Two on the side of the allied forces

Example Question #4 : Representative Viewpoints In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

Who among the following people was not responsible for the imperialist expansion of teh United States in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries? 

Possible Answers:

Grover Cleveland 

William Taft

Theodore Roosevelt

William McKinley

Woodrow Wilson

Correct answer:

Grover Cleveland 

Explanation:

The correct answer is Grover Cleveland. Taft, Roosevelt and McKinley all initiated conflicts or invasions that advanced American interests abroad. All three believed that the United States needed to expand its influence around the world to serve national interests. Wilson, who was staunchly against European Imperialism and ideologically opposed to America’s interference in foreign nations, still managed to send American troops into Nicaragua in 1914 to occupy the country and Haiti and the Dominican Republic in the years immediately after. Thus, Wilson can be seen as an Imperialist in practice if not in ideology. Grover Cleveland, on the other hand, came to the Presidency in the years shortly before Imperialist ideology took over the office, and once out of office he was a devoted member of the American Anti-Imperialist League. The Anti-Imperialist League believed that Imperialism violated the republican principles that America had been founded on, and they fiercely objected to any forced occupation of foreign lands. 

Example Question #5 : Representative Viewpoints In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

Which of these was not one of President Wilson’s “Fourteen Points”?

Possible Answers:

The dismantling of the defeated Austro-Hungarian Empire 

The reduction of national armaments

Universal freedom to navigate and trade on the seas

The removal of international economic barriers to trade

The creation of an association of nations to promote peace 

Correct answer:

The dismantling of the defeated Austro-Hungarian Empire 

Explanation:

Woodrow Wilson explained America’s participation in World War One as an intervention of necessity. Peace and stability needed to be provided for in Europe and the world. Many of his fourteen points dealt with the maintenance of territories or the creation of new nation-states. However, he did not argue for the dismantling of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, instead he wished to incorporate them into a peaceful post-war world. In addition, he demanded a reduction of army size and strength and the removal of barriers to free trade and navigation of the seas. Finally, he called for the creation of a League of Nations, to co-operate on the maintenance of peace and prosperity. The fourteen points were generally viewed positively by European people, but negatively by European heads of state. 

Example Question #51 : U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

In which country did the Boxer Rebellion take place?

Possible Answers:

Japan

United Kingdom 

United States

Russia

China

Correct answer:

China

Explanation:

The Boxer Rebellion took place in China at the turn of the twentieth century. Chinese nationalist forces had long held grievances against the spheres of influence held by various European nations, and the United States, in Chinese territory. The rebellion was largely fought to remove the influence of foreign powers from China and to dispel Christian missionaries who were attempting to convert the population. The Rebellion ended in defeat for the Boxers and an increase in protected trading rights for the Imperial powers in Chinese territory. 

Example Question #6 : Representative Viewpoints In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

The America First Committee                     .

Possible Answers:

pressured Roosevelt to declare war on the Axis powers in 1940

opposed America getting involved in World War Two 

called for economic reforms and helped elect Franklin D. Roosevelt

deplored the influence of religion and Catholicism on United States government policy

wanted additional restrictions on the number of people who could immigrate to the United States

Correct answer:

opposed America getting involved in World War Two 

Explanation:

The America First Committee was set up in 1939 and 1940 in order to prevent the United States from becoming embroiled in the “European war.” The committee argued that President Roosevelt was deceiving the American people with promises of neutrality. They argued that Roosevelt was aiding the Allied powers and drawing America closer and closer to conflict with Germany. The America First Committee reflected the general mood of the American public in 1939—the vast majority of whom wished to avoid conflict; however, with the Pearl Harbor attacks in 1941, the America First Committee rapidly disbanded and American public opinion reversed. 

Example Question #7 : Representative Viewpoints In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

William Taft’s foreign policy is best characterized by the belief that                       .

Possible Answers:

the American military should be deployed to protect interests in foreign nations

the “civilized” nations of the world had a duty to assist the Third World

American investment abroad would secure global stability 

the United States should spread diplomacy throughout Europe and Asia

America was best served economically and politically by remaining isolationist 

Correct answer:

American investment abroad would secure global stability 

Explanation:

The foreign policy initiatives enacted during the Presidency of William Taft are generally referred to under the phrase “Dollar Diplomacy.” Taft believed that, in order to advance America’s economic and diplomatic interests and encourage global stability, the United States should encourage private American investment in foreign nations.

Example Question #8 : Representative Viewpoints In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

Support and advocacy of the Vietnam War was largely predicated on __________.

Possible Answers:

gaining access to Vietnam's natural resources

adding Vietnam as a United States Territory

stopping the spread of Communism

fighting against French colonial interests

to protect Vietnam from a Russian invasion

Correct answer:

stopping the spread of Communism

Explanation:

Vietnam had been a French colony until World War II, when it was invaded by Japan.  After the war, the country was split into two nations, the Communist (and Soviet backed) North Vietnam, and the Democratic (and Western backed) South Vietnam. While America had always backed South Vietnam in the ongoing conflict between the two, in 1964, the U.S. officially declared War against North Vietnam after the Gulf of Tonkin incident. The reason given for this involvement from President Lyndon Johnson and hawks in Congress was that the spread of communism had to be stopped, and that Vietnam was crucial to this effort.

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?

Possible Answers:

Allowing Communists to be elected by popular consent.

Fighting to erase Communism from the world map.

Keeping Communism from spreading further than it already had.

Preventing Communist governments from taking control in previously neutral nations.

Allowing Communism to spread throughout the globe.

Correct answer:

Keeping Communism from spreading further than it already had.

Explanation:

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 __________.

Possible Answers:

providing debt relief to war ravaged European countries after World War II

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

assisting any Latin American nation which was on the verge of having a Communist government

Correct answer:

providing financial and diplomatic assistance to countries under threat from Communism

Explanation:

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 #58 : 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?

Possible Answers:

The US adopted a highly isolationist stance, hoping to prevent China from presenting a threat to American dominance in Eastern trade.

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 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 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 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.

Correct answer:

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.

Explanation:

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.

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