The US History Show
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Notes: Early Cold War
Essay and Multiple-Choice Questions
APPARTS Documents Rise of Containment Document A SOURCE: George Kennan, letter, 1946
In general, all Soviet efforts on unofficial international plane will be negative and destructive in character, designed to tear down sources of strength beyond reach of Soviet control. This is only in line with basic Soviet instinct that there can be no compromise with rival power and that constructive work can start only when communist power is dominant. But behind all this will be applied insistent, unceasing pressure for penetration and command of key positions in administration and especially in police apparatus of foreign countries. The Soviet regime is a police regime par excellence, reared in the dim half world of Tsarist police intrigue, accustomed to think primarily in terms of police power. This should never be lost sight of in gauging Soviet motives.
In summary, we have here a political force committed fanatically to the belief that with US there can be no permanent modus vivendi, that it is desirable and necessary that the internal harmony of our society be disrupted, our traditional way of life be destroyed, the international authority of our state be broken, if Soviet power is to be secure. . . . But I would like to record my conviction that problem is within our power to solve—and that without recourse to any general military conflict. And in support of this conviction there certain observations of a more encouraging nature I should like to make.
(One) Soviet power, unlike that of Hitlerite Germany, is neither schematic nor adventuristic. It does not work by fixed plans. It does not take unnecessary risks. . . .
(Two) Gauged against western world as a whole, Soviets are still by far the weaker force. Thus, their success will really depend on degree of cohesion, firmness and vigor which western world can muster. And this is factor which it is within our power to influence. . . .
APPARTS Documents Rise of Containment Document B SOURCE: President Harry Truman, speech, 1947
I am fully aware of the broad implications involved if the United States extends assistance to Greece and Turkey, and I shall discuss these implications with you at this time.
One of the primary objectives of the foreign policy of the United States is the creation of conditions in which we and other nations will be able to work out a way of life free from coercion. This was a fundamental issue in the war with Germany and Japan. Our victory was won over countries which sought to impose their will, and their way of life, upon other nations. . . .
The peoples of a number of countries of the world have recently had totalitarian regimes forced upon them against their will. The Government of the United States has made frequent protests against coercion and intimidation, in violation of the Yalta Agreement, in Poland, Rumania, and Bulgaria. I must also state that in a number of other countries there have been similar developments. . . .
I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.
I believe that we must assist free peoples to work out their own destiny in their way. . . .
If we falter in our leadership, we may endanger the peace of the world—and we shall surely endanger the welfare of our own Nation.
Great responsibilities have been placed upon us by the swift movement of events.
I am confident that the Congress will face these responsibilities squarely. |
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Notes: The Marshall Court
Notes: Jacksonian Democracy
Essay and Multiple-Choice Questions
Credits
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• Created by Rich Woolery • The notes are in JPEG format and are loaded directly into the one's MP3 player's photo album or accessed through the interface designed for one's home computer. These files are much easier to read and understand than TXT file notes; these notes are akin to a PowerPoint presentation |
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Note: Scott Mercer, Rich Woolery, and Michael Neill appear in all episodes. Episode 1: Native Americans and the Initial Impact of Europeans Nathaniel Philbrick : Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War Colin G. Calloway : The Scratch of a Pen: 1763 and the Transformation of North America Episode 2: Materialization of the English Colonies (1607-1690) Nathaniel Philbrick : Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War
Leo P. Hirrel : Children of Wrath: New School Calvinism and Antebellum Reform Episode 3: Colonial Developments, (1690-1754) Colin G. Calloway : The Scratch of a Pen: 1763 and the Transformation of North America Episode 4: Causes and Effects of the American Revolution (1754-1789) Colin G. Calloway : The Scratch of a Pen: 1763 and the Transformation of North America
Richard A. Epstein: How the Progressives Rewrote the Constitution |
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Episode 1: Native Americans and the Initial Impact of Europeans - Native Americans in North America: Similar and differing characteristics
- Spanish, French and English interaction with the Native Americans
- The objectives and accomplishments associated with Spanish, French and English colonization.
Episode 2: Materialization of the English Colonies (1607-1690) - Factors that led to indentured servitude and the move to slavery in the Chesapeake Bay region
- The variety of religious denominations and the impact they had on colonial development
- Challenges to colonial authority: Bacon's Rebellion, the Glorious Revolution, and the Pueblo Revolt
Episode 3: Colonial Developments, (1690-1754) - The impact of Enlightenment and the Great Awakening on the colonies
- Transatlantic trade and the impact it had on commerce in the North, slavery in the South and the growth of seaports
- Population growth, immigration, and the settlement of the backcountry
- The role that salutary neglect had on the development of colonial governments and the people
Episode 4: Causes and Effects of the American Revolution (1754-1789) - Crucial developments during and at the end of the French and Indian War
- The end of salutary neglect and the colonial response
- The role that state constitutions and the Articles of Confederation had on the development of the US Constitution
Episode 5: The New Nation is Launched (1789-1815) - Washington and Hamilton usher in a stronger central government
- The response by Jefferson and the emergence of political parties: Federalists and Republicans
- An assessment of the Founding Fathers
- Impact of the Second Great Awakening
- The Jefferson and Madison presidencies
- The War of 1812 and its consequences
- Expansion into the trans-Appalachian West
Episode 6: Economic and Societal Developments in Antebellum America - The American System: The transportation revolution and creation of a national market economy
- Beginnings of industrialization and its impact on social and class structures
- Nativist reaction to immigration
- Stratification of a society: Planters, yeoman farmers, and slaves in the cotton South
Episode 7: The Transformation of Politics in Antebellum America - Development of the second party system
- The debates over federal authority: judicial federalism, the Bank War, tariff controversy, and states' rights issues
- An evaluation of Andrew Jackson and Jacksonian democracy
Episode 8: Religion and Reform in Antebellum America - The Second Great Awakening
- Social reforms
- The women’s sphere and its challengers
- Transcendentalism and Utopian communities
Episode 9: Manifest Destiny - Forced removal of American Indians from the East
- Migration to the West and the resulting cultural interactions
- Territorial acquisitions by the US Government, and unlawful filibusters
- The Mexican War
Episode 10: Causes of the Civil War - Slavery-related arguments and conflicts
- Compromise of 1850 and its effects
- Ramifications of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
- Transformation of the political parties
- Abraham Lincoln, the 1860 election, and southern secession
Episode 11: The Civil War - Mobilization and use of resources
- Addressing internal dissent
- An evaluation of military strategies and objectives
- The impact of Emancipation at home and abroad
- Various contributions by African Americans
- Social, political, and economic effects of war in the North, South, and West
Episode 12: The Challenges of Reconstruction - Reconstruction Plans (Lincoln, Johnson, Radical Republicans)
- An evaluation of southern state governments
- Role of African Americans in politics, education, and the economy
- Reasons for and results of the Compromise of 1877
- An evaluation of Reconstruction
Episode 13: The New South - Sharecropping and the crop lien system
- Expansion of manufacturing and industrialization
- Segregation: Jim Crow and disfranchisement
Episode 14: The West in the Late Nineteenth Century - Expansion of western railroads
- Miners, ranchers, homesteaders, and American Indians compete for the West:
- Government policy and its impact on American Indians
- Gender, race, and ethnicity in the far West
- Environmental impact on the west
Episode 15: The Development and Impact of Industrial America during the Gilded Age - Consolidation of industry and the influence of corporate power on national politics
- Impact of technological development on workers and workplace
- Labor and unions
- Immigration and population shifts within the country
- Viewpoints on industrial America: Social Darwinism and Social Gospel
Episode 16: Life in the Cities in the Late Nineteenth Century - Urbanization
- Machine politics and problems associated with city life
- Cultural and intellectual movements and the evolution of popular entertainment
Episode 17: Calls for Change: Populism and Progressivism - Farmers’ discontent and political issues of the late nineteenth century
- Beginnings of Progressive reform: municipal, state, and national
- Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson as Progressive presidents
- Women's roles: family, workplace, education, politics, and reform
- African-Americans: urban migration and civil rights initiatives
Episode 18: A New World Power: America Ascends - American imperialism: reasons for expansion
- WWI: America’s attempt at neutrality; the war at home and abroad
- Treaty of Versailles
- Society and economy in the postwar years
Episode 19: The 1920's - America’s consumer economy
- Republican politics: Harding, Coolidge, Hoover
- Modernism: science, the arts, and entertainment
- Responses to Modernism: religious fundamentalism, nativism, and Prohibition
- African Americans and women: struggles for equality
Episode 20: The Great Depression and FDR's New Deal - Causes of the Great Depression
- The Hoover administration's response
- FDR’s New Deal
- Advances for labor and unions
- The New Deal coalition and its critics from the Right and the Left
- American society during the Great Depression
Episode 21: World War II - Fascism and militarism in Japan, Italy, and Germany
- Prelude to war: America’s policy of neutrality
- Pearl Harbor and United States declaration of war
- The challenges of fighting a multi-front war
- Diplomacy, war aims, and wartime conferences
- The United States emergence as a global power in the Atomic Age
Episode 22: Contributions and Changes on the Home Front During World War II - Mobilization of the economy
- Migration and demographic changes
- Women, work, and family during the war
- Civil liberties and civil rights during wartime
- Regional development
- Expansion of government power
Episode 23: Early Stages of the Cold War - Origins of the Cold War
- Truman and the containment doctrine
- The Cold War in Asia: China, Korea, Vietnam (briefly), Japan
- The Eisenhower administration
- The Red Scare and McCarthyism
- Impact of the Cold War on American society
Episode 24: The Domestic Side of the 1950s - The modern civil rights movement
- The affluent society and "the other America"
- Consensus and conformity: middle-class America
- Social critics, nonconformists, and cultural rebels
- Changes in science, technology, and medicine
Episode 25: New Strides and Challenges in the 1960s - The New Frontier and the Great Society
- Expansion of civil rights
- Cold War in Asia, Latin America, and Europe
- Détente begins
- The antiwar movement and the counterculture
Episode 26: Political and Economic Developments of the Late 20th Century- The election of 1968 and the "Silent Majority"
- Nixon's challenges: Vietnam, China, Watergate
- Changes in the American economy: the energy crisis, deindustrialization, and the service economy
- Development of the New Right and the establishment of the Reagan Revolution
Episode 27: Societal and Cultural Developments at the End of the Twentieth Century*Episode 28: America' challenges in the Post-Cold War Era* * Episodes 27 & 28 are abbreviated and will only include essay and multiple-choice question discussions. |
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