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The disastrous effects of World War I and the Great Depression led

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to the rise of totalitarian regimes in some countries

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After coming to power in Italy, Benito Mussolini

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banned political parties, took over the press, and suppressed strikes

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After World War I, the Weimar Republic

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appointed Adolf Hitler chancellor of Germany

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After World War I, the Japanese military

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reasserted its power and began aggressive military expansion

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What policy did Great Britain, France, and the United States pursue against the new regimes in Germany, Italy, and Japan in the 1930's?

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appeasement

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German troops overwhelmed Poland in 1939 by unleashing a blitzkrieg,

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a new style of warfare that emphasized speed and firepower

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Hitler's plans to invade Britain depended on

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the Luftwaffe controlling the skies above the English Channel

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During the mid-1930's, President Roosevelt realized that most Americans

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opposed U.S. intervention in the problems of Europe

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After World War II began, U.S. interventionists believed that Britain

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was fighting for free countries everywhere and needed U.S. aid

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After World War II began, U.S. isolationists believed that

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the only way to keep America safe was to be completely neutral

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What was Congress's purpose in passing the Lend-Lease Act?

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to provide Britain with the aid it needed but could not afford

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Japan decided to attack Pearl Harbor because

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the United States firmly opposed Japanese expansion

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During the Bataan Death March,

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close to 10,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war died

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What is one way American women mobilized for the war effort?

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They joined army, navy, and Coast Guard auxiliaries

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Joseph Stalin admitted that American military production

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was crucial to the Allied victory in World War II

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Why was the Doolittle Raid important?

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it bolstered American morale for the long fight ahead in the Pacific

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The Battle of Coral Sea was crucial because it

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renewed the confidence of the United States

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Why did the Allies pursue a "Europe First" strategy?

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they considered Germany to be their most dangerous enemy

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The Battle of Stalingrad

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ended any realistic plans Hitler had for dominating Europe

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Why did Allied leaders want to drive Germany our of North Africa?

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doing so would pave the way for an invasion of Italy

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The invasion of Italy was difficult for the Allies because

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the mountains and rivers of Italy slowed the Allied advance

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In the most important naval battle of World War II, the United States

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decisively defeated the Japanese in the Battle of Midway

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President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802, which

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assured fair hiring practices in any government-funded job

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What was one long-term effect of the bracero program?

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it initiated decades of migratory labor in western states

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Some 100,000 Japanese Americans were evacuated from the West Coast during World War II and made to live in internment camps

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because some West Coast leaders questioned their loyalty

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In what way did Americans' lives change during World War II?

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some goods were rationed to free up resources for war production

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In preparing for Operation Overlord, the Allies created a fake army to

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convince the German army that the attack would come at Calais

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How did the Battle of the Bulge ultimately damage Hitler's efforts?

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it used up German reserves and demoralized German troops

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President Truman decided to use the atomic bomb against Japan

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to save American lives

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Hitler blamed Jews for all of Germany's ills, especially

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Germany's defeat in World War I

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What was the goal of Hitler's "Final Solution"?

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the extermination of all Jews in areas controlled by Germany

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The War Refugee Board, established by President Roosevelt, worked

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with the Red Cross to save Eastern European Jews

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At Yalta, the "Big Three" agreed that

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Bulgaria, Poland, and Romania would be free and hold elections

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Shortly after World War II,

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leading Nazis were put on trial for their actions during the war

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What did many Americans realize about the United States as a result of World War II?

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U.S. prosperity hinged on world peace and economic development

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At Potsdam, Harry S. Truman hoped that Joseph Stalin would confirm the Soviet Union's plan to

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establish representative governments in Eastern Europe

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In 1946, Winston Churchill used the term iron curtain to refer to the

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boundary between Western Europe and communist Eastern Europe

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The Truman Doctrine set a new course for American foreign policy by

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promising help to nations struggling against communism

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The United States gave billions of dollars in aid to Western Europe

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as a part of the Marshall Plan

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What organization did the Soviet Union create in response to the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization?

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the Warsaw Pact

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The Korean War began when

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North Korean forces invaded South Korea

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With General MacArthur's assurances about China, President Truman

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authorized a U.S. attack north of the 38th parallel in Korea

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Why did President Truman fire General MacArthur?

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the general's letter attacking the President became public

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Fear of mutually assured destruction kept the Soviets and Americans

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from ever using a nuclear weapon against each other

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In its policy of massive retaliation, the United States warned it would

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meet communist threats to U.S. allies with overwhelming force

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John Foster Dulles believed that war could be prevented only by

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brinkmanship

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How did the Soviet Union react to Hungarian demonstrations in 1956?

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it brutally crushed the Hungarian revolution

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Why were Britain and France alarmed by Egypt's nationalization of the Suez Canal?

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it threatened the flow of Middle Eastern oil to Europe

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Congress created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to coordinate

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the space-related efforts of U.S. scientists and the military

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The fear that communists were working to destroy American life created a reaction known as the

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Red Scare

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The Smith Act made it illegal to

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advocated the violent overthrow of the U.S. government

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In the 1990's, tangible evidence emerged indicating that

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Julius Rosenberg had indeed been guilty of passing atomic secrets

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What did the term McCarthyism become a catchword for?

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extreme, reckless charges

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What was a key provision of the GI Bill of Rights?

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the financial aid it gave to veterans who wanted to go to college

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One American was born ever 7 seconds during the peak of

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the baby boom

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Which law outlawed closed shops?

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the Taft-Hartley Act

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What did President Truman pledge to do as part of his Fair Deal?

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strengthen the New Deal reforms and establish new programs

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One reason for Dwight D. Eisenhower's popularity as President was

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the strength of the American economy during the 1950's

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Which statement identifies a key reason why Americans moved to suburbs after World War II?

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Americans wanted to escape the overcrowding in rural areas

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What was one reason Americans moved to the Sunbelt?

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to find jobs in the aerospace, defense, and electronics industries

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What was the fundamental change in the postwar economy?

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the rapid growth of the service sector

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The California Master Plan was part of a national trend to

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make higher education accessible to more citizens

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Shopping became a popular pastime in the United States after World War II because Americans

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had more money, access to easy credit, and new products to buy

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By 1960, the work of Dr. Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin had

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nearly eliminated polio

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The growth of television, Hollywood films, and national radio programs

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tended to erode distinct regional and ethnic cultures

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Rock music originated in the gospel and blues traditions of what group?

answer

African Americans

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Critics of the culture of the 1950's complained

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about its emphasis on conformity

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The beatniks were a group of

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writers and artists who despised materialism and conformity

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What book shocked Americans in 1962 with its claim that one fourth of Americans still lived in poverty?

answer

Michael Harrington's The Other American

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What did the termination policy aim to do?

answer

end tribal government and relocate Native Americans to cities

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