History 323 Discussion Questions
May 7, 2009


In answering these questions ( and the questions each week) be certain that you base your answer on specifics from the articles and documents.

  1. Why is the Truman Doctrine considered to be one of the most important documents which defines American foreign policy in the post-WWII period?  What are the attributes which make it so important?  What would be the relationship of the Truman Doctrine to Vietnam?
  2. What is the relationship between foreign policy and domestic policy in the United States in the 1950s?
  3. Based on the readings, to what extent did the government "legitimately believe" that it was threatened during the cold war?  What was that belief based on?
  4. Based on the readings and the movie Atomic Cafe, what was America's perception of itself?  Of communism?  Of the Soviet Union?
  5. What was the importance of Asia in American foreign policy considerations?