levo

The American Presidency 1901–2000

Truman, containment and the national security state

  • 3 things to know
  • A2 Unit 1

Overview

Marshall Plan and what did it achieve, imperial presidency and fair Deal.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

What decision of August 1945 showed the reach of presidential power?

Numbers

What did the Truman Doctrine commit the United States to?

Key term

Why did the National Security Act matter for presidential power?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What decision of August 1945 showed the reach of presidential power?

    Model answer

    Truman alone authorised the use of atomic bombs against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a decision taken without any vote in Congress.

  2. 2

    What did the Truman Doctrine commit the United States to?

    Model answer

    Truman pledged in 1947 that the United States would support free peoples resisting armed subjugation, beginning with aid to Greece and Turkey.

  3. 3

    Why was the Truman Doctrine a landmark for the presidency?

    Model answer

    The doctrine committed the country to indefinite peacetime intervention abroad on the president's word, ending isolation and giving the office a permanent role in world affairs.

  4. 4

    What was the Marshall Plan and what did it achieve?

    Model answer

    The Marshall Plan sent some thirteen billion dollars of aid to western Europe between 1948 and 1952, reviving its economies and keeping communist parties out of government.

  5. 5

    What did the National Security Act of 1947 create?

    Model answer

    The Act unified the armed services under a Secretary of Defense, created an independent air force, and established the National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency.

  6. 6

    Why did the National Security Act matter for presidential power?

    Model answer

    The Act gave the president a permanent apparatus of military and intelligence advice answerable to him alone, so foreign policy could be made in the White House rather than in Congress.

Other ways to work this

The same content, four other ways.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

The 3-step method, run for you

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

England 1509–58
England 1603–49
Britain in the Age of Reform 1830–80
Italy and Germany 1815–71

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

Henry cited .
LeviticusGenesisExodus

Blank Blitz makes facts automatic

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AImpeachment failed for want of proof.
BThe Commons passed an Act of Attainder.
CCharles signed his execution warrant in May 1641.

Build It gets the exam shape right

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Rent reduction made the tenancy bearable.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Every question in The American Presidency 1901–2000, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.