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Difficulty: Very hardOrigins of the Cold War and Containment

Source: Walter Lippmann, journalist, *The Cold War: A Study in U.S. Foreign Policy*, 1947.

"The policy of containment... must lead to a compromise of the constitutional system. It would require a permanent state of mobilization, a huge military establishment, and a centralization of power in the executive branch that is foreign to our traditions. Furthermore, it commits the United States to defend areas of the world where we have no vital interests and little power to influence outcomes, relying on unstable and undemocratic regimes as clients."

Lippmann’s critique in the excerpt most directly anticipated which of the following domestic political developments during the Cold War?

  1. A
    The restoration of traditional congressional authority over foreign policy through the systematic repeal of peacetime military alliances.
  2. B
    The rapid dismantlement of the federal national security bureaucracy to preserve individual liberties.
  3. The emergence of intense debate over the expansion of executive authority and the constitutional limits of presidential war-making powers.Answer
  4. D
    The widespread public rejection of foreign aid as a tool of international diplomacy.

Answer

The correct answer states that Lippmann's critique anticipated the emergence of intense debate over the expansion of executive authority and the constitutional limits of presidential war-making powers.
The correct answer is correct because Lippmann's critique directly warned that containment would require a centralization of power in the executive branch that is foreign to American traditions. This warning was realized through the growth of the 'imperial presidency' during the Cold War, where presidents increasingly committed military forces abroad without formal congressional declarations of war, as seen in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. This eventually led to intense public and congressional debates, culminating in the passage of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 to limit unilateral executive war-making power.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the source document (Lippmann's 1947 critique) to identify the specific warnings he raises about the domestic consequences of containment.
The author warns that containment will lead to 'a centralization of power in the executive branch' and 'a compromise of the constitutional system' due to permanent mobilization.
This establishes the core historical argument of the source regarding domestic political structures.
2
Connect this warning to historical developments of the Cold War era.
The executive branch dramatically expanded its war-making powers (e.g., in the Korean and Vietnam Wars) without formal congressional declarations of war.
This links the theoretical critique in the document to actual historical events in Period 8.
3
Evaluate the response options to identify which development directly reflects the political debate surrounding these changes in executive authority.
The option concerning the emergence of intense debate over executive overreach and presidential war-making powers directly matches the long-term impact of this executive expansion.
This identifies the correct option based on historical causality and document interpretation.

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Origins of the Cold War and Containment
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Origins of the Cold War and Containment

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