Examkin

Question

Difficulty: Very hardEarly Civil Rights Movement (1940s and 1950s)

"Our position in the post-war world is such that we cannot afford the luxury of a leisurely approach to the solution of this problem. . . . The United States is not so strong, the final triumph of the democratic ideal is not so inevitable that we can ignore what the world thinks of us or our record. . . . We have template-like ideals and a practice which falls short of them. The world looks at us to see if we can make our practice square with our ideals. Our foreign policy is seriously handicapped by our systemic failure to do so."
— President’s Committee on Civil Rights, *To Secure These Rights*, 1947

Which of the following historical developments during the late 1940s and 1950s best explains the committee's emphasis on the international implications of racial inequality in the United States?

  1. The ideological competition of the Cold War, which compelled United States leaders to address domestic civil rights to improve the nation's global standingAnswer
  2. B
    The immediate unification of all major civil rights organizations under a single philosophical strategy that prioritized northern economic segregation over legal challenges
  3. C
    The belief among policymakers that the containment of communism could be achieved solely through military alliances without domestic reforms
  4. D
    The introduction of Great Society legislation designed to construct a federally funded social safety net to counter Soviet propaganda

Answer

The ideological competition of the Cold War, which compelled United States leaders to address domestic civil rights to improve the nation's global standing
The option highlighting the ideological competition of the Cold War is correct because the global struggle for influence between the United States and the Soviet Union meant that domestic racial discrimination was a significant liability. Soviet propaganda regularly highlighted American racism to discredit U.S. leadership of the 'Free World' and win support from emerging nations in Africa and Asia. Consequently, the Truman administration and subsequent leaders viewed civil rights reform as a national security and foreign policy priority.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus document, identifying the author (*President’s Committee on Civil Rights*), the title (*To Secure These Rights*), the date (1947), and its core argument.
The document argues that domestic racial discrimination severely undermines U.S. foreign policy and global credibility.
Understanding the context of 1947 establishes the link to the early Cold War era.
2
Connect the domestic push for civil rights with contemporary international developments in the post-World War II environment.
The U.S. was engaged in an ideological battle with the Soviet Union to influence newly independent nations in Africa and Asia.
This explains why domestic racial issues had significant international foreign policy implications.
3
Evaluate the choices to determine which development directly accounts for the international pressure to reform domestic race relations.
The need to counter Soviet propaganda and present the U.S. as a true champion of democracy led policymakers to support early civil rights reforms.
This aligns with the correct option addressing the ideological competition of the Cold War.

Key Concept

The intersection of Cold War foreign policy and the early civil rights movement

Hints

1
Consider the geopolitical climate immediately following the end of the Second World War.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
Rate this question

Topics

Early Civil Rights Movement (1940s and 1950s)

More questions from this topic