Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumOrigins of the Cold War and Containment

Source: Walter Lippmann, journalist and foreign policy analyst, *The Cold War*, 1947.

"The policy of containment... is a strategic monstrosity. It would require the United States to expend its resources and prestige in a series of coalitions with weak and unstable governments all along the perimeter of the Soviet empire... A policy of containment, which is based on the assumption that the Soviet power is temporary and will eventually collapse, is a policy of choosing to fight on the ground which the adversary chooses, and at the time which he chooses."

Lippmann's argument in the excerpt most directly anticipated which of the following post-Second World War developments?

  1. The United States military involvement in the Korean War to halt the spread of communismAnswer
  2. B
    The retreat of the United States into strict diplomatic isolationism and demobilization
  3. C
    The passage of neutrality acts by Congress to forbid economic aid to European nations
  4. D
    The peaceful resolution of territorial disputes in Eastern Europe through the United Nations

Answer

The United States military involvement in the Korean War to halt the spread of communism
The correct answer is correct because the United States intervention in the Korean War (1950–1953) was a direct consequence of the globalized containment policy. By committing military forces to halt the North Korean invasion of South Korea, the United States fought a conflict along the perimeter of the communist sphere, illustrating Walter Lippmann's warning that containment would lead to fighting on ground and at times chosen by the adversary.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus passage
Walter Lippmann argues that containment is a 'strategic monstrosity' because it forces the United States into unstable alliances and commits it to fight in locations and times chosen by its adversaries along the Soviet perimeter.
Understanding the core criticism Lippmann levels against George Kennan's containment strategy.
2
Link the critique to post-Second World War historical events
The Korean War (1950–1953) represents the expansion of containment to Asia, where the United States fought a proxy conflict on the Korean Peninsula (along the communist perimeter) to defend South Korea.
Identifying which historical event demonstrates the United States engaging in a military conflict along the communist perimeter under the containment policy.
3
Evaluate the options against the critique
The intervention in Korea aligns directly with Lippmann's prediction of expending resources on peripheral coalitions and fighting on ground chosen by the adversary, whereas other options either misrepresent post-war policy shifts or refer to different eras.
Selecting the option that best illustrates Lippmann's anticipated consequences of containment.

Key Concept

The Origins of the Cold War and the domestic/foreign debates surrounding the implementation of the containment doctrine.
Rate this question

Topics

Origins of the Cold War and Containment

More questions from this topic