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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Isaacson, who was the President of the United States who thought Russia could be an ally after WWII?

2. Where does Isaacson claim George Kennan served the government in lieu of paying the expenses of attending law school?

3. What position did the "Wise Man" who implemented the Lend Lease program eventually take in the Roosevelt administration?

4. Where does Isaacson claim Averell Harriman and Dean Acheson first met?

5. Isaacson reports which "Wise Man" worked to implement Franklin Roosevelt's Lend Lease program?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Isaacson report to be the difference between George Kennan's approach to training for the foreign service and that of Chip Bohlen?

2. Why did Russian soldiers dismantle German factories and send the assets back to their homeland at the end of WWII according to Isaacson?

3. Which of the "Six Wise Men" does Isaacson indicate attended Harvard Law School?

4. What military action did Joseph Stalin demand from his British and American allies once the United States entered WWII, according to Isaacson?

5. What does Isaacson report that George Kennan believed Marxism offered to Soviet Russian leaders?

6. What does Isaacson identify as the major issues facing Harry Truman during the first month of his presidency after the death of President Roosevelt?

7. What does Isaacson claim to be Averell Harriman's view regarding Russia building a tier of states friendly to its system in Eastern Europe?

8. As the Allied powers began to close in on Germany, what does Isaacson expose to be the main concern of the British and American governments for the post-war era?

9. Which of the "Six Wise Men" does Isaacson report came to know the family of another through his father's employment?

10. Where does Isaacson report Dean Acheson started his career after WWI?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Dean Acheson and John McCloy followed different legal careers to become very important influences throughout the presidencies of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. Explain how their different legal experiences and connections led to their accessing positions through which they shaped policies from the 1930's throughout the 1970's.

Essay Topic 2

The Wise Men examines the life long connections of six men and how they shaped America's foreign policy for nearly 40 years. How were the early lives and experiences of the "Wise Men" intertwined and how did their elite upbringing give them access to the seats of power where they were given opportunity to direct American foreign policy?

Essay Topic 3

Harry Truman committed American soldiers to fight the war in Korea without a Congressional declaration. What are the constitutional requirements for committing American soldiers to war? How did the Truman Administration justify the action to Congress? Who benefited from this decision? What have been the long-term effects of using American soldiers to fight undeclared wars beyond the oversight of Congress? Who carries the responsibility for these effects, the presidency or Congress?

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