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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. What approach did Wall Street favor regarding the future of Germany's industrial base during plans for the post-war era, according to Isaacson?

2. According to Isaacson, what event took place between Harriman and the person with whom he was sharing responsibility that foreshadowed the role of the two countries they represented in their places in Western leadership?

3. How did George Kennan develop his connection to Russia according to Isaacson?

4. According to Isaacson, how did Harriman respond to Stalin's shifting demeanor?

5. What event early in WWII does Isaacson quote John McCloy as calling, "...regrettable in the clear light of perfect hindsight"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What does Issacson suggest comes between 20th century isolationism and a utopian dream of a world order based on international law?

4. How did Averell Harriman and Robert Lovett come to work together after WWI, according to Isaacson?

5. What does Isaacson report to be Averell Harriman's first achievement after he was named as transportation adviser to the National Defense Advisory Commission by President Franklin Roosevelt?

6. Who does Isaacson identify as the two men that Secretary of War Henry Stimson called the "Heavenly Twins"?

7. What kind of jobs did John McCloy's mother find for him during his youth, according to Isaacson?

8. What were the major declarations of the Atlantic Charter, according to Isaacson?

9. What does Isaacson claim to be the "warning" issued through the Potsdam proclamation by the Allied Powers to Japan regarding the dropping of the atomic bomb?

10. What does Isaacson claim to be Averell Harriman's qualification for Skull and Bones?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Isaacson clearly takes a complementary view of the six "Wise Men." Consider the total effects of their influence from the past to the present. Do you agree with his assessment? Is Isaacson's perspective justified? Is his view reflective of political or social affinities? Who most benefited from the influence of the "Wise Men"? Who, if anyone suffered? Were the six individuals on whom The Wise Men focuses really wise? Use information from the book and research on relevant events from history and current events to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Joseph Stalin is very prominent in the development of American foreign policy regarding the Soviet Union. Was American foreign policy developed with regard to American interests or as reactions to Stalin's personality, demands, and aggression against domestic political enemies and satellite states to the Soviet Union? If you choose the answer that policy regarding Stalin's Soviet Union was made in defense of American interests, support your position with evidence from the book and outside sources. If you consider that foreign policy was made as a reaction to Stalin, support your position with evidence and suggest how the government could have acted more for the benefit of the nation.

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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