Multiple Choice Identify the
choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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| GUATEMALA The United
States had a long standing policy called the Monroe Doctrine which said that European
countries should not meddle in the affairs of nations in the America’s. The U.S. reasoned that
countries that became communist would be under the control of the Soviet Union, as was the case in
Cuba. The U.S. felt that by enforcing the Monroe Doctrine it was preventing a European country,
Russia, from taking control of a nation in the America’s. Central
America, the Caribbean and South America become the battleground for a test of wills between the
United States and the U.S.S.R. -- as the Cold War comes to America's "backyard."
After World War II, growing nationalism in Central and South America led to greater resentment
against the United States, whose government and business interests dominated the region. At that time
in Guatemala, the railroad, the main port, telecommunications and about 500,000 acres of land were
owned by the United Fruit Company of Boston. In 1950, Jacobo Arbenz was voted Guatemala's
president. Arbenz wanted to modernize Guatemala's backward society and started a land reform
program, nationalizing thousands of acres of land -- some of it owned by United Fruit. Officials in
Washington were alarmed and suspected communist infiltration of the Arbenz government. Arbenz
wasn't a communist, but some of his allies were. The CIA organized an operation code-named
"PB Success," which mobilized disaffected Guatemalan exiles and peasants into action. The
PB Success campaign brought down Guatemala's government and drove Arbenz and his wife into
exile. Some 9,000 of his supporters were arrested. Among those who fled Guatemala was a young
Argentine doctor, Che Guevara -- who went to Mexico, where he met Cuban rebel leader Fidel Castro.
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1.
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What company controlled large
parts of the Guatemala economy during the cold war.
a. | United Fruit of
Boston | c. | U.S. Steel and
Fruit | b. | Guatemala utilities corporation | d. | Central America Fruit |
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2.
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Why did American officials
suspect that Jacobo Arbenz might be a communist?
a. | Many of his associates were
communist | c. | Both of these
answers are true | b. | He used land reform to confiscate farm land the way other communists had done
in Cuba and China | d. | Neither of these reasons suggest
that he is a communist |
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3.
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Why did the CIA help to bring
down the Guatemala government?
a. | The U.S. did not want Che Guevara to
take over Guatemala and Mexico | c. | The U.S. thought that a communist government in Central America was a threat
to U.S. security | b. | Both of these are true | d. | Neither of these reasons are
true |
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4.
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What was the name of the U.S.
policy that said the Europeans had to stay out of the American hemisphere?
a. | The CIA handbook on rules of
engagement | c. | The Communist
Manifesto | b. | The Emancipation Proclamation | d. | The Monroe Doctrine |
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CUBA By the end of the 1950s, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara had
triumphed in Cuba -- establishing a communist regime that soon allied itself with the Soviet Union.
In 1961, the new U.S. president, John F. Kennedy, inherited a CIA scheme to send an army of exiles to
Cuba to overthrow Castro -- a plan that had worked earlier against Arbenz in Guatemala. But the
CIA-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion against Castro was a disaster. After defeating the U.S.-backed
forces, Castro wanted to take armed revolution into Central and South America. By the early 1960s,
left-wing groups were fighting the authorities in Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia and Peru. The United
States grew nervous; in 1965, U.S. Marines were sent to the Dominican Republic to end a democratic
revolution that Washington believed was backed by the Cubans. Cuba's real efforts to export
revolution, meanwhile, met with mixed results. In 1967, Che Guevara, who had called for "100
Vietnams," was captured alive in the jungles of Bolivia and shot dead hours later.
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5.
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Fidel Castro and Che Guevara
were a threat to the U.S. because
a. | they wanted to control the fruit
market | c. | they wanted to export communism to
the U.S. | b. | they were communists and would probably allow the Soviets to establish bases
in Central America | d. | All of these are
true |
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6.
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Many Americans had helped Fidel
Castro to come to power in Cuba and were shocked to learn that he was a communist. What did Castro do
after he came to power in Cuba?
a. | Tried to overthrow the government of
the United States | c. | Established
peaceful relationships with the other governments of Central
America | b. | Told the Soviet Union it could not establish communist control in Central
America | d. | Tried to start other communist revolutions throughout
Central America |
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7.
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When Che Guevara called for 100
Vietnams he was
a. | calling for North Vietnam to take
over in Central America | c. | peaceful relations
with the U.S. | b. | calling for war against the U.S. | d. | an alliance with the U.S. like South Vietnam
had |
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8.
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Why did President Eisenhower
send marines to the Dominican Republic
a. | The Soviets were installing missile
bases in the Dominican Republic | c. | He wanted to establish a U.S. base there | b. | He wanted to stop Dominican
immigration | d. | He thought the revolution there was
backed by communist Cuba |
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| CHILE Chile had been calm in the 1960s. But in 1970 a left-center coalition sought
electoral victory. Unidad Popular was led by a Marxist doctor, Sen. Salvador Allende. U.S. businesses
and the CIA tried -- and failed -- to prevent Allende from being elected president of Chile.
Allende's first big step was
the nationalization of copper, Chile's biggest industry, which was still effectively under U.S.
control. He pressed on with what he called his "Social Revolution." Chilean peasants began
to seize land. The Chilean economy was increasingly put under state control -- a move that upset
overseas financiers. The World Bank cut off credits to Chile. | Inflation and economic problems
mounted. CIA money helped pay for Chilean truck owners to bring the country to a standstill. At the
United Nations, Allende accused telecommunications conglomerate ITT of trying to provoke a civil war.
On September 11, 1973, Allende was violently ousted by the head of his military, Gen. Augusto
Pinochet. Allende was found dead after the Moneda, the presidential palace, had been set ablaze.
Following the coup, Pinochet had hundreds of political suspects rounded up. Many were never seen
again. | | |
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9.
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The events in Chili after
Allende took power most closely resemble the events in _____ after ______
took power
a. | Cuba - Che
Guevara | c. | Bolivia - Che
Guevara | b. | Cuba - Castro | d. | China - Khrushchev |
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10.
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The Marxist economic policies
under Allende
a. | were good for most of the people of
Chili and resulted in prosperity | c. | were a disaster for Chili and helped to cause civil
unrest | b. | were favored by the U.S. | d. | would eventually lead to
Capitalism |
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11.
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During the Cold War civil
unrest, and Marxist leaders brought many countries under the control of communist governments that
eventually became client states of the Soviet Union. The U.S. saw that happening in Chili and were
happy when _____ took control and brought a pro West government to power in
Chili
a. | Gen. Augusto
Pinochet | c. | Che
Guevara | b. | Salvador Allende | d. | General Carl Marx |
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12.
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The philosopher who developed
modern communism was Karl Marx. Those leaders who described themselves as Marxists were assumed by
the U.S. to be communists. Which of the people below described themselves as
Marxists?
a. | Castro | c. | Guevara | b. | Alliende | d. | all of these |
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13.
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Chili is a country in
a. | Central
America | c. | The
Caribbean | b. | South America | d. | North America |
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| CENTRAL AMERICA In the 1930s in Nicaragua, U.S. Marines had helped put
dictator Tacho Somoza into power. Forty years later, Nicaragua was still ruled by a Somoza. After
years of fighting, guerrillas who called themselves Sandinista, after the name of a 1930s anti-U.S.
rebel, ousted Somoza in 1979. The Sandinistas allied themselves with Cuba and attempted to bring a
Marxist order to their country. But they found themselves being challenged by a counter-rebellion --
the Contras. At the same time, in neighboring El Salvador, protests had broken out against
right-wing military rule. Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero was among those who spoke out. In March
1980, as he was saying Mass in a private chapel, the archbishop was assassinated. At Romero's
funeral, mourners were fired upon -- and many died. Later in the year three U.S. nuns and a female
lay worker were kidnapped, raped and killed by men later discovered to be part of El Salvador's
National Guard. The U.S. briefly, and temporarily, withdrew aid to the Salvadoran military.
Meanwhile, Salvadoran guerrillas expanded their campaign against the government One of the reasons
the U.S. was concerned about Marxist revolutions in Central and South America was the :Panama Canal.
The Panama Canal is America’s link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans The U.S. was
concerned that the Soviets would control traffic through the Canal if Marxists took control of the
Caribbean.
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14.
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What was the name of the
Marxist rebel group fighting against the government in Nicaragua?
a. | the
Contras | c. | the
Somozas | b. | the Sandinistas | d. | the CIA |
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15.
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What was the name of the pro
U.S. leader of Nicaragua who was trying to fight off the Marxist rebels?
a. | Manuael
Contra | c. | Jose
Sandinistas | b. | Somoza | d. | Guevara |
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16.
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What was the name of the
counter-rebel group fighting against the Sandinistas?
a. | the
Contras | c. | the
Pan | b. | the Marxist Brigade | d. | the Pri revolutionary party |
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17.
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What did the U.S. do in
response to the killing of three nuns in El Salvador in the 80’s?
a. | It send marines to restore
peace | c. | it withdrew aid from the El Salvador
government | b. | it increased aid to the El Salvador
government | d. | nothing |
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18.
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The U.S. believed that _____
could control shipping in the Caribbean if local communists were to take control of Central American
governments.
a. | China | c. | Capitalists | b. | the Soviet Union | d. | Great Britain |
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| ENGAGEMENT As the fighting continued in Central America, Washington
was planning another operation -- on the British-governed Caribbean island of Grenada. When
Grenada's left-wing prime minister, Maurice Bishop, was assassinated by extreme Marxists in
1983, the U.S. military had an invasion plan ready for Reagan's approval. The Marxists were
building an airfield that could accommodate Soviet military planes and the U.S. believed this was an
attempt to establish a Soviet military base in the Caribbean. Reagan sent marines to Grenada and the
invasion, weakly opposed by a group of Cuban advisers on Grenada, was over in a few days. Within six
weeks, the invasion was a success and American troops left Grenada The Reagan administration also
was funding Nicaragua's Contra rebels. At first the U.S. Congress supported the Contras but then
cut off aid to them. The Reagan administration believed that it was wrong to send the Contras into
battle and then withdraw aid from them. An aide to Ronald Reagan, named Oliver North, came up
with an idea to support the Contras. He sold military supplies to Israel who then sold the supplies
to Iran. Oliver North then used the money to buy military supplies for the Contras. The affair became
known as “The Iran-Contra
scandal.” Congress held hearings on the matter but the American public clearly supported
Colonial North. By 1990, Nicaragua agreed to open and free elections, and Sandinista leader
Daniel Ortega asked the Nicaraguan people to elect him president. His opponent was Violeta Chamorro,
the widow of Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, an opposition leader killed during the Somoza regime. When the
votes were tallied, Chamorro won a narrow, yet stunning victory. The superpower struggle in Central
America had given way to a quiet revolution at the ballot box and a government opposed to communism
had won.
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19.
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Why did the U.S. invade
Grenada
a. | Grenada was building an airfield big
enough to accommodate Soviet military aircraft. | c. | The Grenada army was threatening its
neighbors | b. | Grenada refused to ship oil and banana’s to the
U.S. | d. | Grenada was sending revolutionary agents into the
U.S. |
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20.
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Who was funding the
Nicaragua's Contra rebels?
a. | The Soviet
Union | c. | China | b. | Cuba | d. | The Reagan
Administration |
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21.
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What was the money from the
Iran Contra scandal used for?
a. | purchase arms for the Contras in
Nicaragua | c. | provide funds for
the Reagan administration | b. | purchase arms for the Contras in Cuba | d. | make Oliver North rich |
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22.
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Who was president of the U.S.
for most of the 1980’s
a. | Lyndon
Johnson | c. | Ronald
Reagan | b. | Jimmy Carter | d. | Richard Nixon |
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23.
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What country was
not involved in the Iran-Contra
scandal?
a. | Iran | c. | Cuba | b. | Israel | d. | the United States |
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24.
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When the people of Nicaragua
were given a chance to vote for the government of their choice they elected
a. | a communist
government | c. | a pro Soviet
government | b. | a non-communist government | d. | a Cuban style government |
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25.
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Who was the person or persons
who conceived and carried out the Iran-Contra deal?
a. | Daniel
Ortega | c. | Colonial Oliver
North | b. | Pedro Joaquin Chamorro | d. | Ronald Reagan |
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Short Answer
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26.
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Explain the Monroe Doctrine
(your own words)
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