View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. With what country did Bohlen become fascinated during late-night discussions at Harvard?

2. What does Isaacson report that John McCloy called, "Something that is worse than anything probably that ever happened in the world"?

3. With whom does Isaacson report Harriman shared responsibility that came to him after the meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill?

4. What does Isaacson claim to be Harriman's first crusade in his role with the Roosevelt Administration?

5. What quality made Lovett and McCloy influential insiders, according to Isaacson?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. What experience in John McCloy's background does Isaacson claim gave McCloy the exposure to Henry Stimson that eventually led to McCloy's appointment to the Department of War as a special consultant on German espionage?

9. 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?

10. After WWI, how does Isaacson show Averell Harriman's process of making business deals with Leon Trotsky of Communist Russia?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 958 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample