The United States and the World, 1945-89

Key Personalities

Harry Truman
Lyndon Johnson 
Joe McCarthy
Martin Luther King 
Betty Friedan  


Resources by Topic

1. US Politics
2. US Foreign Policy, 1945-72
          Case Study - Lyndon Johnson and Vietnam, 1963-68
3. Domestic Factors in US Foreign Policy
4. Decline of Cold War Certainties, 1973-89
5. US Economy, 1945-89
6. Troubled Affluence
           Case Study - The Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1955-56
7. Consensus? 1945-89
8. Religion, the Mass Media and Mass Higher Education
9. Advances in Technology
           Case Study - The Moon Landing, 1969
The 'Organisation Man'
Marilyn Monroe
Billy Graham
Muhammad Ali
Norman Mailer


Lesson Plan - We Didn't Start the Fire

Some Past Exam Questions [HL]

  • How did the presidency develop from Roosevelt to Reagan? 
  • In what ways did the Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1956, advance the cause of the civil rights movement? 
  • What part did one or more of the following play in US foreign policy: Korea; Cuba; Salt and Star Wars? 
  • How did McCarthyism and/or the anti-war movement affect US foreign policy, 1945-72? 
  • What were the successes and failures of the presidency of Lyndon Johnson? 
  • To what extent did the US economy experience both success and decline during the period 1945-1989? 
  • Why did the US lose the Vietnam War and/or what was the significance of the Moon landing? 
  • What was the impact of the Moon Landings on US domestic and foreign affairs? 
  • What did one or more contribute to American culture: Marilyn Monroe; Muhammad Ali; Billy Graham?