Contextualizing Period 8 Practice Test

In the decades after World War II, U.S. leaders framed foreign policy around containing communism, building alliances like NATO, and competing with the Soviet Union for influence in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. At home, fears of subversion and nuclear war shaped politics and culture, while defense spending and new federal agencies expanded the national security state. Which earlier historical development most directly provided the precedent for this post-1945 expansion of federal power in the name of national security?

After 1945, suburbanization accelerated as federal mortgage policies, highway construction, and rising postwar incomes encouraged homeownership and commuting. These shifts reshaped metropolitan areas, often reinforcing racial and economic segregation while draining tax bases from many central cities. Which factor most directly contributed to the growth of suburbs during this period?