Full Survey Results

Ranking Decision Total Selections Selections as % of All Responses Weighted Total
1 Marshall Plan (1948) 283 90.42% 1889
2 Creation of the United Nations (1945) 201 64.22% 1366
3 Treaty of Alliance with France (1778) 155 49.52% 1269
4 Louisiana Purchase (1803) 169 53.99% 1179
5 Lend-Lease Act (1941) 175 55.91% 1160
6 Creation of NATO (1949) 185 59.11% 1028
7 Creation of the Bretton Woods System (1944) 112 35.78% 621
8 Act Prohibiting the Importation of Slaves (1807) 82 26.20% 601
9 Monroe Doctrine (1823) 79 25.24% 476
10 Handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) 80 25.56% 468
11 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (1968) 86 27.48% 427
12 Immigration Act of 1965 84 26.84% 395
13 Berlin Airlift (1948-1949) 81 25.88% 372
14 Opening to China (1971-72) 95 30.35% 362
15 Good Neighbor Policy Toward Latin America (1933) 63 20.13% 324
16 Entry into World War I (1917) 68 21.73% 320
17 Management of the Collapse of the Soviet Union (1990-1991) 67 21.41% 306
18 Support for the Reunification of Germany (1990-1991) 76 24.28% 288
19 Proclamation of Neutrality (1793) 43 13.74% 277
20 SALT I Agreement and the ABM Treaty (1972) 64 20.45% 271
21 Helsinki Final Act (1975) 59 18.85% 265
22 Limited Test Ban Treaty (1963) 56 17.89% 260
23 Override of Reagan’s Veto of the Anti-Apartheid Sanctions Bill (1986) 59 18.85% 253
24 Camp David Accords (1978) 81 25.88% 249
25 American Relief Mission to Post-WWI Europe (1919) 46 14.70% 229
26 Purchase of Alaska (1867) 61 19.49% 219
27 Adams-Onis (Transcontinental) Treaty (1819) 34 10.86% 212
28 Truman Doctrine (1947) 38 12.14% 208
29 Panama Canal Treaties (1978) 56 17.89% 186
30 Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (1987) 41 13.10% 164
31 Treaty of Versailles (1919) 29 9.27% 163
32 Destroyers-for-Bases Deal (1940) 32 10.22% 157
33 Washington Naval Conference and the Four-Power, Five-Power, and Nine-Power Treaties (1921-1922) 29 9.27% 147
34 Open Door Policy with China (1899-1900) 31 9.90% 140
35 Creation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1947) 31 9.90% 138
36 Iran Nuclear Deal (2015) 51 16.29% 133
37 START Agreements (1991, 1993) 36 11.50% 132
38 Salt II Treaty (1979) 39 12.46% 126
39 Yalta Conference (1945) 21 6.71% 105
40 (tie) Trent Affair Diplomacy (1861) 18 5.75% 102
40 (tie) Formal Recognition of the People’s Republic of China (1979) 34 10.86% 102
42 Jay Treaty (1795) 22 7.03% 96
43 Creation of the Organization of American States (1948) 19 6.07% 86
44 War of 1812 13 4.15% 85
45 (tie) Mexican-American War (1846-1848) 18 5.75% 84
45 (tie) Suez Canal Crisis (1956) 27 8.63% 84
47 Declaration of Neutrality in World War I (1914) 19 6.07% 81
48 Oregon Treaty (1846) 20 6.39% 78
49 Recognition of Israel (1948) 24 7.67% 76
50 (tie) Spanish-American War (1898) 13 4.15% 68
50 (tie) NATO Expansion (1994) 28 8.95% 68
52 (tie) Anglo-American Convention of 1818 10 3.19% 62
52 (tie) Liberation of Kuwait (1991) 19 6.07% 62
54 Egyptian-Israeli Peace Agreement (1979) 23 7.35% 60
55 Tehran Conference (1943) 11 3.51% 56
56 Annexation of Texas (1845) 12 3.83% 52
57 Alliance for Progress (1961) 14 4.47% 51
58 North American Free Trade Agreement (1993) 21 6.71% 50
59 Creation of the World Trade Organization (1995) 24 7.67% 49
60 Intervention in Kosovo (1999) 12 3.83% 48
61 Entry into Korean War (1950) 16 5.11% 42
62 Teller Amendment (1898) 10 3.19% 39
63 Potsdam Agreement (1945) 8 2.56% 38
64 Bombing of Hiroshima (1945) 5 1.60% 31
65 Embargo on Aviation Fuel, Scrap iron, and Oil to Japan (1940-1941) 7 2.24% 27
66 Taiwan Relations Act (1979) 8 2.56% 25
67 (tie) Annexation of Hawaii (1898) 7 2.24% 24
67 (tie) Senate Rejection of the Treaty of Versailles (1919) 5 1.60% 24
69 Permanent Normal Trade Relations for China (2000) 10 3.19% 23
70 Invasion of Iraq (2003) 4 1.28% 20
71 Dollar Diplomacy (1909-1913) 6 1.92% 19
72 (tie) Withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal (2018) 5 1.60% 18
72 (tie) Withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (2017) 5 1.60% 18
74 (tie) Indian Removal Act (1830) 5 1.60% 17
74 (tie) Intervention in Lebanon (1958) 3 0.96% 17
76 Embargo of 1807/Non-Intercourse Act of 1808 3 0.96% 16
77 (tie) Neutrality Acts (1935-1939) 3 0.96% 14
77 (tie) Support for Israel in Yom Kippur War (1973) 3 0.96% 14
79 Withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement (2017) 4 1.28% 13
80 (tie) Bombing of Nagasaki (1945) 3 0.96% 12
80 (tie) Senate Rejection of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (1999) 2 0.64% 12
80 (tie) Invasion of Afghanistan (2001) 4 1.28% 12
83 (tie) Vietnamization (1969) 3 0.96% 10
83 (tie) Economic Decoupling from China (2018-2020) 7 2.24% 10
85 Withdrawal from ABM Treaty (2001) 1 0.32% 9
86 Enhanced Interrogation of Terrorism Detainees (2002) 1 0.32% 7
87 (tie) Indian Appropriations Act of 1871 1 0.32% 6
87 (tie) Overthrow of Ngo Dinh Diem (1963) 2 0.64% 6
87 (tie) Intervention in Libya (2011) 2 0.64% 6
90 Iran-Contra Affair (1986-1987) 2 0.64% 5
91 (tie) Nonrecognition of New Latin American States (1818) 1 0.32% 4
91 (tie) Platt Amendment (1901) 1 0.32% 4
91 (tie) Limits on Jewish Refugees from Germany (1939-1944) 1 0.32% 4
91 (tie) Crossing the 38th Parallel in the Korean War (1950) 3 0.96% 4
95 (tie) Annexation of the Philippines (1899) 1 0.32% 3
95 (tie) Support for the Overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh (1953) 1 0.32% 3
95 (tie) Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961) 2 0.64% 3
96 Admitting the Shah of Iran into the United States (1979) 1 0.32% 2
97 (tie) Deployment of Combat Forces to Vietnam (1965) 1 0.32% 1
97 (tie) Kennedy Round of Trade Negotiations (1967) 1 0.32% 1
98 (tie) Nonrecognition of Haiti (1804) 2 0.64% 0
98 (tie) Forcible Removal of Cherokee Nation (1838) 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Indian Appropriations Act of 1851 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Dawes Act (1887) 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Suppression of the Boxer Rebellion (1900) 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Intervention in Nicaragua (1912) 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Interventions in the Dominican Republic (1912, 1916) 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Occupation of Veracruz (1913) 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Pershing Expedition (1916) 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Intervention in Russia (1918-1920) 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Immigration Act of 1924 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Smoot-Hawley Tariff (1930) 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Refusal to Recognize People’s Republic of China (1949) 1 0.32% 0
98 (tie) Support for the Overthrow of Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz Coup (1954) 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964) 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Secret Bombing and Invasion of Cambodia (1970) 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Support for the Overthrow of Salvador Allende (1973) 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Support for the Mujahideen in Afghanistan (1981-1989) 0 0.00% 0
98 (tie) Intervention in Lebanon (1982) 0 0.00% 0