34,35,36,37, unit 8

Taft-Hartley Act, 1947

Taft-Hartley Act, 1947

An act passed by a republican controlled congress that combated unions. Made all union shops illegal, made unions liable for damages due to jurisdiction disputes, and required union leaders ti take an anti communist oath

Full Employment Act, 1946

Made it a goal for government policy to promote maximum employment, production, and purchasing powers, and established a 3 man council to advise the president.

GI Bill of Rights, 1944

made preparations to lessen the economic impact of millions of GI’s returning by giving them some money and investing in their education, wether vocational or higher level.

Levittown

A suburb first of its kind as contractors built hundreds of thousands of standardized homes in one single construction project. Designed by the Levit brothers

White flight

The mass migration of white folk out of cities and into suburbs where they had bought homes.

Baby boom

50 million babies, 5 years, that’s a big boom.

Yalta Conference, Feb. 1945

A conference towards the end of the war at which final plans for invasions of Germany, the partition of Europe, and the invasion of Japan were drawn. Set caps for Stalin’s ambitions in China and Europe.

Bretton Woods, 1944

The town in New Hampshire which held the conference which the IMF was founded at.

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

A fund started by the United States and Britain to encourage international trade by regulating global exchange rates of currencies.

World Bank

Founded by the United States and Britain to promote economic growth in underdeveloped areas globally.

Security Council

A board of UN member states which dictate policy in the event of an emergency.

Big Five powers

The United States, China, France, Britain, and the USSR, the five powers with vetoes. All maintained their autonomy, stressed cooperation not competition.

Nuremberg trials, 1945-46

The international trial of 22 major nazi leaders for serious war crimes. Modern translation techniques were pioneered, human rights laws tested, and war crimes were defined.

German occupation zones

The 4 zones Germany was broken up into by the great powers following the war. Eventually formed new independent East and West German nations.

Iron Curtain

A metaphor used for the border between western Europe and the Soviet block that stretched from the baltic to the Adriatic. Very little information creeped out from eastern Europe as its access to the rest of the world was limited.

Containment Policy

George Kennan’s belief that the Russian’s ceaseless expansionisms could be contained by strengthening its neighbor states’ allegiance to the United States.

The Truman Doctrine, 1947

Truman’s policy of sending funds to democratic nations in order to put down armed communist movements. First sent money to Greece and Turkey to counter soviet influence.

The Marshall Plan, 1947

An economic plan to invest 12.5 billion dollars into Europe if nations collaborated in drafting plans for how the money would be spent. Sought to revive the European economy in order to prevent the growth of communist parties in each nation.

Berlin Blockade, 1948

An effort undertaken by the Soviets to starve out the allied occupation of portions of Berlin to have the whole city for East Germany. Circumvented by the Berlin Airlift which transported thousands of pounds of supplies everyday to Germans in the city.

National Security Act, 1947

The act which created the department of defense to be housed in the pentagon, and which reorganized the armed forces into the department of defense which individual branches for the navy, army, and airforce. Also founded the National Security Council to advice the president and the Central intelligence Agency to conduct espionage and collect data on foreign countries.

Voice of America, 1948

An organization which broadcasted American radio behind the iron current to spread pro capitalist information.

NATO, 1949

An unprecedented mutual defense pact which bound together 15 democratic nations by 1955. An attack on one would be an attack on all.

Mao Zedong

The first leader of the Chinese communist party. Built a communist cult of personality.

Revolution in China, 1948-49

The chinese communist party’s revolution against the nationalist government of China. Communist leaders grew wildly popular among the peasantry and the revolution spread from the north to south.

Dean Acheson

United States Secretary of Defense at the time of the Communist revolution. Blamed for allowing the Chinese to fall to communism. Later Secretary of State and democratic presidential candidate

Soviet A-bomb, 1949

The soviet’s first nuclear weapon developed and tested in 1949. Up ended the U.S.’s short term strategy of nuclear dominance.

H-bomb

Not to be out done, in response to the Soviet’s first atom bomb Truman pushed for the development of the significantly more powerful hydrogen bomb. Protested by both einstein and Oppenheimer who first pioneered nuclear research.

Loyalty oaths

Oaths individuals would be expected to swear before being hired for government positions. Used to ensure communists weren’t in the government, especially teachers.

House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC)

A house committee dedicated to catching communists in the government. Staffed by rising gop star Richard Nixon.

Alger Hiss, 1948

A man accused of being a communist agent in the 30’s who would be tried and convicted years later by HUAC. Caught up embarrassingly in lies and convicted for 5 years in jail for perjury.

Senator Joseph McCarthy

The loudest anti communist crusader. Neither the best or the first but was the most ambitious in his crusade. Used fear of communism as a means of undermining the Democratic Party. His attacks of the US army discredited him back into irrelevance.

McCarran Internal Security Act, 1950

An act vetoed by Truman that would allow him to arrest and detain suspicious individuals in the case of internal security emergencies.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Two individuals executed for espionage after leaking atomic data to the soviets . Blamed for the Soviets developing the bomb significantly sooner than they should have.

Election of 1948

A shocking upset of Thomas Duey as Truman won the election. Unexpected to after serious democratic infighting. Despite a competitor democrat win a few states Truman still won 303 electoral votes.

Korea/38th parallel

The line at which the Japanese colony of Korea was split into a northern communist and southern capitalist nation. Both were backed by the world power of their respective ideology.

NSC-68

A security council resolution that suggested the US spend 4 times as much as it was on military spending. 3.5 million men would be enlisted as the nation under went a massive military build up.

Inchon landing, 1950

McArthur’s bold amphibious landing behind the South Korean perimeter around Pusan. Wildly successful and led to the North Koreans being driven all the way back to the Chinese border.

Firing of General MacArthur, 1951

After being driven back to the 38th parallel by Chinese reinforcements, McArthur began requesting permission to use more force to drive them back. He grew more and more insubordinate which demanded that Truman fire him. He received a lot of backlash for this

The Checkers Speech

A shameless speech Nixon delivered live on television in which he refuted claims that he accepted illegal campaign donations by claiming that the only gift he ever received was his family cocker spaniel checkers.

Korean War Armistice

One of Dwight D Eisenhower’s principle campaign promises in which he would pull American troops out of Korean and end the Korean war. Would take a very long time for the war to finally put to an end.

General George Marshall

Became a notable general tho was best known for his role as chief of staff of the armed forces. Came up with the idea for the marshall plan which bears his name.

Army McCarthy hearings

McCarthy’s trial of several military figures for un-american, communist activities. The hardened military vets did not crack under the stress and so McCarthy frequently embarrassed himself when targeting them.

Jim Crow Laws

A set of laws which governed the south which segregated all aspects of society, from schools to busses to bathrooms. They kept blacks generally separate, poor, and powerless

Executive Order 8802

FDR’s executive order to put an end to workplace discrimination against African americans in the U.S.’s defence industry.

Thurgood Marshall

The supreme court’s first African American justice appointed by Lyndon B Johnson. A distinguished civil rights lawyer who fought Jim Crow Laws.

Rosa Parks

The college educated black woman who first proclaimed that blacks would no longer submit to segregation laws quietly by sitting in the whites only section of a bus, kicking off a year long boycott of busses in montgomery.

Earl Warren

The republican chief justice in 1954 who was the first to really tackle civil rights issues. Shocked and angered many other conservatives and white supremacists through his fighting for equal rights. Kicked off desegregation. Most notable case was brown vs the board of education which overroad that separate but equal was constitutional.

little Rock Central High School

One of the first schools in Arkansas to seat black students. The first 9 colored students needed to be escorted in by federal troops after Governor Orval Faubus called in the national guard to impede them.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

An organization formed by MLK to mobilize the already flourishing black churches to fight for Black rights.

Greensboro Sit-Ins

The first of the viral sit in protests in which 4 college students demanded service at a restaurant in Greensboro NC, then came back the next day with 19, then 85, until they were allowed to be served. A non violent way to impede buisness.

Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee

An organization led by Ella Baker that sought to provide more direction for student action movements like the sit ins, pray ins, etc. An intentionally gruff, grassroots movement that mobilized the public.

Indian New Deal

The Roosevelt era act to reclass native tribes as legal entities. Would be repealed by eisenhower in favor of an assimilation policy more akin to the Dawes Severalty Act.

Interstate Highway act

A bold plan to spend some 27 billion dollars to build new multi lane roads all across the country. Led to the growth of the automobile, travel, and gas industries, sped up suburbanization, exacerbated air quality and energy consumption issues.

Merger of AFL and CIO

The merging of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of industrial organizations to form one super union that was ripe with corruption and was targeted by congress.

John Foster Dulles

Eisenhower’s secretary of state who proposed a policy of boldness to roll back the red tide and free captive peoples.

Massive Retaliation

Ike’s new doctrine of reducing military spending by focusing on a cheaper fleet of super bombers that could carry nuclear bombs to retaliate severely in the event of Chinese or Soviet aggression. Too large of a sledge hammer in situations where finesse was needed.

Geneva Summit

A summit held in Geneva Switzerland between Eisenhower and Khrushchev to talk about Berlin. It went well the relationship between the two leaders improved so Khrushchev agreed to another meeting the next year.

Hungarian Uprising

A popular democratic uprising against the communist government of Hungary that would not be successful in lue of western aid.

Dien Bien Phu

A fort a french Garrison was trapped in in their war against nationalist vietnamese forces fighting for independence. It was suggested to Eisenhower that he finally utilize the bombers to relieve the area, but he held back.

geneva Conference on Indo-China

A multinational conference held in Geneva that divided Vietnam into a pro and anti communist state at the 17th parallel. A part of the terms was that within 2 years a referendum would be held on unification, something the southern government refused to carry out as they knew they would lose.

Ngo Dinh Diem

Leader of the pro-west southern vietnamese state.

Warsaw Pact

The Communist equivalent to Nato. The organization that housed all of the Soviet’s communist satellite states.

Shah of Iran

The leader installed by the CIA after an orchestrated coup in Iran. Served as a prowest semi-dictator that allowed the west to continue to have access to Iranian oil.

Suez Crisis

In response to American investors pulling out of talks to build a major dam on the upper Nile, the Egyptians would nationalize the Suez canal and prevent French, British, and American passage. Western Europe began becoming increasingly reliant on Middle eastern oil, so Britain, France, and Israel would coordinate an effort to seize the suez, tho the plan failed as the U.S. withheld oil for their armies.

eisenhower Doctrine

Eisenhower’s policy of allowing middle eastern governments to request millitary or economic assistance to fight communist forces.

Opec

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, oil producing countries like iran, kuwait, and venezuela would collaborate to agree on oil prices to have more control in the international market.

Sputnik

The first satellite in space sent up by the soviet union. Raised serious concerns about national security as it meant the soviets had the technology for inter continental ballistic missiles that could carry nukes.

Missile Gap

A fictional gap between the number and strength of Soviet and American Missiles that was used as justification for the expansion of America’s arsenal of nukes.

NASA

The national Aeronautics and Space Administration that developed the U.S.’s own ICBM’s and then would be responsible for the US’s space program.

National Defense and Education Act

An act passed by Eisenhower following a comparison of the Soviet and American education systems that would encourage schools to add sciences, engineering, and world languages to their curriculums.

The Kitchen Debate

An informal debate Nixon had with Khrushchev in model american kitchen on display in Moscow. The two debated the merits of either system by pointing to the many consumer products they were surrounded by.

Nixon-Kennedy Debates

A series of 4 televised debates between Kennedy and Nixon that solidified the idea that image not substance was more important in this new age of politics. Voters found JFK’s youth far more appealing and inspiring than Nixon’s tired appearance.

Betty Friedan

The founder of the modern feminist movement. Appealed to female boredom with suburban home life. Wrote The Feminine Mystique which sold to millions of educated women and became a classic in womens’ protest literature.

Robert Kennedy

Brother of JFK and appointed his Attorney general at the young age of 35. Worked to redirect the focus of the FBI to organized crime cases and civil rights enforcement not internal security.

Robert McNamara

Ex Ford executive who would become take over the department of defense under JFK.

The Peace Corps

A new organization established by JFK that gave young americans the opportunity to volunteer by sharing their know how with developing countries.

Man on the Moon

Kennedy’s 24 billion dollar project to place America back on top as the world’s preeminent technological power. The apollo missions that sent a man to the moon and back.

Vienna Conference

Kennedy and Khrushchev’s first meeting together in Vienna. Khrushchev threatened to cut off western access to Berlin through east Germany.

Berlin Wall

A concrete and barbed wire wall that encircle the capitalist half of berlin to prevent people from continuing to flow out of east germany.

Flexible Response

An antidote to Dulles Massive retaliation, Kennedy raised spending to diversify the armed forces so that a branch could be deployed to fit whatever situation was needed. Included the strengthening of the green berets, a group specialized in anti guerilla combat.

Alliance for Progress

Marketed as the Latin American Marshall plan, the investment was inadequate to solve the many social problems of South America or foster a strong alliance.

Peaceful Coexistence or Detente

The policy Kennedy pushed of the Soviets and Americans peacefully coexisting so as to not start a nuclear war by scaling back armaments and stopping nuclear tests.

James Meredith

A 29 year old air force veteran who needed to be escorted into his first class at the University of Mississippi by 300 federal marshals and 3000 troops.

March on Washington, Aug 1963

A peaceful march of 200,000 white and black civil rights supporters to the lincoln memorial to raise awareness and show support for proposed civil rights legislation.

Medgar Evers

A black mississippi civil rights advocate who was shot the same night Kennedy delivered his historic civil rights speech.

Lee Harvey Oswald

The assassin of JFK

Civil Rights Act , 1964

A landmark act passed through congress under LBJ that banned discrimination based off of race or sex in most private places open to the public, discrimination in employment, and gave the government more power to desegregate the south.

Affirmative Action

Initially meant to discourage discrimination, the practice evolved into proactively hiring individuals from underprivileged groups to be more equitable. LBJ mandated this after the passing of the civil rights act and Nixon expanded it to favor minorities in government jobs.

War on Poverty

An initiative started by Johnson to tackle the issue that 20% of the U.S. population still lived in poverty. Proof of the massive amount of confidence the US had following WW2.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

A bill Johnson had passed through congress that basically gave him the right to escalate the war in vietnam as he saw fit. It covered “everything”

Office of Economic Opportunity

An organization created by LBJ in his war on poverty that was tasked with spending its allotted funds in a way to revive struggling regions like apalacia.

Medicare and medicaid

Granted privileges to the elderly and the poor to increase their access to health care.

Project Head Start

An 8 week summer program that cared for all of poor children's emotional, psychological, social, health, and nutritional needs to break the cycle of poverty. Part of LBJ’s war on poverty.

Voting Rights Act

An act passed by LBJ to crack down on practices in the south that restricted African Americans from voting like intimidation, poll taxes, and literacy tests. Explicitly outlawed literacy tests and sent federal voter registrars to the south to register voters.

Malcolm X

One of the men from the second generation of civil rights leaders who took on a more millitist, violent approach to pursue black separatism not racial harmony. An African Muslim.

Elijah Muhammed

The Black nationalist founder of the nation of Islam. Intense African separatists who regularly used violence. Some of his gunmen shot Malcolm X.

Black Panther Party

A millatist socialist party that was opperating chiefly in oakland California. Operated armed citizen patrols to counter police brutality while also doing humanitarian work like children’s breakfasts.

Operation Rolling Thunder

A series of full-scale carpet bombing raids over north vietnam to target viet-con fighters.

Domino Theory

The theory that if one nation fell to communism, its neighbors would soon follow. Used to justify investing so much into the vietnam war, lest cambodia and laos fall too.

Credibility Gap

The widening gap between the people and the government as the public increasingly felt they were being lied to and lost trust in the government.