APUSH:Unit 8 ( 1954-1980) Early Cold War & Post-War Transition

Yalta Conference

Meeting of Allied leaders; shaped postwar Europe.

United Nations

Created to replace League of Nations.

Containment

George Kennan’s idea to stop communism from spreading.

Iron Curtain Speech

Winston Churchill's warning about Soviet expansion.

Truman Doctrine

US promises to support nations resisting communism.

Marshall Plan

Economic aid to rebuild Western Europe.

Berlin Airlift

US and British planes fly supplies to West Berlin during Soviet blockade.

NATO

Military alliance between the US and Western Europe.

Korean War

North Korea invades South Korea; ends in stalemate.

Second Red Scare

Fear of communists in government; Sen. McCarthy’s accusations.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

Investigated suspected communists.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Executed for allegedly spying for the Soviets.

Eisenhower Doctrine

Promised US aid to Middle East against communism.

Interstate Highway Act

Funded road-building, boosted suburbs and defense.

Military-Industrial Complex

Warned about the influence of defense spending.

Brown v. Board of Education

Declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Sparked by Rosa Parks; MLK rises as leader.

Little Rock Nine

Eisenhower sends troops to enforce school integration.

Civil Rights Act of 1957

First since Reconstruction; focused on voting rights (weak).

Sit-in Movement

Begins in Greensboro; nonviolent protests spread.

Kennedy’s New Frontier

Domestic reform and space race.

Bay of Pigs

Failed CIA-backed invasion of Cuba.

Cuban Missile Crisis

13-day standoff; US & USSR avoid nuclear war.

March on Washington

MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Outlawed discrimination based on race, sex, religion.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Ended literacy tests, allowed federal oversight of elections.

Great Society

LBJ's programs: Medicare, Medicaid, War on Poverty.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Gave LBJ authority to escalate Vietnam.

Selma to Montgomery March

Led to Voting Rights Act.

Watts Riots

Urban racial unrest in LA.

Black Power Movement

Shift from integration to racial pride (e.g., SNCC, Malcolm X).

Tet Offensive

Turning point; public turns against Vietnam War.

Assassinations of MLK and RFK

Major social unrest.

Democratic National Convention (1968)

Riots over Vietnam War split party.

Vietnamization

Nixon's plan to withdraw US troops, train South Vietnam.

Invasion of Cambodia

Sparks protests like Kent State shootings.

Pentagon Papers

Exposed government deception about Vietnam.

Detente

Easing of Cold War tensions; Nixon visits China.

SALT I Treaty

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks with USSR.

Watergate Scandal

Nixon resigns due to cover-up of break-in.

War Powers Act

Limits president’s power to wage war.

Roe v. Wade

Legalized abortion; right to privacy.

OPEC Oil Embargo

Causes energy crisis and inflation.

Stagflation

High inflation + unemployment + stagnant growth.

Iran Hostage Crisis

52 Americans held during Carter's presidency.

Feminist Movement

Led by Betty Friedan, NOW, Title IX, Roe v. Wade.

Environmental Movement

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, EPA.

Chicano Movement

Cesar Chavez and United Farm Workers.

Gay Rights Movement

Stonewall Riots.

American Indian Movement (AIM)

Activism for tribal rights and sovereignty.