US Foreign and Domestic Policy Post-Vietnam

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to US foreign and domestic policy post-Vietnam.

Plurality

The greatest number of votes a candidate receives in an election when none of the candidates receives a majority, or more than 50 percent, of the vote.

New Federalism

President Richard Nixon’s plan to reduce the size and power of the federal government and return power to the states, centered around revenue sharing.

Revenue Sharing

A practice initiated by President Richard Nixon where the federal government distributed revenues to states and local governments to spend as they saw fit.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

A government agency created by Congress in 1971 to protect workers on the job.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

A government agency created by Congress in 1970 to protect Americans’ health and the natural environment by setting and enforcing pollution standards.

Family Assistance Plan

A proposal by President Richard Nixon that was rejected by Congress, which would have supported every poor family with a minimum annual income.

Stagflation

An economic condition where prices and the rate of unemployment increase at the same time.

Energy Crisis

An energy shortage in fall 1973 caused by oil-exporting nations of the Middle East halting their oil shipments to the U.S. to protest U.S. support of Israel.

Realpolitik

A political policy based on practical concerns rather than idealistic ones.

Détente

The relaxation of Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union and between the U.S. and China that began under President Nixon.

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)

A five-year agreement limiting the number of nuclear missiles between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Watergate Scandal

A political scandal from 1972 to 1975 involving President Nixon's efforts to cover up illegal activities.

Special Prosecutor

A lawyer not part of the government appointed to investigate a federal official for misconduct.

Subpoena

A written legal order used to summon a witness to court or require certain evidence to be submitted.

Executive Privilege

A president's right to withhold information under certain circumstances.

Bicentennial

A 200th anniversary.

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

An association of oil-exporting nations that sets oil prices and is crucial for national income.

National Energy Act

A law passed in 1978 offering tax credits for conserving energy.

Tax Credits

A reduction in the amount a taxpayer must pay to the government.

Camp David Accords

A peace agreement brokered by President Jimmy Carter between Israel and Egypt.

Earth Day

An annual holiday established in 1970 to promote environmental awareness.

Clean Water Act

A law passed in 1972 to limit pollutants in waterways.

Safe Drinking Water Act

A law passed in 1974 that allows the EPA to regulate public drinking water quality.

Acid Rain

Precipitation containing acid resulting from atmospheric pollutants.

Three Mile Island Accident

A 1979 nuclear accident in Pennsylvania that led to a partial meltdown of the reactor.

Male Chauvinist

A person who believes that men are superior to women.

Comparable Worth

The argument that jobs typically held by women should pay as much as comparable jobs held by men.

National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC)

An organization formed in 1971 to support women's political participation.

Birth Dearth

The drop in birth rate where many American women began having fewer children from 1975 to 1980.

Rustbelt

Regions in the Northeast and Midwest economically impacted by declining industries.

WASPs

An acronym for white Anglo-Saxon Protestants.

Ethnicity

A person’s ethnic identity shaped by language, religion, and history.