Cold War Key Events and Policies: US, USSR, Korea, Space Race

Truman Doctrine

US would support nations resisting communism as support for containment, did not apply to Satellite Nations

Berlin Airlift

Stalin closed off access to West Berlin in order to end US influence, US airlifted supplies into the city until Stalin gave up

Iron Curtain

Said by Churchill, metaphor, division between capitalist Western Europe and communist Eastern Europe

Warsaw Pact

Alliance between the Soviet Union and Satellite Nations for defense, their response to NATO

NATO

Mutual defense alliance between US and Western Europe, first peace time alliance for US

Harry Truman

First Cold War President, followed policy of containment, desegregated the military

Containment

US foreign policy to prevent communism from spreading outside of the Soviet Union and Satellite Nations

George Kennan

US diplomat to the Soviet Union, came up with containment plan

Chiang Kai-shek

Leader of Nationalist party in China, supported by US, corrupt and bad leader

Mao Zedong

Communist party leader in China, won support of the Chinese peasants by promising land

Douglas MacArthur

Famous US general, led troops in Korean War, fired for publicly disagreeing with Truman, wanted to extend war into China

38th Parallel

Dividing line between communist North Korea and free South Korea, where stalemate developed, war ended here with a cease-fire

Suez Crisis

Egyptian leader Nassar took control of Suez Canal, almost triggered a war, UN intervened to negotiate peace

Eisenhower Doctrine

US would support the Middle East to help keep out communism

Nikita Khrushchev

Leader of the Soviet Union after Stalin

Brinkmanship

Foreign policy under Eisenhower, US would be willing to use nuclear weapons on any aggressive nation

John Foster Dulles

Secretary of State under Eisenhower, developed policy of Brinkmanship

Sputnik

First artificial satellite, launched by the Soviets, caused panic in US, led to massive US funding for science/technology/research, start of space race

Mutually Assured Destruction

Countries stockpiled nuclear weapons to deter war, fear of massive retaliation kept them from actually dropping any bombs

Hungarian Uprising

Hungary (satellite nation) wanted to be free from Soviets and establish a democracy, put down quick by Soviet troops, US did not help

Hollywood 10

Group of Hollywood actors who refused to testify in front of the HUAC because they claimed the hearings were unconstitutional

HUAC

House Un-American Activities Committee, searching for communists in the US, targeted Hollywood for fear of communist influence in movies, violated individual rights

Joseph McCarthy

Senator from Wisconsin, accused many government workers and politicians of being communists with little evidence, increased hysteria in the US known as 'McCarthyism'

Smith Act

Made it illegal to teach or advocate for the overthrow of the American government

Venona Papers

Secret intelligence collected on the Soviet Union that proved there were spies in the government (like Alger Hiss and the Rosenbergs)

Alger Hiss

Government worker accused of spying for the Soviets, convicted of perjury

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Husband and wife convicted of spying for Soviets, given death penalty, claimed they were being targeted b/c they were Jewish

GI Bill

Government offered loans to home and business loans to veteran, financial aid for college

Baby Boom

Largest generation of babies born in US history, created a need for more suburbs/schools/etc.

Ray Kroc

Started McDonald's franchise across US

Sunbelt

Southern and Southwestern US states, migration shift to this area due to technological and service sector jobs

Post War Economy

Fewer factory jobs & more service sector jobs, higher unemployment and inflation right after war but changed to prosperity in the 1950s

Taft- Hartley Act

Outlawed the practice of only hiring union members in certain workplaces

Fair Deal

Truman's platform of domestic policies, wanted to keep going with FDR's reforms

Sam Walton

Founded of Wal-Mart

Estee Lauder

Founder of cosmetics line Estee Lauder

Service Sector

'White' collar jobs, increased in number after the war

Franchise

Company that allows an independently own business to distribute their product (ex. McDonalds), creates lots of job

Multinational Corporations

Corporations that produce and sell their products all over the world (ex. Coca Cola)

William Levitt

Created the first suburb with mass produced houses

Suburbs

Master planned communities on the outskirts of cities, homes are fairly identical thus the ability to build them quickly at a reasonable price, massive growth from babies and people moving out of cities

Dr. Jonas Salk

Created the polio vaccine, saving the lives of future generations

Dr. Benjamin Spock

Wrote a book on how to raise children

Interstate Highway Act

Passed by Eisenhower, created the interstate highway system to help transportation and defense around the country, led to boom in automobile sales and suburbs

Jack Kerouac & Allen Ginsberg

Famous authors of the Beat Generation

Beat Generation

Beatniks, cultural movement to push back against the conformity of the 50's

Elvis Presley

Rock-n-roll star of the 1950's, sang about heartbreak and being young, called the 'King'

Termination Policy

US policy towards Native Americans that ended all federal support

Urban Renewal

Attempt to revive run down portions of cities by building low-income housing