Studied by 9 people
cold war
the postwar ideological, economic, and military contest between the US and USSR
united nations
international organization that fosters discussions among the world's nations and monitors the well-being of almost all individuals in the world
containment
US strategy for dealing with the USSR as outlined by George F. Kennan, with the intent of containing communism and not letting it advance any further than it already had
domino theory
metaphor referring to unstable nations as dominoes, with the US obligated to prevent the dominoes from "falling" which would begin the process of communist world domination
Truman doctrine
US strategy of offering aid to nations that might be susceptible to communist infiltration
Marshall plan
Truman doctrine as it was administered in Europe by general George Marshall, in order to diminish the allure of communism; under this plan the US sent $13 billion to governments that promised to become or remain democracies
north atlantic treaty organization (NATO)
pact that cemented an alliance of western nations; prompted by the Berlin crisis (est. 1949)
NSC-68
classified paper written my US diplomats that portrayed an uncontrollably aggressive USSR and recommended stopping the threat through a massive military buildup, the creation of hydrogen bombs, and the rooting out of all communists on US soil
fair deal
Truman's 21-point postwar plan that provided increases in the minimum wage, fed assistance in building homes, fed support for education and healthcare, and jobs in public works; represented a renewal of the fair employment practices commission
taft hartley act (1947)
labor management relations act that banned the closed shop, outlawed collective bargaining within industries, and authorized the president to delay strikes by declaring a "cooling off" period
national interstate and defense highways act (1956)
the largest public works project in american history at the time, authorized $25 billion to build 41 thousand miles of roads, greatly assisting the growing car culture of the 1950s
kitchen debate (1959)
discussion between USSR's Nikita Krushchev and US's Richard Nixon debating the relative merits of capitalism and communism
hollywood 10
group of screenwriters and directors accused of being members of the communist party
blacklist
collection of names of hundreds of people deemed "subversive" whom hollywood executives agreed not to hire
massive resistance
a campaign and policy begun by politicians in virginia to craft laws and do whatever possible to resist racial integration; spread throughout the south
white citizens' councils
committees organized in the 1980's and 60's to defend segregation in the south
bus boycott
a campaign to boycott an area's buses until change is instituted; used frequently during the civil rights movement
nonviolence
strategy for social changes that rejects the use of violence
liberalism
a political philosophy founded on the ideas of liberty and equality but which, in the aftermath of the industrial revolution, came to signify the federal government's role in providing a counterbalance to free-market capitalism
nation building
facilitating the political and economic maturation of developing nations; political strategy employed by JFK in order to prevent developing nations from adopting communism
berlin wall
barrier built in 1961 by the communist government to separate tge impoverished, USSR-controlled east berlin from the more prosperous west berlin
cuban missile crisis (1962)
a 13-day confrontation in October 1962 between the United States and the Soviet Union; castro had agreed to allow the USSR to base a few of its nuclear missiles in cuba, potentially triggering a nuclear war
civil rights act of 1964
legislation outlawing all discrimination in public facilities based on color, religion, sex, and national origin, and establishing the equal employment opportunity commission to investigate violations of the law in employment
voting rights act of 1965
legislation curtailing the quota system of the 1920s and permitting larger numbers of non-Europeans to settle in the US
tonkin gulf resolution (1964)
legislation allowing the president to "take all necessary measures to repel armed attacks against the forces of the US and to prevent further aggression" which was used to justify US involvement in Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh trail
Winding path through North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia that the North Vietnamese used to supply the Viet Cong
search-and-destroy operations
Strategy used during wartime in which the U.S. Army would locate enemy forces, retreat, and call in airpower
students for a democratic society (SDS)
organization declaring that young people were tired of old political movements, even radical ones; formed the core of a self-conscious "new left" movement, which rejected the old left's ideologies of economic justice in favor of an ideology of social justice
nation of islam
Black Nationalist organization whose leaders rejected the integrationist perspective of mainstream civil rights protesters, calling instead for an independent black nation-state; malcom x
black power
movement bridging the gap between black nationalism and the civil rights struggle, its leaders argued that black people should have control over the social, educational, and religious institutions in their communities and advocated black pride
counterculture
social movement of the 60s that consciously rejected traditional politics, social values, and corporate consumerism
hippies
Counterculture adherents who embraced new attitudes toward drugs, sex, popular culture, and politics
young americans for freedom (YAF)
a conservative student organization; began in 1960 and paralleling the left's SDS. Always larger than SDS, YAF advocated conservative principles including free markets and a smaller government
vietnamization
nixon's plan to reduce american troops in vietnam by encouraging south vietnamese troops to take more responsibility for fighting
pentagon papers (1971)
secret defense department study that revealed that the government had lied and purposely deceived the american public over major events in the vietnam war in an attempt to manipulate public opinion
Note 
Flashcard (46)