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Collective Security

A system in which nations agree to take joint action to prevent aggression and maintain peace, as seen in the formation of NATO (1949), where member nations pledged mutual defense against potential Soviet threats, reinforcing Cold War alliances.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

A military alliance between the U.S., Canada, and Western European nations to counter Soviet expansion, reinforcing containment by committing to collective defense against communist aggression.

Iron Curtain

A term coined by Winston Churchill in 1946 to describe the division between Communist Eastern Europe and democratic Western Europe, symbolizing the Cold War separation between Soviet-controlled nations and the West.

Korean War (1950-1953)

A conflict between North Korea (backed by China & USSR) and South Korea (backed by the U.S. & UN forces), resulting in a stalemate and reinforcing the U.S. policy of containment by preventing the spread of communism into South Korea.

Truman Doctrine

A 1947 U.S. foreign policy that provided military and economic aid to nations resisting communism, demonstrated by financial support to Greece and Turkey to prevent Soviet influence.

Containment Policy

A Cold War strategy aimed at stopping the spread of communism through military, political, and economic means, leading to U.S. involvement in conflicts like the Korean War and Vietnam War.

Brinkmanship

A Cold War strategy of pushing conflicts to the edge of war to force an opponent to back down, seen in the Cuban Missile Crisis, where the U.S. and USSR came close to nuclear conflict before negotiating a resolution.

Berlin Airlift

A U.S. and British operation in 1948-1949 to supply West Berlin with food and fuel after the Soviet Union blocked land routes, demonstrating the U.S. commitment to defending democracy in Europe.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. economic aid program in 1948 providing $13 billion to rebuild Western Europe, strengthening alliances and preventing the spread of communism by stabilizing war-torn economies.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

The Cold War doctrine that both the U.S. and USSR would be destroyed in a nuclear war, deterring direct conflict but fueling an arms race as both nations stockpiled nuclear weapons.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 13-day standoff in 1962 between the U.S. and USSR over Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, ending with the removal of missiles after a U.S. naval blockade and a secret agreement to remove U.S. missiles from Turkey.

Bay of Pigs

A failed CIA-led invasion of Cuba in 1961 by U.S.-trained exiles attempting to overthrow Fidel Castro, embarrassing the Kennedy administration and strengthening Cuba’s alliance with the Soviet Union.

Greek Civil War (1946-1949)

A conflict between Greek government forces (backed by the U.S.) and communist rebels (backed by the USSR), prompting the U.S. to apply the Truman Doctrine and provide military aid to prevent a communist takeover.

Red Scare

A period of intense fear of communism in the U.S. following WWII, leading to government loyalty investigation and the rise of McCarthyism.

McCarthyism

A campaign led by Senator Joseph McCarthy that accused individuals, often without evidence, of being communists, contributing to widespread fear and the persecution of government officials.

House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC)

A congressional committee that investigated suspected communist influence in the U.S., blacklisting many in Hollywood and fueling Cold War paranoia.

Baby Boom

A period of high birth rates following World War II, leading to suburban expansion, increased demand for consumer goods, and long-term economic growth.

Levittown

A mass-produced suburban housing development providing affordable homes to returning WWII veterans, symbolizing postwar suburbanization and the rise of the middle class.

Sputnik

The first artificial satellite launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, sparking the Space Race and leading the U.S. to increase funding for science education and NASA.

Space Race / Arms Race

The Cold War competition between the U.S. and USSR in nuclear weapons development and space exploration, culminating in the U.S. moon landing in 1969.

Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (G.I. Bill)

A law providing education, housing assistance, and business loans to returning WWII veterans, boosting homeownership and college enrollment.

Sun Belt

The southern and western U.S., which experienced rapid population and economic growth after WWII due to defense spending, warmer climates, and lower taxes.

Redlining

A discriminatory practice in which banks refused loans to minority neighborhoods, enforcing racial segregation and limiting Black homeownership and wealth accumulation.

Executive Order 9981

Issued by President Truman to desegregate the U.S. military in 1948 marking an early federal step toward civil rights.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

A Supreme Court case that ruled school segregation unconstitutional, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson and leading to the desegregation of public schools.

Civil Rights Act of 1957

The first federal civil rights law since Reconstruction, establishing a Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department to protect Black voting rights, though enforcement remained weak.

Hernandez v. Texas (1954)

A Supreme Court ruling that Mexican Americans were entitled to equal protection under the 14th Amendment, ending the exclusion of Mexican Americans from juries.

Little Rock Nine

A group of Black students who integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957, facing violent opposition that led President Eisenhower to send federal troops for protection.

Mendez v. Westminster (1947)

A federal court case that ruled segregation of Mexican American students in California schools was unconstitutional, setting a precedent for Brown v. Board of Education.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

A year-long protest in 1955 sparked by Rosa Parks’ arrest, leading to the desegregation of buses in Montgomery and boosting Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership in the civil rights movement.

Sit-ins

A form of nonviolent protest where Black students sat at segregated lunch counters or in department stores, leading to desegregation in public accommodations.

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

A massive civil rights demonstration in 1963 where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, advocating for civil rights legislation.

Selma to Montgomery March

A march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965 advocating for Black voting rights, where peaceful demonstrators were violently attacked on "Bloody Sunday," leading to national outrage and the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Loving v. Virginia (1967)

A Supreme Court case that struck down laws banning interracial marriage, ruling that such laws violated the 14th Amendment.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

A landmark law that banned segregation in public places and prohibited employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

A federal law that eliminated literacy tests and other discriminatory voting practices, leading to a significant increase in Black voter registration.

24th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that banned poll taxes, removing a financial barrier that had been used to suppress Black voters.

Sweatt v. Painter (1950)

A Supreme Court case that ruled separate Black law schools in Texas were inherently unequal, paving the way for Brown v. Board of Education.

Great Society

President Lyndon B. Johnson’s domestic programs aimed at ending poverty and racial injustice, including Medicaid, Job Corps, the Food Stamp Act, and Head Start.

Immigration Act of 1965

A law that ended the national origins quota system, opening U.S. immigration to Asia, Latin America, and Africa and increasing diversity in the country.