Post-WWII Era Flashcards

Flashcards for reviewing Cold War and Post-WWII topics.

Manhattan Project

Top-secret research program to create the atomic bomb, including scientists like Oppenheimer.

Atomic Bomb Justification

Saved American lives and shortened the end of World War II.

Tokyo/Nuremberg Trials

Showed that leaders are responsible for their actions during wartime and cannot commit crimes against humanity.

GI Bill (Servicemen's Readjustment Act)

Provided aid for education and housing to veterans.

2 Term Amendment

Established that a president can only serve two terms, passed after FDR’s fourth term.

Baby Boom

Rapid increase in birth rate caused by the delay of marriages during World War II.

Truman's Role With Civil Rights

Desegregated the military.

HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee)

Led the Hollywood Blacklist in an attempt to find communists.

McCarthyism

Caused by fear of communism infiltrating the national government, leading to the 2nd Red Scare.

Rosenbergs

Couple executed during the 2nd Red Scare due to fear of communism.

Iron Curtain Speech

Winston Churchill’s belief that communism (the iron curtain) had started to spread.

Containment

The U.S. policy to stop the spread of communism.

United Nations

Organization made up of world nations to deal with world issues; Eleanor Roosevelt helped create the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Marshall Plan

Containment plan providing aid to Western Europe to prevent the spread of communism by stabilizing the economy.

Truman Doctrine

Containment plan providing aid to Greece and Turkey.

Berlin Airlift

Containment plan giving supplies to West Berlin to overcome Stalin’s blockade.

Point Four Program

Containment plan giving technological aid to 3rd World nations.

Korean War

Effort to contain communism, resulting in Korea remaining divided at the 38th Parallel.

Collective Security

An attack on one is considered to be an attack on all.

NATO vs. Warsaw Pact

U.S. (NATO) vs. Soviet (Warsaw Pact) military alliances based on the idea of collective security.

Space Race

Began with the Soviet launch of Sputnik.

U.S. Response to Soviet Satellite Sputnik

Increased math/science education in schools; NASA created.

Brinkmanship

Pushing the other side as far as you can in order to make them back down first.

Massive Retaliation

Reliance on nuclear weapons rather than on conventional ground forces.

Eisenhower Doctrine

Aid given to the Middle East to help fight against communism.

Domino Theory

If one nation falls to communism, they all will fall, so aid is necessary to prevent this from happening.

Interstate Highway Act

Resulted in suburban growth and was designed for Cold War military purposes.