APUSH LEQ Study Guide: Cold War & Civil Rights Movement

Yalta and Potsdam Conferences (1945)

US and USSR emerge as superpowers. Disagreements over Eastern Europe's fate.

Ideological Clash

Capitalism vs. Communism

USSR's control of Eastern Europe

Stalin keeps troops in Germany and installs pro-Soviet governments → US sees this as a violation of self-determination.

Truman Doctrine (1947)

Pledged US support to any country resisting communism (esp. Greece & Turkey).

Containment policy

Prevent spread of communism, not necessarily roll it back.

Marshall Plan (1948)

$13 billion in aid to rebuild Western Europe.

Goal of Marshall Plan

Strong economies = less vulnerability to communism.

Berlin Blockade & Airlift (1948-1949)

USSR blocked Allied access to West Berlin.

US response to Berlin Blockade

11-month airlift to supply city.

Significance of Berlin Blockade

Demonstrated Western resolve against Soviet pressure.

NATO (1949)

First peacetime alliance by US; collective defense.

Warsaw Pact (1955)

Eastern bloc's response; military alliance of communist nations.

Arms Race & Nuclear Proliferation

Truman approved Hydrogen Bomb (1952).

MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction) doctrine

Created tension, but arguably prevented open conflict.

Korean War (1950-1953)

First military test of containment.

North Korea vs. South Korea

North Korea (backed by USSR/China) vs. South Korea (US-backed).

Result of Korean War

Stalemate, but South Korea preserved.

Significance of Korean War

Truman committed US troops without Congressional declaration → precedent for future conflicts (e.g., Vietnam).

Second Red Scare (late 1940s-1950s)

Fear of internal communist subversion.

Federal Employee Loyalty Program (1947)

Investigated federal workers.

HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee)

Investigated Hollywood.

Hollywood Ten

Blacklisted, imprisoned.

Taft-Hartley Act (1947)

Weakened labor unions; required union leaders to denounce communism.

McCarthyism

Senator Joseph McCarthy falsely accused people of communist ties.

Rosenberg Trial (1951)

Accused of espionage; executed.

Executive Order 9981

Desegregated armed forces.

Committee on Civil Rights

Advocated end of poll tax and anti-lynching laws.

24th Amendment

Ended poll taxes in federal elections.

Jim Crow laws

Enforced segregation.

Brown v. Board of Education

Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson ('separate but equal') and ruled school segregation unconstitutional.

Loving v. Virginia

Banned laws against interracial marriage.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Rosa Parks' arrest sparked year-long boycott and elevated MLK Jr. as national civil rights leader.

MLK's Strategy

Civil disobedience & nonviolence influenced by Christian values and Gandhi.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Led protests in deeply segregated areas, such as Birmingham 1963.

Children's Crusade

Police brutality televised → national outrage.

Malcolm X

Advocated for Black nationalism, self-defense, and Black pride; opposed integration with white society in early years.

Black Panthers

Focused on self-defense, community programs, and police brutality; more radical but filled gap where federal government was slow to act.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Banned discrimination in public places, employment, and schools.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Outlawed literacy tests and allowed federal oversight of elections in discriminatory states.

Continuity and Change over Time (CCOT)

Civil Rights saw gradual change from legal victories to legislation, but racism persisted in other forms.

Causation

Cold War caused by WWII alliances breaking down and ideological opposition; Civil Rights influenced by WWII, the Cold War, and grassroots organizing.

Comparison

Compare Truman's containment abroad to McCarthyism at home; compare MLK's nonviolence vs. Malcolm X's militancy.

Thesis (1pt)

Write a clear argument with reasoning (e.g., "The Truman administration significantly escalated Cold War tensions through containment, alliances, and economic aid...").

Contextualization (1pt)

Write 2-3 sentences about what was happening before the Cold War or Civil Rights Movement that helps explain the issue.

Evidence (1 pt)

Name-drop 3+ relevant examples (e.g., NATO, Truman Doctrine, Brown v. Board, etc.).

Evidence and Support for Argument (1 pt)

Connect evidence back to your thesis with analysis — explain why it matters.

Historical Reasoning (1 pt)

Explain why or how something changed, continued, or caused something else (e.g., "This policy led to escalating tensions...").

Complexity (1 pt)

Add a counterargument or a "some may say..." twist to your essay. Show how it's not just black and white.