Chapter 25: The Cold War and the Fair Deal, 1945-1952

Iron curtain

A term coined by Winston Churchill to describe the Cold War divide between Western Europe and the Soviet Union's Eastern European satellite nations.

What is the U.S. Cold War strategy to combat the spread of communism?

Containment

What types of pressure did the U.S. use in its containment strategy?

Political, economic, and military pressure

What was the goal of the U.S. containment strategy?

The main goal of containment was to combat the spread of communism

Which global power was the U.S. trying to contain during the Cold War?

The US was trying to contain the Soviet Union

What year was the Truman Doctrine established?

The Trumane Doctrine was established in 1947

What was the main goal of the Truman Doctrine?

To contain communism in Eastern Europe

What type of aid did the Truman Doctrine provide to nations at risk of Communist takeover?

Economic and military aid

What year was the Marshall Plan initiated?

The Marshall plan was initiated in 1948

Who was the Secretary of State that proposed the Marshall Plan?

George C. Marshall

What was the purpose of the Marshall Plan?

To provide massive U.S. financial and technical assistance to war-torn European countries.

What was the Berlin Airlift?

The effort by the United States and Great Britain to fly massive amounts of food and supplies into West Berlin.

When did the Berlin Airlift take place?

The Airlift took place 1948-1949

What prompted the Berlin Airlift?

The Soviet land blockade of West Berlin.

What does NATO stand for?

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

When was NATO formed?

NATO was formed in 1949

Which countries were the founding members of NATO?

The founding members were The United States, Canada, and ten Western European nations

What was the primary purpose of NATO when it was formed?

NATO's purpose was to deter Soviet expansion in Europe

National Security Act (1947)

Congressional legislation that created the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, and the Central Intelligence Agency.

What year was the Taft-Hartley Labor Act enacted?

The Taft-Hartley Labor Act was enacted 1947

What did the Taft-Hartley Labor Act ban?

The Taft-Hartley Act banned unfair labor practices by unions

What requirement did the Taft-Hartley Labor Act impose on union leaders?

It required union leader to sign anti-Communist 'loyalty oaths'

What does the Taft-Hartley Labor Act prohibit for federal employees?

The Taft Hartley Labor act prohibited federal employees going on strike

What were the Dixiecrats?

The Dixiecrats were a breakaway faction of White southern Democrats.

Why did the Dixiecrats defect from the national Democratic Party?

They defected to protest the party's increased support for Black civil rights.

In what year did the Dixiecrats break away from the national Democratic Party?

They broke away from the Democratic Party in 1948

What did the Dixiecrats aim to do after breaking away from the Democratic Party?

They Dixiecrats aimed to nominate their own segregationist candidates for elective office.

What was the Fair Deal?

President Truman's proposals to build upon the New Deal.

What did the Fair Deal propose regarding national health insurance?

It proposed the establishment of national health insurance.

What did the Fair Deal propose about the Taft-Hartley Act?

It proposed the repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act.

What type of legislation did the Fair Deal include?

New civil rights legislation.

What was the outcome of the Fair Deal proposals?

The outcome was that most were rejected by the Republican-controlled Congress.

NSC-68

The top-secret policy paper approved by President Truman that outlined a militaristic approach to combating the spread of global communism.

What does HUAC stand for?

House Committee on Un-American Activities

When was the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) formed?

HUAC was formed in 1938

What was the original task of HUAC?

Investigating Nazi subversion during World War II

What was HUAC later focused on?

Rooting out Communists in the government and the motion-picture industry

What is McCarthyism?

Anti-Communist hysteria in the United States during the early 1950s.

Who led the anti-Communist witch hunts known as McCarthyism?

Senator Joseph McCarthy

What did McCarthyism target?

McCarthyism targeted the loyalty of politicians, federal employees, and public figures.

What was a significant characteristic of the accusations during McCarthyism?

They were made despite a lack of evidence.

What principle was guaranteed for Poland and other Eastern European countries at the wartime conferences?

Self-determination and democratic elections.

Which four countries agreed to occupy Germany in four zones?

The United States, Great Britain, The Soviet Union, and France.

What international organization was established as a result of the wartime conferences?

The United Nations.

What did the Soviet Union agree to do after Germany was defeated?

Declare war on Japan.

What was the strategy of containment based on?

The ideas of George Kennan, who argued that the Soviet Union aimed to expand its influence and must be contained.

What was the Truman Doctrine?

A pledge to help free people in Greece and Turkey resist revolutions supported by the Soviet Union.

What financial aid did Congress approve for Greece and Turkey under the Truman Doctrine?

$300 million for Greece and $100 million for Turkey.

What was the Marshall Plan designed to do?

Rebuild the European economy after WWII through a massive infusion of American capital.

What event prompted Congress to provide $13 billion for the Marshall Plan?

Stalin's occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1948.

What was NATO?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a peacetime alliance formed in 1949 including the US and several European nations.

What was the purpose of the Berlin Airlift?

To supply West Berlin with food and fuel after Stalin blockaded the city.

What was the outcome of the Berlin Airlift?

Stalin lifted the blockade in May 1949, admitting defeat.

What was Truman's Fair Deal?

A platform advocating national health insurance, civil rights legislation, and a national minimum wage.

Who won the Chinese Civil War in 1949?

Mao Zedong and the communist forces.

What was the National Security Act of 1947?

It created the Department of Defense, the CIA, and the National Security Council.

What did NSC-68 propose?

A massive military buildup to surpass Soviet military capabilities.

What was the Military Industrial Complex?

The relationship between military spending and corporate interests that expanded after NSC-68.

What initiated the Korean War in 1950?

The North Korean invasion of South Korea, supported by the Soviet Union.

What was the result of the Korean War?

A stalemate leading to an armistice, with no peace treaty signed.

What was revealed by the Venona Papers?

A massive Soviet spying program and the involvement of American spies in passing atomic secrets.

Who were Julius and Ethel Rosenberg?

Individuals convicted of espionage for passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union.

What was HUAC?

The House Un-American Activities Committee, which investigated suspected communists.

Who was Senator Joseph McCarthy?

A senator who exploited the Red Scare to promote his career by claiming communists infiltrated the government.

What was the impact of McCarthyism?

Many Americans were blacklisted and had their careers ruined without concrete evidence.