APUSH Period 8: Cold War Era Terms

Flashcards detailing key terms and concepts from the Cold War Era in APUSH.

U-2 Crisis

1960 incident where a U.S. spy plane was shot down over the USSR, straining U.S.-Soviet relations.

Affirmative Action

Policies developed in the 1960s to address past racial and gender discrimination by improving access to education and employment.

Bay of Pigs

A failed 1961 invasion of Cuba by U.S.-backed Cuban exiles intended to overthrow Fidel Castro's regime.

Black Power

A movement in the 1960s and 1970s emphasizing racial pride, economic empowerment, and Black political and cultural institutions.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 1962 confrontation between the U.S. and USSR over Soviet missiles in Cuba.

Freedom Rides

Civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated South to challenge non-enforcement of desegregation laws.

Freedom Summer

A 1964 campaign to register African American voters in Mississippi, marked by violence against activists.

Great Society

President Lyndon B. Johnson's domestic programs aimed at eliminating poverty and racial injustice.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

1964 congressional resolution giving President Johnson authority to use military force in Vietnam without a formal declaration.

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965

Abolished the national origins quota system, leading to increased immigration from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

John Kennedy

35th U.S. President (1961–1963), known for the New Frontier and support of civil rights.

Lyndon Johnson

36th U.S. President (1963–1969) who advanced civil rights and launched the Great Society.

Malcolm X

Civil rights activist advocating for Black self-determination and a prominent figure in the Nation of Islam.

Medicaid

1965 program providing health coverage to low-income Americans.

Medicare

1965 program offering health insurance to Americans aged 65 and older.

My Lai Massacre

A 1968 incident in which U.S. troops killed hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians.

New Frontier

President Kennedy's domestic program promoting economic development, space exploration, and civil rights.

Richard Nixon

37th U.S. President (1969–1974) who ended U.S. involvement in Vietnam and resigned due to Watergate.

Tet Offensive

A major 1968 Viet Cong and North Vietnamese attack on South Vietnam turning U.S. public opinion against the war.

Viet Cong

Communist guerrilla forces in South Vietnam supported by North Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Landmark legislation banning racial discrimination in voting.

American Indian Movement (AIM)

Founded in 1968 to address Native American issues including poverty and treaty rights.

Betty Friedan

Author of The Feminine Mystique and co-founder of the National Organization for Women, a leader in the feminist movement.

Cesar Chavez

Labor leader who co-founded the United Farm Workers advocating for improved conditions for migrant farm workers.

Counterculture

A 1960s movement rejecting mainstream American values, embracing peace, love, and communal living.

Détente

A policy of easing Cold War tensions between the U.S. and Soviet Union.

Earth Day

First celebrated in 1970, raising public awareness about environmental issues.

Gerald R. Ford

38th U.S. President (1974–1977) who pardoned Nixon for Watergate.

Indian Civil Rights Act

A 1968 law extending many Bill of Rights protections to tribal governments.

NOW (National Organization for Women)

Founded in 1966 to promote gender equality through legal means.

Nixon Doctrine

Stated that U.S. allies should take care of their own military defense.

Rachel Carson

Environmentalist whose book Silent Spring helped launch the modern environmental movement.

Roe v. Wade

1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

Silent Majority

Term used by Nixon to describe Americans who supported his policies but were not vocal.

Stonewall Riot

1969 protest by LGBTQ+ individuals against a police raid, marking the start of the modern gay rights movement.

SDS (Students for a Democratic Society)

A student activist group of the 1960s advocating for civil rights and participatory democracy.

Vietnamization

Nixon’s strategy for gradually withdrawing U.S. troops from Vietnam.

Watergate

Political scandal involving a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters.

Woodstock

A 1969 music festival symbolizing the counterculture movement of peace, music, and resistance.

Ayatollah Khomeini

Iranian religious leader who led the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Bill Clinton

42nd U.S. President (1993–2001), known for economic prosperity and impeachment over the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

Camp David Accords

1978 peace agreement between Egypt and Israel brokered by President Carter.

Deregulation

Reduction or elimination of government regulations in industries, encouraged under Presidents Carter and Reagan.

George H.W. Bush

41st U.S. President (1989–1993), led the U.S. during the Gulf War.

Iran-Contra Scandal

Reagan administration sold arms to Iran to fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Last leader of the Soviet Union who implemented reforms that led to the end of the Cold War.

Nelson Mandela

Anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first Black president in 1994.

Neoconservatives

A political movement advocating for assertive foreign policy and limited domestic government.

New Right

A conservative movement emphasizing traditional values and strong anti-communism.

Reagan Doctrine

Policy of supporting anti-communist insurgents worldwide to roll back Soviet influence.

Reaganomics

Economic policy under Reagan emphasizing tax cuts and deregulation.

Ronald Reagan

40th U.S. President (1981–1989), known for conservative reforms and ending the Cold War.

Saddam Hussein

Iraqi dictator whose invasion of Kuwait led to the 1991 Gulf War.

Stagflation

Economic condition in the 1970s of high inflation and stagnant growth.

SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative)

Reagan’s proposed missile defense system against nuclear attacks.

Sunbelt

Region in the southern and western U.S. with significant population and economic growth.

Tiananmen Square

1989 pro-democracy protests in Beijing suppressed by the Chinese government.