Key Terms from the Truman Era and Early Cold War

These flashcards contain key vocabulary terms and definitions relevant to the Truman era and the beginning of the Cold War.

GI Bill (1944)

Provided federal loans to veterans for education, business, or home purchases.

Taft-Hartley Act

Outlawed closed shops and allowed the president to stop strikes impacting national interests.

22nd Amendment

Limited a president to a maximum of two full terms in office.

Berlin Blockade

Soviet attempt to starve West Berlin by stopping all ground traffic into the city.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. initiative to aid Western Europe's economic recovery after WWII.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. policy to support free peoples resisting subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures.

Iron Curtain

Term coined by Winston Churchill to describe the division between Eastern and Western Europe.

Containment

U.S. strategy to prevent the spread of communism beyond its existing borders.

Dixiecrat Party

Southern Democrats who split from the Democratic Party over civil rights issues.

Cold War

Period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union after WWII.

Berlin Airlift

Truman sent food, fuel, and other goods inside the walls. The Soviets lifted the blockade after 11 months.

Election of 1948

Truman’s campaign had the support of millions who admired the presidents underdog image. He toured the country and attacked republicans with 270 “Give-Em-Hell” speeches.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO)

The Allies established NATO to strengthen US ties with European democracies. It’s an example of collective security.

National Security Act (1947)

Provided for a centralized Department of Defense to coordinate the Armed Forces. Created the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

House Un-American Activities Committee 1948 (HUAC)

Was established by Congress to investigate communist infiltration into society. The most famous member was Richard Nixon.

Joseph McCathy

Senator of Wisconsin who aimed that 205 State Department officials were communists and that he had a list.

McCathyism

Making unsubstantiated accusations of disloyalty with evidence.

1954 Army-McCarthy

36 day televised hearings exposed McCarthy and was ultimately his downfall.