fistory final (last test in high school)

Roosevelt

1932,36,40,44

New deal

government programs implemented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1939 to address the Great Depression. These programs aimed to provide relief to the suffering, stimulate economic recovery, and reform the economy to prevent future crises.

Isolationism

a policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries.

Lend-Lease

a U.S. policy enacted during World War II where the U.S. provided war materials and supplies to Allied nations, primarily Great Britain, without requiring immediate payment.

Truman

1945, 48 * assumed office not elected *

Fair Deal

These proposals included increased social security coverage, national health insurance, federal aid to education, and civil rights measures.

Truman Doctrine (containment)

also known as the containment policy, was a key US foreign policy strategy after World War II, aimed at preventing the spread of communism. It involved providing political, military, and economic aid to countries resisting communist influence.

Berlin Blockade/Airlift

The soviet union blockaded West Berlin, cutting off all land and water access in 1948. The Western Allies responded with an airlift, using planes to deliver vital supplies to the city, effectively breaking the blockade and demonstrating their commitment to West Berlin.

Nuclear Weapons

Korean War

a conflict fought between communist North Korea and non-communist South Korea, with international support from the United Nations and the Soviet Union.

Eisenhower

1952, 56

Dulles

served as Secretary of State under President Dwight Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959.

Brinkmanship

the art or practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits of safety before stopping, especially in politics.

Reaction to Conformity

In the 1950s, many people lived similar lives—same houses, jobs, and roles. Some people rebelled against this 'sameness' and wanted more freedom and creativity.

Beatniks / Allen Ginsberg

Beatniks were young people in the 1950s who rejected traditional rules and lived freely. Allen Ginsberg was a poet who wrote about peace, freedom, and questioning authority.

Woodstock Festival

A famous 1969 music festival where young people gathered for peace, music, and anti-war protest. It symbolized the counterculture.

Bob Dylan

A singer-songwriter whose songs had strong messages about civil rights, war, and change.

John Lennon / The Beatles

Lennon was part of The Beatles, a hugely popular band whose music and message influenced youth, peace movements, and social change.

Psychedelic Era

A time in the 1960s and '70s when people experimented with drugs (like LSD), bright art, and music to explore new experiences and challenge norms.

The Pill

A birth control pill that gave women more control over their lives and helped start the women's rights movement.

Rachel Carson

An environmentalist who wrote Silent Spring, a book that warned people about harmful chemicals and pollution.

Ralph Nader

A consumer safety activist who fought to make cars, food, and products safer. He wrote Unsafe at Any Speed about car safety.

Betty Friedan / The Feminine Mystique

A writer and activist who spoke out about how women were unhappy being only housewives. Her book helped start the modern women's rights movement.

Clarence Gideon

A man whose case led to a Supreme Court decision that said everyone has the right to a lawyer—even if they can't afford one.

Kennedy: 1960

In 1960, the first presidential debate on TV was between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Kennedy looked confident, helping him win the election.

New Frontier

President Kennedy's plan to improve the U.S. with better education, space exploration, civil rights, and help for the poor.

Flexible Response

JFK's military policy that gave the U.S. more options than just nuclear weapons—like using special forces or conventional troops.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

A failed U.S. plan in 1961 where Cuban exiles tried to overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba. It was poorly planned and embarrassed the U.S.

Berlin Wall Built

In 1961, the Soviet Union built a wall dividing East and West Berlin to stop people from escaping communist East Germany.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A tense 13-day standoff in 1962 when the U.S. discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba. It nearly led to nuclear war but ended with a peaceful agreement.

Great Society

A set of domestic programs launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.

War on Poverty

Part of the Great Society aimed at reducing poverty in the U.S.

Watergate

A major political scandal in the 1970s where President Nixon's team broke into the Democratic Party's office and tried to cover it up.

Impeachment & Resignation

Nixon was about to be impeached (put on trial by Congress) for crimes, but he resigned in 1974 before that could happen.

The Plumbers

A secret White House group created to stop leaks of government info. They did illegal things like the break-in at Watergate.

C.R.E.E.P. (Committee to Re-Elect the President)

Nixon's campaign group, some members were involved in funding the Watergate break-in and other dirty tricks.

Pentagon Papers

Leaked government documents that showed the U.S. had lied about the Vietnam War. They made people trust the government less.

Executive Privilege

A president's right to keep conversations private. Nixon tried to use this to hide the Watergate tapes, but the Supreme Court said no.

Mainland China → Big Five

In 1971, Communist China (Mainland China) replaced Taiwan as the representative of China in the UN Security Council's Big Five (U.S., U.K., France, USSR/Russia, and China).

Pardon of Nixon

Ford's decision to pardon Nixon for any crimes he may have committed while in office.

Roe v. Wade

A landmark Supreme Court case that recognized a woman's constitutional right to have an abortion.

Pardon of Draft Dodgers

Carter's decision to pardon individuals who evaded the draft during the Vietnam War.

Iran Hostage Crisis

A diplomatic crisis where 52 American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for 444 days from 1979 to 1981.

Iran Hostages Released

The event when the hostages were released on January 20, 1981, coinciding with Reagan's inauguration.

Fall of Berlin Wall

The event in 1989 that symbolized the end of the Cold War and the division between East and West Germany.

Break up of Soviet Union

The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 leading to the independence of its republics.

Fascism

A political system where a dictator controls everything, people have no freedoms, and the country is more important than individuals (e.g., Hitler in Germany, Mussolini in Italy).

Appeasement

When countries gave in to Hitler's demands (like letting him take land) to avoid war—but it didn't work.

Non-Aggression Pact

A 1939 agreement between Hitler (Germany) and Stalin (Soviet Union) saying they wouldn't attack each other. They secretly agreed to divide Poland.

Genocide

The planned killing of a whole group of people. During WWII, this included the Holocaust, where 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis.

Hiroshima & Nagasaki

Two Japanese cities where the U.S. dropped atomic bombs in 1945, leading to Japan's surrender and the end of World War II.

Joseph McCarthy

A U.S. senator who falsely accused many Americans of being communists in the 1950s, causing fear and ruined lives. This was called McCarthyism.

Subversion

Secret attempts to weaken or overthrow a government. During the Cold War, the U.S. feared communist subversion.

Puppet State

A country that looks independent but is really controlled by another (like the USSR controlling Eastern European countries after WWII).

N.A.T.O. (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

A military alliance formed in 1949 where the U.S. and other Western countries agreed to protect each other from attack.

Khrushchev

The leader of the Soviet Union after Stalin. He was in power during the Cuban Missile Crisis and tried to spread communism.

Castro

Fidel Castro led a communist revolution in Cuba and became its leader. He was an enemy of the U.S. and worked with the USSR.

Competition Between U.S. & USSR

The U.S. and Soviet Union competed in many ways: military power, space race, sports, technology, and influence over other countries.

UN Security Council

The most powerful part of the United Nations, made up of 15 countries (5 permanent members including the U.S. and USSR) that handle peace and security around the world.

Sphere of Influence

An area where a powerful country controls or strongly influences others (like the USSR in Eastern Europe, or the U.S. in Latin America).

Cold War Impact on U.S. Education

The U.S. improved math and science education to compete with the Soviet Union—especially after the USSR launched the first satellite, Sputnik.

Brown v. Board of Education

A court case that ended segregation in public schools. It said Black and white kids should go to the same schools.

Thurgood Marshall

The lawyer who won Brown v. Board. He was the first Black Supreme Court Justice.

Goals of the Civil Rights Movement

To end racism and unfair treatment of Black people, and to make sure everyone has equal rights.

Nonviolent Protest

A peaceful way to fight injustice—like marches, sit-ins, and boycotts—without hurting anyone.

Black Power

A movement that wanted Black people to be proud, strong, and in control of their own communities.

Role of the Media

TV and newspapers showed the unfair treatment of Black people, which helped more people support the movement.

Martin Luther King Jr.

A peaceful leader who gave powerful speeches and helped lead the fight for civil rights.

Malcolm X

A leader who wanted Black people to stand up for themselves, sometimes by any means necessary.

Freedom Summer

A 1964 campaign to help Black people in the South register to vote.

Civil Disobedience

Breaking an unfair law on purpose to show it's wrong—peacefully.

NAACP / SCLC / SNCC

NAACP: Used laws and courts to fight racism. SCLC: Led by MLK, focused on peaceful protests. SNCC: Led by young people who did sit-ins and helped Black people vote.

Literacy Tests

Unfair reading tests used to stop Black people from voting.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

A law that ended segregation and said you can't treat people unfairly because of their race.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

A law that protected Black people's right to vote by banning things like literacy tests.

Black Panthers - Huey Newton

A group that stood up to police violence and helped Black communities by giving food and health care.

Advisors

American military helpers sent to Vietnam to train South Vietnamese soldiers before the U.S. sent combat troops.

U.S. Opposition

Many Americans protested the Vietnam War because they thought it was unfair, unnecessary, or wrong.

Gulf of Tonkin Incident/Resolution

An event where U.S. ships were attacked (or thought to be attacked). Congress then gave the president power to send more troops to Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh

The leader of North Vietnam who wanted to unite Vietnam under communism.

Doves vs. Hawks

Doves: People who wanted peace and opposed the war. Hawks: People who supported the war and wanted to keep fighting.

Conscientious Objectors

People who refused to fight in the war because of moral or religious beliefs.

Tet Offensive

A surprise attack by North Vietnam during a holiday. It shocked Americans and made many stop supporting the war.

Search & Destroy

U.S. military missions to find and kill enemy troops, then leave quickly.

Body Count

The number of enemy soldiers killed—used to measure success in the war (but often misleading).

Agent Orange

A chemical the U.S. used to kill plants and trees so enemies couldn't hide. It caused serious health problems for soldiers and civilians.

Bombing of Cambodia & Laos

The U.S. secretly bombed these countries to destroy enemy supply routes, but it caused more protests.

My Lai

A U.S. army massacre of hundreds of innocent Vietnamese civilians, including women and children. It shocked the world.

Gradual Withdrawal (Vietnamization of War)

The U.S. slowly pulled out troops and let South Vietnam take over the fighting.

Kent State

A protest at Kent State University where National Guard troops shot and killed four students during an anti-war protest.

Purpose of the War

To stop the spread of communism by helping South Vietnam fight against the North.