Modern America (1945-Present)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key events, policies, and figures of Modern America from 1945 through the 1980s.

Containment

The U.S. foreign policy strategy during the Cold War aimed at preventing the spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine

A policy of providing economic and military aid to countries threatened by communism, established in the late 1940s.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization; a collective security alliance formed by the U.S. and Western European nations.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. program providing massive economic aid to Western Europe to help rebuild after World War II and resist communism.

Berlin Airlift

The 1948-1949 operation where the U.S. and its allies flew supplies into West Berlin after a Soviet blockade.

NSC-68

A 1950 National Security Council report that recommended a massive expansion of the U.S. military budget to counter the Soviet threat.

Domino Theory

The belief that if one nation fell to communism, its neighboring nations would also inevitably fall.

Massive retaliation

A military doctrine and nuclear strategy in which a state commits itself to retaliate in much greater force in the event of an attack.

Sputnik

The first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the USSR in 1957, which triggered the Space Race.

McCarthyism

A campaign against alleged communists in the U.S. government and other institutions carried out under Senator Joseph McCarthy.

GI Bill

A law that provided range of benefits for returning World War II veterans, including low-cost mortgages and payments of tuition.

Federal Highway Act

Legislation that created the Interstate Highway System in the United States during the Eisenhower administration.

Brown v. Board

The 1954 Supreme Court case that ruled racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

Bay of Pigs

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

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 13-day confrontation in 1962 between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over Soviet ballistic missiles deployed in Cuba.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

A 1964 congressional resolution that gave President LBJ authority to use military force in Southeast Asia without a formal declaration of war.

Tet Offensive

A major 1968 escalation of the Vietnam War consisting of coordinated North Vietnamese attacks on South Vietnamese cities.

Great Society

President Lyndon B. Johnson's domestic program that aimed to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.

Détente

A period of improved relations and eased tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the 1970s.

Stagflation

An economic condition characterized by high inflation and high unemployment combined with stagnant demand.

Camp David Accords

A 1978 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel brokered by President Jimmy Carter.

Supply side economics (Reaganomics)

Economic theory emphasizing tax cuts and deregulation to encourage investment and economic growth.

SDI

Strategic Defense Initiative; a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the U.S. from nuclear weapons (also known as Star Wars).