HIST 2112 Test 2 Review: World War II to Globalization

Vocabulary flashcards covering key people, events, ideologies, and policies from World War II through early twenty-first-century globalization for HIST 2112 Test 2 review.

The Four Freedoms

FDR’s 1941 vision of freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear, used to rally support for WWII.

Fascism

Authoritarian, nationalist political system exemplified by Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany, driving Europe into WWII.

Isolationism / America First

Pre-WWII U.S. movement opposing involvement in foreign wars, arguing for domestic focus and neutrality.

Holocaust / WWII Genocide

Systematic Nazi extermination of six million Jews and millions of others during World War II.

Pacific Theatre

WWII front against Japan involving island-hopping campaigns, naval battles, and atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Rosie the Riveter & Women in War Production

Icon and reality of millions of women who filled industrial jobs during WWII, reshaping gender roles.

Double V Campaign

African-American movement during WWII calling for victory against fascism abroad and racism at home.

Japanese Internment

Forced relocation and incarceration of about 120,000 Japanese-Americans under Executive Order 9066 (1942-1945).

Truman Doctrine

1947 pledge to aid nations resisting communism, beginning with Greece and Turkey, marking start of U.S. Cold War policy.

Containment

U.S. strategy, articulated by George Kennan, to limit Soviet expansion through political, economic, and military measures.

Marshall Plan

$13 billion U.S. program (1948-1952) to rebuild Western Europe’s economy and curb communist influence.

Korean War

1950-1953 conflict in which U.S.-led UN forces defended South Korea from North Korean and Chinese troops; ended in stalemate at 38th parallel.

McCarthyism / Domestic Anticommunism

Early 1950s wave of investigations and accusations aimed at rooting out alleged communists in government and society.

Third World

Cold War term for decolonizing, non-aligned nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America courted by both superpowers.

Totalitarianism (Ideology)

Concept of an all-powerful state controlling every aspect of life, used to depict fascist and communist regimes.

"Slavery vs. Freedom" Rhetoric

Cold War framing contrasting U.S. liberty with Soviet oppression to win hearts and minds globally.

Election of 1948

Harry Truman’s upset victory amid Democratic splits with Dixiecrats and Progressives; signaled civil-rights tensions.

Postwar Economic Boom

Period of rising wages, productivity, and living standards in the U.S. from late 1940s through 1960s.

Consumerism

Culture of mass purchasing, advertising, and credit that flourished in postwar America.

New Conservatives

Post-WWII movement emphasizing tradition, moral order, and staunch anti-communism.

Libertarianism

Political philosophy advocating minimal government, individual liberty, and free-market economics.

Suburbanization

Mass movement to residential suburbs, spurred by highways, FHA loans, and baby boom.

Race & Suburbanization

Exclusion of minorities from suburbs through redlining and restrictive covenants, reinforcing segregation.

Elvis Presley & Rock & Roll

1950s musical phenomenon blending black and white styles, symbolizing youth culture and social change.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Leader of nonviolent Civil Rights Movement, noted for Montgomery Bus Boycott and “I Have a Dream” speech.

Southern Manifesto

1956 declaration by southern lawmakers vowing “Massive Resistance” to Brown v. Board of Education.

Freedom Riders

1961 activists who rode interstate buses to challenge segregated terminals in the South.

Sit-ins

Nonviolent protests beginning in Greensboro (1960) where students demanded desegregated lunch counters.

Birmingham Campaign

1963 civil-rights demonstrations met with police brutality, spurring national support for reform.

March on Washington

August 1963 rally for jobs and freedom where MLK delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

New Left organization that issued the Port Huron Statement calling for participatory democracy.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark law banning segregation and job discrimination based on race, sex, religion, or national origin.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Federal law eliminating literacy tests and authorizing oversight of elections to protect black suffrage.

War on Poverty

LBJ’s Great Society programs (Head Start, Job Corps, Medicare, etc.) aimed at reducing poverty.

Vietnam War

U.S. conflict (escalated 1964-1973) supporting South Vietnam; ended with communist victory in 1975.

Antiwar Movement

Broad coalition of students, veterans, clergy, and others opposing U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Counterculture

1960s youth rebellion celebrating “sex, drugs, and rock & roll,” rejecting mainstream values.

Nixon-era Policies

New Federalism, détente with USSR/China, creation of EPA, and expansion of affirmative action.

Political Effects of Vietnam

Erosion of public trust, passage of 1973 War Powers Act, and strengthening of anti-government sentiment.

Women’s Liberation & Sexual Revolution

1970s feminist movement seeking equality (Title IX, Roe v. Wade) amid changing attitudes toward sex.

1973 Oil Crisis

OPEC embargo causing fuel shortages, price spikes, and prompting energy conservation.

Stagflation

1970s economic condition combining high inflation with stagnant growth and unemployment.

Evangelical Christianity & Conservative Politics

Rise of Religious Right groups like Moral Majority, mobilizing voters on social issues.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

Proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing gender equality; fell three states short of ratification (1982).

Reagan Era Paradigm

1980s conservative dominance stressing small government, traditional values, and assertive foreign policy.

Reaganomics

Supply-side economic policy of tax cuts, deregulation, and reduced social spending to spur growth.

Reagan Foreign Policy

Anti-communist interventions, military buildup, Strategic Defense Initiative, and Iran-Contra scandal.

End of the Cold War

1989-1991 collapse of communist regimes and USSR, leaving U.S. as sole superpower and proclaiming a “New World Order.”

Clinton Presidency

1993-2001 administration marked by economic expansion, NAFTA, welfare reform, and impeachment.

NAFTA

1994 agreement creating free-trade zone among the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

World Police / Domestic Police

U.S. global interventions (Somalia, Balkans) and tough-on-crime policies like the 1994 Crime Bill at home.

Immigration & Demographics

Post-1965 surge of Latino and Asian immigrants reshaping U.S. population and politics.

Globalization

Process of increased worldwide economic, cultural, and political interdependence.

Walmart

Retail giant whose low-cost, global supply model epitomizes late-20th-century globalization.