Period Eight: Postwar and the Cold War (1945-1980)

Iron Curtain

National barrier separating the former Soviet bloc (East EU) and the West

Germany After WW2

Divided into four zones of occupation by Great Britain, France, US, and the Soviet Union. Berlin was also split into West/ East Berlin

What caused the Cold War?

Tension, distrust, conflicts in political thinking between the US and Soviet Union

Truman’s Foreign Policy (1945-1952)

Containment of communism by creating alliances and helping weak countries to resist Soviet advances

Satellite States

Forced communist government countries that acted as a buffer zone against future invasions

Truman Doctrine

Economic and military program designed to help other nations resist Soviet aggression based on the Containment theory. Sent military aid to Greece and Turkey to resist Communism

The Marshall Plan

Massive economic aid package desgined to strengthen Democratic govs and lessen communism appeal. Offered to European countries after WW2 but Stalin refused for the East.

Berlin Blockade

Soviet attempt to starve out the alliies in Berlin in order to gain supremacy. Blocked US supplies from entering West Berlin

Berlin Airlift

US response to the blockade by airlifting 200,000 flights of food and fuel to Berlin from allied air bases in Western Germany that prevented Soviets from taking Berlin.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

Western Europe and the US supported each other if any member nation was attacked

WARSAW Pact

Soviet Union and 7 Satellite States created a defensive alliance that promised mutual military cooperation

Space Race

Competition between the US and Soviets in the field of space exploration. Both powers used satellites to spy and raised tensions/threat of war

Arms Race

Superpowers spent great amounts of money on creating weapons of mass destruction that raised tensions and fears of a nuclear holocaust.

Korean War (1950-1953)

Post WW2 Korea was split into North and South Korea. North Korea tried to unite the country under communism, truce was signed in 1953, and left Korea divided at the 38th parallel and demilitarized zone.

Communism in Cuba

Fidel Castro and the Che Guevara organized a guerilla army and implemented a communist dictatorship in 1953 after Cuba had been influenced by the US for the past 40 years

JKF’s Peace Corps (1961)

Federal agency to promote voluntary service by Americans in foreign countries. Provides labor power, infrastructure, health care, education, etc for developing countries

Alliances of Progress

Program where the US tried to help Latin Americans countries overcome poverty

Bay of Pigs (1961)

Plan for the US to try to stop communism in Cuba by invading but failed and embarrassed JFK. US imposed a trade embargo on Cuba and refused to trade with them.

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

Castro allowed the Soviets to build nuclear missile sites in Cuba, JFK demanded they be removed, Soviet leader agreed to remove them if the US promised to not invade Cuba.

JFK’s Assasination Effects (1963)

Chaos, despair, and grief plagued the nation

LBJ Becomes the 36th President

Big Stick Policy returns as a way to deal with Communism in Latin America

North Vietnam gov

Communist Ho Chi Minh

South Vietnam Gov

Non-communist Ngo Dinh Diem

Vietnam War (1955-1975)

Conflict fought in both Vietnam and Cambodia, causes traced back to WW2 and Cold War tensions, started due to fears of communism in SE Asia and the 1954 partition of Vietnam

Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964) (LBJ)

North Vietnamese fired on a US battleship in the gulf, Congress gave LBJ power to do all means necessary to prevent aggression which disrupted checks and balances

Tet Offensive (1968) (LBJ)

Doomed dramatic attack by Viet Cong and North Vietnam on South Vietnam cities, making the US realize how long and costly war is

Creditability Gap (LBJ)

Journalism term used to describe public skepticism about LBJ administration and policies on the Vietnam war

Vietnamization (1969-1975) (NIXON)

Called for US troops to be replaced by US trained Vietnamese troops

Pentagon Papers (1971) (NIXON)

NY Times sought to publish a series of articles proving that the US gov lied to the public about the nature of the Vietnam War, Nixon sued and the Supreme Court ruled with the newspaper

War Powers Act (1973)

Prevents the President to wage war without Congress and notify them 48 hours before sending troops

Outcome of the Vietnam war

Nixon ordered a ceasefire in 1973, Vietnam united under Communism in 1975

The Red Scare

Periods of fear and persecution in the US due to the fear of communism and radical leftist ideologies that resulted in widespread government repression

Second Red Scare / McCarthyism (1947-1957)

Period of intense anticommunist fear and suspicion in the US characterized by investigations into suspected communist infiltration of American institutions, political oppression, and persecution of leftists

House of Unamerican Activities Commitee (Truman) (1938)

Separate part of the House of Representatives, where members were encouraged to investigate Communist propaganda in books, plays, films, education, etc

Taft Hartley Act (Truman) (1947)

Outlawed all union shops, made unions liable for damages that resulted from jurisdictional dispute among themselves, and required union leaders to take a non-communist oath

Smith Act (1940)

Made it illegal to advocate for or to teach the overthrow of the government by force or to belong to an organization advocating these ideas

Dennis et al v. US

Leaders of the Communist party were put in jail

McCarran International Security Act (1950)

Made it illegal to advocate for the support of a totalitarian government, restricted the employment/travel of those joining Communist front organization, and authorized detention camps for subservice

McCarthyism (1950-1954)

Senator Joseph McCarthy used growing concerns over Communism to advance his career by stating he had a list of higher up people that were ‘communist’ which triggered a 4 year crusade to hunt down alleged communists

Loyalty Review Board (1947-1951)

Under the Truman Administration, the board looked into the background of 3 million federal employees

McCarthyism Ends

Army McCarthy Hearings broadcasted his claims being investigated and proven false

Fair Deal (Truman)

Domestic reform proposal of the second Truman administration which contained a civil rights legislation and repeal of the Taft Hartey Act

Modern Republicsm (Eisenhower)

Approved of helping the aged and poor while still limiting the power of the central gov by extending social security, large arms buildup, active foreign policy, but did not approve federal health care insurance and aid for education

Eisenhower and Iran

The CIA helped overthrow an Iranian gov that tried to nationalize the holding of oil companies which allowed the return of Reza Pahlavi as Iran Shah which provided the west with favorable oil prices/purchases of US arms.

The New Frontier (JFK)

Promoting a new spin of the Cold War, pushing for increases in technology and Space Race

Executive Order 10953 (JFK)

300 million program to finance civillian fallout shelters in the case of a nuclear attack

Office of Economic Oppurtunity (LBJ)

Provided anti poverty agency with a billion dollars which sponsored self help programs

The Great Society (LBJ)

Domestic policy and programs, increasing liberation and belief in the efficiency of the gov to achieve goals. Attempted to end racial discrimination, poverty, and education

Watergate Scandal

Group of hired men broke into the Democratic National Headquarters to put spyware to gain intel on how the democratic party was operating against Nixon. Nixon’s involvement was covered up until surveillance and audio tapes were released, so he resigned to avoid impeachment.

Civil Rights Movements (1954-1968)

Movement advocating for Black American rights to achieve rights equal to white people

Commitee on Civil Rights/ Executive Order 9808 (1946)

Responsible for proposing measures to strengthen and safeguard civil rights in the US

Executive Order 9981 (1948)

Desegregated the armed forces

Brown v Board of Education

Separate is not equal, schools need to desegregate on the base of the 14th amendment

Ruby Bridges (1960)

One of the first black american student to integrate in an all-white elementary school

Little Rock Nine (1957)

Arkansas governer Orval Faubas called the state national guard on 9 black students who enrolled in a all-white high school so President Eisenhower called the national guard to escort the 9

Rosa Parks

Member of the NAACP who refused to give up her seat on a public bus to accomodate a white passenger

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Black Americans refused to ride city buses to protest segregated seating for a year

Birmingham’s Children Crusade (1963)

Non violent protest against segregation held by Black children by skipping class

Murder of Emmett Till

Till was a 14 year old Black teen who was abducted, beaten, and lynched by two white men in Missisippi

Birmingham Church Bombing (1963)

Terrorist bombing of a baptist church that killed 4 young girls

Selma to Montgomery Marches (1965)

Series of 3 marches to protest the blocking of Black Americans right to vote. Bloody Sunday was when 600 peaceful protesters were met with violence

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963)

Drew attention to the challenges and inequalities faced by Black Americans, I have a dream speech

Malcolm X

Black American civil rights activist that urged followers to defend themselves against white aggression by any means necessary

The Black Panther Party

Called for an end to police brutality, employment for African Americans, and housing and justice for all. Emphasized black pride, community control, and unification of rights

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Outlawed all Jim Crow South laws throughout the nation

Voting Rights of 1965

Prohibited the practice of literacy tests to prevent African American voting

Fair Housing Act (1968)

Forbid discrimination in renting/selling homes

Affirmative Action

Policy ensuring that past discrimination of women and minorities stopped, such as using race/gender as a deciding factor in colleges

24th Amendment (1962)

Made poll taxes and Grandfather clauses unconstitutional