1st Semester Study Guide

Treaty of Versailles

The peace treaty ending WWI that blamed Germany

Nativism

A policy favoring native-born citizens over immigrants

The Volstead Act

The 1919 law that enforced the 18th Amendment

Harlem Renaissance

A 1920s cultural explosion in Harlem

New Deal (Good part)

Supported because it provided jobs, relief and hope.

New Deal (Against)

Opposed for expanding federal power

Causes of the Dust Bowl

Over-farming

Causes of the Great Depression

Stock market crash (1929)

Hitler's Actions Leading to War

remilitarizing the Rhineland, annexing Austria and invading Czechoslovakia and Poland, which triggered WWII

Appeasement

The pre-war policy of European leaders (e.g.

Lend-Lease Act

A U.S. program supplying Allies with vital supplies before officially entering WWII

The role Americans played in helping the war

Through rationing, buying war bonds, women working in factories, and maintaining morale all crucial to the war effort.

Island Hopping

A U.S. Pacific strategy to capture key islands

D-Day

June 6

Nuremberg / Tokyo Trials

Post-WWII trials prosecuting Axis leaders for war crimes; significant for establishing individual accountability

Manhattan Project

The top-secret U.S. program to develop the atomic bomb during WWII.

Atomic Bomb Locations

Hiroshima (August 6

Reasons for Dropping Atomic Bombs

To end war quickly

Reasons Against Dropping Atomic Bombs

Massive civilian casualties

Cold War Origins

After the big war wrapped, the U.S. and the USSR started squaring up hard. They were trippin' over who was gonna run Europe, both sides stacking nukes like they were collectin' toys, and they couldn't see eye-to-eye on NOTHIN'—one side all about that capitalist grind, the other preachin' that communist vibe. Wasn't just a disagreement; it was a whole Cold War standoff, ready to blow at any second.

Post-WWII Division of Germany

Split into four occupation zones (U.S.

Marshall Plan

U.S. economic aid to rebuild postwar Europe

Truman Doctrine

U.S. policy to support free peoples resisting communist takeover (Truman's rule: We pay and arm any crew gettin' pressed by the communists. Stop their expansion.)

U.S. Reason for Korean War

To stop the spread of communism after North Korea's invasion of South Korea (containment policy).

End of Korean War

Armistice in 1953; Korea remained divided at the 38th parallel with no formal peace treaty.

General in Korea (Fired)

General Douglas MacArthur; fired by President Truman for publicly criticizing war strategy and advocating war with China.

Joseph McCarthy

U.S. Senator who led an anti-communist "witch hunt" in the 1950s

HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee)

Congressional committee that investigated alleged communist influence

HUAC & Hollywood

Investigated the film industry on beliefs that movies spread propaganda and that some writers/actors were communist sympathizers.

Iron Curtain

Term coined by Winston Churchill describing the Cold War divide between communist Eastern Europe and the democratic West.

Alger Hiss

A former U.S. State Department official accused of being a Soviet spy; his case fueled fears of communist infiltration in the government.

Berlin Airlift

U.S. and Allied operation (1948-49) flying supplies into West Berlin after a Soviet blockade

Communist Ally in Korean War

China (People's Republic of China) sent troops to fight alongside North Korea against UN forces.