US History Review: Cold War to Late 20th Century

Flashcards reviewing key concepts from the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, and American society in transition from 1945-1980.

What symbolic representation marked the division between the Soviets and the US and its allies, signaling the start of the Cold War?

The Iron Curtain

What was the US policy of preventing the spread of communism around the world called?

Containment

What doctrine stated that the US would assist any country threatened by communism?

Truman Doctrine

What was the name of the US plan that allocated $13 billion to help rebuild European economies to resist the spread of communism?

Marshall Plan

What action did the Soviets take to block democratic ideals from entering West Berlin?

Berlin Blockade

How did the US respond to the Soviet blockade of West Berlin?

Berlin Airlift with over 200,000 flights carrying supplies

What was the name of the communist alliance created by the Soviet Union in response to NATO?

Warsaw Pact

What occurred between the US and the Soviet Union without direct military conflict, characterized by escalating tensions and ideological rivalry?

The Cold War

Why did the Soviet Union take over many Eastern European countries after World War II?

To create a buffer zone between Germany and the Soviet Union

After WW2, what four zones was Germany split into and who controlled them?

Four zones controlled by the US, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union

What was the term for the escalating buildup of nuclear weapons by the US and the Soviet Union?

Arms Race

What was the term for wars where the US and Soviet Union supported opposing sides without directly fighting each other?

Proxy Wars

Which war involved a communist North Korea invading South Korea, leading to US intervention?

Korean War

What act made it more difficult for workers to strike and required them to pledge loyalty to the US?

Taft-Hartley Act of 1947

What program required federal workers to pledge loyalty to the US and deny communist or fascist affiliations?

Federal Employee Loyalty & Security Program

What committee investigated communist influence in American society, particularly in the House of Representatives?

Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC)

Who was the senator who claimed to have ties to 205 suspected communists in the State Department, creating public fear?

Joseph McCarthy

Who were the couple executed for espionage after being accused of helping the Soviet Union obtain atomic bomb secrets?

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

What bill provided financial aid to WWII veterans for college or home purchases?

Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (GI Bill)

What was the term for the significant increase in population after World War II?

Baby Boom

What contributed to the growth of suburbs in the 1950s?

Increased automobile use and new highways

What was the name of the largest suburb in the 1950s, known for its low-cost, identical homes?

Levittown

What legislation facilitated travel from cities to suburbs?

Interstate Highway Act

Which region became popular due to its warm climate and economic opportunities related to defense spending?

Sun Belt Region

What term describes the widespread, homogenous culture that emerged in the 1950s?

Mass Culture

What invention became a primary means of spreading mass culture in the 1950s?

Television

This type of music gained popularity among the younger generation in the 1950s.

Rock and Roll

What group challenged societal norms and conformity through poetry and advocacy for liberal lifestyles?

Beatniks

Executive Order 9981

Ended segregation in the military

What amendment abolished poll taxes?

24th Amendment

What committee was formed by Truman to address Civil Rights issues like lynching and segregation?

Committee on Civil Rights

What Supreme Court case overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, declaring that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal?

Brown v. Board of Education

Who were the nine black students escorted into an all-white school by federal troops to enforce desegregation?

Little Rock Nine

Who overthrew the Cuban government, establishing a communist regime?

Fidel Castro

What was the failed US invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles?

Bay of Pigs invasion

This event describes a 1963 standoff between the US and the Soviet Union following the US discovery of Soviet warheads in Cuba.

Cuban Missile Crisis

What was the term for the process where many nations began losing their empires after World War II?

Decolonization

Why did the US get involed in Iran?

To reinstate Shah who was willing to supply the US with oil

Who was the communist leader of North Vietnam?

Ho Chi Minh

What theory stated that if South Vietnam fell to communism, surrounding countries would fall as well?

Eisenhower’s Domino Theory

What incident led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?

North Vietnamese destruction of an American warship

What resolution allowed the president to take any necessary action to protect American interests in Vietnam?

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

LBJ's military strategy in Vietnam

Crank it up a notch

What was the name of the surprise attack from North Vietnam that ended LBJ’s escalation strategy?

Tet Offensive

What policy called for the gradual withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam?

Vietnamization

What was a major consequence of the Vietnam War for Americans?

Distrust between the American people and the government

What was LBJ's reform initiative to improve society and reduce poverty known as?

Great Society

Reform institution to provide impoverished individuals with the skillset needed to find a job

Office of Economic Opportunity

What government programs provide federally funded health insurance for senior citizens and impoverished people?

Medicare/Medicaid

What court case ruled that impoverished individuals must be provided with a lawyer by the state?

Gideon v. Wainwright

What court case deemed laws forbidding the use of birth control unconstitutional?

Grisworld v. Connecticut

What court case deemed school prayers unconstitutional?

Engel v. Vitale

What court case mandated that states redraw legislative districts for more accurate voting?

Baker v. Carr

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Black individuals chose not to ride on the Montgomery bus at all until segregation ended

Who organized the March on Washington and gave the "I have a dream" speech?

Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK)

What ideology advocated separatism and black violence as a response to white violence?

Malcolm X

Which act made discrimination based on race, religion, or sex illegal?

Civil Rights Act of 1964

What act prohibited racial discrimination in voting by outlawing barriers like poll taxes and literacy tests?

Voting Rights Act of 1965

What book publicized the discontent of women with the housewife role?

Feminine Mystique

What court case legalized abortion during the first two trimesters of pregnancy?

Roe v. Wade

Who created the United Farm Workers which boycotted many goods

Cesar Chavez and Delores Huerta

What was the goal of the American Indian Movement?

Reclaim their heritage and tribal traditions

What 1970 legislation gave Indians control over their lands, education, and law enforcement?

Self Determination Act

What was the Children's Crusade?

A small offshoot of MLK’s peaceful protest in Montgomery Alabama

What was the first form of peaceful protest in which black people would sit in the white only parts of restaurants?

Sit Ins

Following the famous work of MLK and Rosa Parks all other minority groups sought to fight for what?

Their own Civil Rights

What amendment sought to abolish any discrimination with respect to gender and also funded women’s sports teams?

Title IX

Gay Liberation Movement

homosexuality was recognized as a legit sexuality and not a mental illness

What event involved the National Guard opening fire on protesting students at Kent State University?

Kent State Massacre

What was the term for the youth culture that opposed the Vietnam War through alternative dress, drug use, and rebellious behavior?

Counterculture

What organization formed to control oil usage and importation, impacting the US in the 1970s and 80s?

OPEC

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

We were poisoning the earth and therefore we had to do something about it

What group preached old beliefs about women and men and that they lived in two different worlds?

The New Right

What scandal involved a break-in at the Democratic party headquarters, leading to Nixon’s resignation?

Watergate Scandal

What policy considers race as a factor in hiring or school admissions to promote diversity?

Affirmative action

In what court case was it discovered that race could not be the only factor in admitting/hiring someone

Bakke v. USC

What group of conservative Christians became politically active following the Roe v. Wade decision?

Religious Right