Cold War Policies, Civil Rights, and Social Movements: Key Concepts and Events

Containment

Who: George Kennan, Truman administration
What: U.S. Cold War strategy to prevent the spread of communism
When: Beginning 1947
Where: Global
Why: Became the foundation of U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War.

Military Keynesianism

Who: U.S. federal government |
What: Use of military spending to stimulate economic growth |
When: 1950s-1960s |
Where: United States |
Why: Linked Cold War defense spending to postwar prosperity.

Domestic Containment

Who: Policymakers, media, families |
What: Belief that stable families and traditional gender roles protected America from communism |
When: 1950s |
Where: United States |
Why: Connected Cold War ideology to everyday life.

Cold War Family

Who: Middle-class suburban families
What: Idealized nuclear family promoted during the Cold War
When: 1950s
Where: United States
Why: Symbolized American prosperity and anti-communist values.

UDHR

Who: United Nations, Eleanor Roosevelt |
What: Universal Declaration of Human Rights |
When: 1948 |
Where: United Nations |
Why: Gave civil rights activists international language to criticize racial discrimination.

We Charge Genocide Petition

Who: Civil Rights Congress, Black activists |
What: Petition accusing the U.S. of committing genocide against African Americans |
When: 1951 |
Where: United Nations |
Why: Connected civil rights struggles to international human rights debates.

Brown v. Board

Who: NAACP, Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall |
What: Supreme Court decision ending legal school segregation |
When: 1954 |
Where: United States |
Why: Major victory for the Civil Rights Movement and challenge to Jim Crow.

Southern Manifesto

Who: Southern members of Congress |
What: Declaration opposing Brown v. Board |
When: 1956 |
Where: Southern United States |
Why: Demonstrated organized white resistance to desegregation.

Showdown in Little Rock

Who: Little Rock Nine, Gov. Orval Faubus, President Eisenhower |
What: Conflict over school desegregation at Central High School |
When: 1957 |
Where: Little Rock, Arkansas |
Why: Showed federal enforcement of civil rights against state resistance.

The Space Race

Who: United States and Soviet Union |
What: Competition for technological and space achievements |
When: 1950s-1960s |
Where: Global |
Why: Reflected Cold War rivalry and national prestige.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Who: Kennedy, Khrushchev, Castro |
What: Nuclear confrontation over Soviet missiles in Cuba |
When: 1962 |
Where: Cuba |
Why: Closest the Cold War came to nuclear war.

Bay of Pigs

Who: Kennedy administration, CIA-backed Cuban exiles, Castro |
What: Failed invasion of Cuba |
When: 1961 |
Where: Cuba |
Why: Strengthened Castro and helped lead to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Social Citizenship

Who: T.H. Marshall, reformers, social movements |
What: Idea that citizenship includes economic security and social welfare |
When: Mid-20th century onward |
Where: United States and beyond |
Why: Expanded democracy beyond voting rights alone.

Participatory Democracy

Who: SDS, student activists |
What: Idea that ordinary people should directly participate in decisions affecting their lives |
When: 1960s |
Where: United States |
Why: Became a core principle of the New Left.

Port Huron Statement

Who: SDS, Tom Hayden |
What: Founding manifesto of the New Left |
When: 1962 |
Where: Port Huron, Michigan |
Why: Advocated participatory democracy and criticized Cold War politics.

SDS

Who: Students for a Democratic Society |
What: Major New Left student organization |
When: 1960s |
Where: United States |
Why: Led student activism and promoted participatory democracy.

Ella Baker

Who: Civil rights organizer |
What: Advocate of grassroots, group-centered leadership |
When: 1950s-1960s |
Where: United States |
Why: Influenced SNCC and participatory organizing.

SNCC

Who: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee |
What: Civil rights organization led by young activists |
When: 1960s |
Where: Southern United States |
Why: Played a major role in voter registration and direct action campaigns.

Fannie Lou Hamer

Who: Mississippi civil rights activist |
What: Leader in Freedom Summer and MFDP |
When: 1960s |
Where: Mississippi |
Why: Exposed voter suppression and demanded political representation.

Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party

Who: Fannie Lou Hamer and civil rights activists |
What: Alternative Mississippi Democratic delegation |
When: 1964 |
Where: Mississippi / Democratic National Convention |
Why: Challenged segregation within American politics.

Freedom Summer

Who: SNCC, CORE, NAACP, COFO volunteers |
What: Massive voter registration and education campaign in Mississippi |
When: 1964 |
Where: Mississippi |
Why: Exposed violent resistance to Black voting rights and helped build support for federal civil rights legislation.

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

Who: Martin Luther King Jr., A. Philip Randolph, civil rights activists |
What: Massive demonstration demanding civil rights and economic justice |
When: 1963 |
Where: Washington, D.C. |
Why: Highlighted the connection between racial equality and economic opportunity.

The Civil Rights Act

Who: Lyndon B. Johnson, Congress, civil rights activists |
What: Federal law banning discrimination in public accommodations and employment |
When: 1964 |
Where: United States |
Why: One of the most important legislative victories of the Civil Rights Movement.

Voting Rights Act

Who: Lyndon B. Johnson, Congress, civil rights activists |
What: Federal law protecting Black voting rights |
When: 1965 |
Where: United States |
Why: Dramatically increased Black political participation in the South.

Dismantling the VRA

Who: Supreme Court, conservative legal movement |
What: Weakening of Voting Rights Act protections, especially through Shelby County v. Holder |
When: 2013 onward |
Where: United States |
Why: Renewed debates over voter suppression and democratic participation.

Watts Uprising

Who: Black residents, Los Angeles police |
What: Major urban rebellion following police confrontation |
When: 1965 |
Where: Watts, Los Angeles |
Why: Revealed frustrations over poverty, policing, and inequality despite civil rights victories.

Great Society

Who: Lyndon B. Johnson administration |
What: Broad program of social welfare and anti-poverty reforms |
When: 1960s |
Where: United States |
Why: Expanded social citizenship and the role of government in promoting opportunity.

EOA of 1964

Who: Johnson administration |
What: Economic Opportunity Act creating War on Poverty programs |
When: 1964 |
Where: United States |
Why: Central legislation of the Great Society's anti-poverty efforts.

Medicare and Medicaid

Who: Johnson administration, Congress |
What: Federal health insurance programs for elderly and low-income Americans |
When: 1965 |
Where: United States |
Why: Major expansion of the American welfare state.

Black Lung Benefits

Who: Coal miners, labor activists, federal government |
What: Benefits for miners suffering from black lung disease |
When: 1960s-1970s |
Where: Appalachia and coal regions |
Why: Example of social citizenship and government responsibility for worker welfare.

Black Panther Party

Who: Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, Black activists |
What: Revolutionary organization advocating self-defense and community programs |
When: Founded 1966 |
Where: Oakland, California |
Why: Reframed civil rights around self-determination and community control.

Ten Point Program

Who: Black Panther Party |
What: Statement of demands for freedom, housing, jobs, education, and justice |
When: 1966 |
Where: United States |
Why: Defined the Panthers' vision of democracy and social citizenship.

Community Control

Who: Black Panthers, Young Lords, urban activists |
What: Demand that communities govern institutions affecting their lives |
When: Late 1960s-1970s |
Where: Urban United States |
Why: Expanded democracy beyond voting into schools, policing, and public services.

Young Lords

Who: Puerto Rican activists |
What: Radical organization fighting inequality and neglect in Latino communities |
When: Late 1960s-1970s |
Where: New York and other cities |
Why: Connected race, poverty, health care, and community empowerment.

Garbage Offensive

Who: Young Lords |
What: Protest highlighting poor sanitation services in Puerto Rican neighborhoods |
When: 1969 |
Where: New York City |
Why: Demonstrated how basic public services became democratic demands.

Whitey on the Moon

Who: Gil Scott-Heron |
What: Spoken-word critique of government priorities |
When: 1970 |
Where: United States |
Why: Contrasted spending on space exploration with persistent poverty and inequality.

Vietnam War

Who: United States, North Vietnam, South Vietnam |
What: Cold War conflict involving major U.S. military intervention |
When: Escalation 1960s, U.S. withdrawal 1973 |
Where: Vietnam |
Why: Produced political polarization and challenged faith in government.

Freedom Budget Campaign

Who: A. Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, civil rights leaders |
What: Proposal to eliminate poverty through federal action |
When: 1966 |
Where: United States |
Why: Linked civil rights to economic justice and social citizenship.

Guns vs Butter

Who: Policymakers, economists, antiwar activists |
What: Debate over funding war versus domestic programs |
When: 1960s |
Where: United States |
Why: Highlighted tensions between Vietnam spending and Great Society goals.

Poor People's Campaign

Who: Martin Luther King Jr., SCLC |
What: Movement demanding economic justice for poor Americans |
When: 1968 |
Where: Washington, D.C. |
Why: Expanded civil rights activism toward poverty and economic inequality.

1968 Election

Who: Richard Nixon, Hubert Humphrey, George Wallace |
What: Presidential election held amid social unrest, civil rights conflict, and the Vietnam War |
When: 1968 |
Where: United States |
Why: Marked the collapse of the postwar liberal consensus and helped usher in a conservative political realignment.

Nixon's War

Who: Richard Nixon and the U.S. government |
What: Nixon's continuation and expansion of the Vietnam War despite promises of peace |
When: 1969-1973 |
Where: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos |
Why: Deepened public distrust of government and intensified antiwar activism.

Pentagon Papers

Who: Daniel Ellsberg, U.S. Department of Defense |
What: Leaked government study revealing deception about the Vietnam War |
When: 1971 |
Where: United States |
Why: Undermined public trust in government and strengthened antiwar sentiment.

Outcome of Vietnam War

Who: North Vietnam, South Vietnam, United States |
What: Communist victory and reunification of Vietnam |
When: 1975 |
Where: Vietnam |
Why: Represented a major U.S. foreign policy defeat and reshaped attitudes toward intervention abroad.

Marilyn Young

Who: Historian Marilyn Young |
What: Scholar of the Vietnam War emphasizing its devastating human and political consequences |
When: Modern historian writing about the war |
Where: United States |
Why: Provided an interpretation of Vietnam that challenged official narratives and highlighted imperial dimensions.

Watergate

Who: Nixon administration, Washington Post reporters, Congress |
What: Political scandal involving a break-in and cover-up |
When: 1972-1974 |
Where: Washington, D.C.
Why: Led to Nixon's resignation and intensified distrust of political institutions.

Inner City Blues

Who: Marvin Gaye |
What: Song criticizing poverty, inequality, and urban decline |
When: 1971 |

Where: United States |

Why: Reflected growing frustration with economic hardship and unmet promises of social citizenship.

Stagflation

Who: Policymakers, workers, consumers |
What: Simultaneous inflation and economic stagnation |
When: 1970s |
Where: United States |
Why: Challenged Keynesian economics and opened the door to neoliberal solutions.

Economic Turmoil

Who: American workers, consumers, policymakers |
What: Period of inflation, unemployment, and instability |
When: 1970s |
Where: United States |
Why: Helped fuel political realignment and support for conservative economic policies.

Austerity

Who: Policymakers at local, state, and federal levels |
What: Reductions in public spending to address budget problems |
When: 1970s onward |
Where: United States and globally |
Why: Became a major response to economic crisis and often reduced social welfare programs.

Welfare Backlash

Who: Conservative politicians and commentators |
What: Political opposition to welfare programs and social spending |
When: 1970s-1980s |
Where: United States |
Why: Helped justify cuts to welfare and reshape public views of poverty.

AFDC

Who: Federal government and welfare recipients
What: Aid to Families with Dependent Children welfare program
When: 1935-1996
Where: United States
Why: Became a central target of welfare backlash and reform efforts.

Welfare Queen

Who: Ronald Reagan and conservative politicians
What: Stereotype portraying welfare recipients as fraudulent and undeserving
When: 1970s-1980s
Where: United States
Why: Racialized poverty and helped build support for welfare restrictions.

Immigrant Status Restrictions

Who: Federal and state governments
What: Limits on immigrants' access to welfare and public benefits
When: Especially 1990s onward
Where: United States
Why: Demonstrated how social citizenship could be restricted based on legal status.

Soldiers as Workers

Who: Vietnam-era soldiers
What: Interpretation viewing soldiers as laborers carrying out state policy rather than simply heroes or patriots
When: Vietnam era
Where: United States and Vietnam
Why: Connected labor politics and military service.

Reaganomics

Who: Ronald Reagan and his administration
What: Economic program emphasizing tax cuts, deregulation, and free markets
When: 1980s
Where: United States
Why: Became a defining example of neoliberal economic policy.

Deindustrialization

Who: Manufacturing workers and communities
What: Decline of industrial jobs and factories
When: 1970s-1990s
Where: United States, especially urban centers
Why: Weakened unions and reshaped economic opportunity.

Neoliberalism

Who: Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Milton Friedman, advocates of market-based policy
What: Political and economic ideology favoring markets over government intervention
When: 1970s onward
Where: United States and globally
Why: Replaced the New Deal order as the dominant framework for economic policy.

Volcker Shock

Who: Paul Volcker and the Federal Reserve
What: Dramatic increase in interest rates to fight inflation
When: Beginning in 1979
Where: United States
Why: Helped end inflation but increased unemployment and accelerated deindustrialization.

Carter vs Reagan

Who: Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan
What: 1980 presidential election
When: 1980
Where: United States
Why: Symbolized the shift from the New Deal tradition toward neoliberal conservatism.

Wage Stagnation

Who: American workers
What: Long-term slowdown in wage growth despite rising productivity
When: 1970s-present
Where: United States
Why: Became evidence that economic gains increasingly benefited corporations and the wealthy rather than workers.

PATCO Strike

Who: Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization and Reagan administration
What: Strike by federal air traffic controllers
When: 1981
Where: United States
Why: Reagan's firing of strikers symbolized a major shift against organized labor.

Post PATCO

Who: Labor unions, employers, Reagan administration
What: Period following the PATCO strike marked by declining union power
When: 1980s onward
Where: United States
Why: Demonstrated the weakening of organized labor in the neoliberal era.

Hip Hop as Critique

Who: Hip hop artists and urban communities
What: Cultural criticism of inequality, racism, and urban decline
When: 1980s onward
Where: United States, especially cities
Why: Served as a voice for communities affected by deindustrialization and neoliberal policies.

Neoliberal LA

Who: Policymakers, developers, workers, residents
What: Los Angeles shaped by privatization, inequality, and reduced public investment
When: 1980s onward
Where: Los Angeles
Why: Illustrated the local effects of neoliberal economic restructuring.

Reagan's Foreign Policy

Who: Ronald Reagan administration
What: Aggressive Cold War strategy including military buildup and anti-communist interventions
When: 1981-1989
Where: Global
Why: Helped shape the final phase of the Cold War and reinforced American global power.

The Clinton Era

Who: Bill Clinton and his administration
What: Period characterized by economic growth, globalization, and welfare reform
When: 1993-2001
Where: United States
Why: Demonstrated how Democrats adopted many neoliberal policies.

TANF

Who: Clinton administration and Congress
What: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families welfare program replacing AFDC
When: 1996
Where: United States
Why: Marked a major shift from welfare entitlement toward work requirements.

NAFTA

Who: United States, Canada, Mexico
What: North American Free Trade Agreement
When: 1994
Where: North America
Why: Became a major symbol of globalization and free trade.

Globalization

Who: Governments, corporations, international institutions
What: Increasing integration of economies and societies across borders
When: Late 20th century onward
Where: Global
Why: Reshaped labor markets, trade, and economic inequality.

Care Work

Who: Caregivers, domestic workers, families
What: Labor involving care for children, elderly, and households
When: Ongoing, especially discussed in modern economy
Where: Global
Why: Highlighted forms of labor often undervalued in traditional economic systems.

Welfare Reform

Who: Clinton administration and Congress
What: Restructuring of welfare programs emphasizing work requirements
When: 1996
Where: United States
Why: Reflected the bipartisan influence of neoliberal ideas.

Global Exchange

Who: Fair-trade and labor activists
What: Organization advocating equitable globalization and labor rights
When: 1980s onward
Where: Global
Why: Represented activism challenging corporate-driven globalization.

Queer/Trans Working Class Politics

Who: LGBTQ+ workers and activists
What: Political organizing connecting labor issues with queer and trans rights
When: Late 20th century-present
Where: United States
Why: Expanded understandings of labor, citizenship, and social justice.

Washington Consensus

Who: IMF, World Bank, U.S. policymakers
What: Set of neoliberal economic policies promoting deregulation, privatization, and free trade
When: 1980s-1990s
Where: Global, especially developing countries
Why: Became the dominant model for globalization and economic reform.

East Asian Financial Crisis

Who: East Asian governments, IMF, investors
What: Financial collapse affecting several Asian economies
When: 1997-1998
Where: East and Southeast Asia
Why: Exposed risks associated with global financial integration.

Joseph Stiglitz

Who: Economist and Nobel Prize winner
What: Critic of the Washington Consensus and neoliberal globalization
When: 1990s-present
Where: United States and global policy circles
Why: Argued that globalization often increased inequality and harmed developing countries.

1999 Seattle Protests

Who: Labor unions, environmentalists, activists
What: Mass protests against the WTO
When: 1999
Where: Seattle, Washington
Why: Became a major challenge to neoliberal globalization.

Battle of Seattle

Who: Protesters and WTO delegates
What: Popular name for the 1999 Seattle Protests
When: 1999
Where: Seattle, Washington
Why: Symbolized growing resistance to globalization and corporate power.

2000 Election

Who: George W. Bush and Al Gore
What: Closely contested presidential election decided by the Supreme Court
When: 2000
Where: United States
Why: Raised questions about democracy, voting rights, and electoral legitimacy.

Bush v. Gore

Who: George W. Bush, Al Gore, U.S. Supreme Court
What: Supreme Court case that halted the Florida recount in the 2000 election
When: 2000
Where: United States
Why: Effectively decided the presidential election and sparked debates about democracy and judicial power.

Democratic Legitimacy

Who: Voters, governments, political institutions
What: Public belief that political institutions are fair and representative
When: Ongoing theme, especially after 2000
Where: United States and globally
Why: Helps explain distrust in government, election controversies, and globalization protests.

9/11

Who: Al-Qaeda and the United States
What: Terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon
When: September 11, 2001
Where: New York City and Washington, D.C.
Why: Reshaped U.S. foreign policy and led to the War on Terror.

War on Terror

Who: George W. Bush administration and U.S. military
What: Global campaign against terrorism after 9/11
When: Beginning in 2001
Where: Afghanistan, Iraq, and globally
Why: Expanded American military intervention and national security powers.

Financial Crisis

Who: Banks, investors, homeowners, federal government
What: Collapse of financial markets tied to housing speculation and risky lending
When: 2007-2008
Where: United States with global effects
Why: Triggered the Great Recession and exposed weaknesses in deregulated finance.

Great Recession

Who: American workers, homeowners, businesses, government
What: Severe economic downturn following the financial crisis
When: 2007-2009
Where: United States and globally
Why: Largest economic crisis since the Great Depression and intensified inequality.

Barack Obama

Who: 44th President of the United States
What: First African American president
When: 2009-2017
Where: United States
Why: Oversaw recovery from the Great Recession and represented a major milestone in American politics.

Occupy

Who: Occupy Wall Street activists
What: Protest movement against economic inequality and corporate influence
When: 2011
Where: New York City and nationwide
Why: Popularized criticism of inequality and the power of the financial sector.

1%

Who: Wealthiest Americans and corporations
What: Term describing the top earners who hold a disproportionate share of wealth
When: Popularized during Occupy in 2011
Where: United States
Why: Became a powerful symbol of growing economic inequality.

Labor, Again

Who: Workers, labor unions, labor activists
What: Renewed interest in labor organizing and worker power
When: 2010s-2020s
Where: United States
Why: Signaled a return of labor issues to national political debate.

Green New Deal

Who: Progressive politicians and activists
What: Proposal linking climate action with economic and social reform
When: Introduced in 2019
Where: United States
Why: Revived New Deal language to address modern inequality and climate challenges.

Covid Recovery

Who: Federal government, workers, businesses
What: Economic and social recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic
When: 2020s
Where: United States
Why: Renewed debates over government intervention, labor, and economic security.

Black Power

Who: Stokely Carmichael, Black activists
What: Movement emphasizing self-determination, racial pride, and community control
When: Mid-to-late 1960s
Where: United States
Why: Expanded the goals of the Civil Rights Movement beyond integration.

Silent Majority

Who: Richard Nixon and his supporters
What: Term for Americans who opposed protest movements and social unrest
When: Late 1960s-1970s
Where: United States
Why: Helped Nixon build political support during the Vietnam era.

Southern Strategy

Who: Republican Party, Richard Nixon
What: Political strategy appealing to white Southern voters
When: Late 1960s onward
Where: American South
Why: Contributed to the long-term political realignment of the South.

Cold War Family

Who: Middle-class American families
What: Idealized nuclear family promoted during the Cold War
When: 1950s
Where: United States
Why: Linked family stability to anti-communism and American identity.

Domestic Containment

Who: Policymakers, media, educators
What: Promotion of traditional family roles as protection against communism
When: 1950s
Where: United States
Why: Connected Cold War ideology to everyday social life.

Military Keynesianism

Who: U.S. federal government
What: Use of military spending to stimulate economic growth
When: 1950s-1960s
Where: United States
Why: Helped sustain postwar prosperity while funding Cold War competition.

Containment

Who: George Kennan, Truman administration
What: Strategy to prevent the spread of communism
When: Beginning in 1947
Where: Global
Why: Became the central organizing principle of U.S. Cold War policy.

Democratic Legitimacy (Globalization Context)

Who: Citizens, governments, international institutions
What: Question of whether political and economic systems genuinely represent the people
When: Especially after globalization protests and the 2000 election
Where: United States and globally
Why: Central theme connecting Bush v. Gore, Seattle protests, and public distrust of institutions.