Period 8 Vocab

What was the purpose of the G.I. Bill of Rights?

To provide benefits to returning World War II veterans, including education and housing assistance.

What demographic change occurred due to the Baby Boom?

A significant increase in birth rates following World War II.

What does the term 'Iron Curtain' refer to?

The division between the Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe and Western democracies.

What was the primary goal of the Truman Doctrine?

To contain the spread of communism.

What was the significance of the Berlin Blockade and Airlift?

It was a Soviet attempt to cut off access to Berlin, leading to a massive Western airlift to supply the city.

What is Containment in the context of U.S. foreign policy?

A strategy to prevent the expansion of communism beyond the countries where it already existed.

What was the Marshall Plan?

An American initiative to provide economic aid to Western European countries after World War II.

What did the National Security Act of 1947 establish?

It reorganized the U.S. military and created the National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency.

What do NATO and the Warsaw Pact represent?

Military alliances formed by Western countries (NATO) and Eastern communist countries (Warsaw Pact).

What are Satellite Nations?

Countries in Eastern Europe that were under Soviet control after World War II.

What was the Taft-Hartley Act?

A U.S. law that restricted the activities and power of labor unions.

What was a key outcome of the Election of 1948?

Harry S. Truman won an unexpected victory over Thomas Dewey.

What triggered the Korean War?

The invasion of South Korea by North Korea in 1950.

What was the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) known for?

Investigating alleged disloyalty and subversive activities in the U.S.

Who was Alger Hiss?

A former State Department official accused of being a communist spy.

Who were the Rosenbergs?

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for espionage related to atomic secrets.

What does McCarthyism refer to?

The practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence.

Who was Dwight Eisenhower?

The 34th President of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961.

What was the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954?

It declared that state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students were unconstitutional.

What was the Montgomery Bus Boycott?

A protest against racial segregation on the public bus system in Montgomery, Alabama.

Who was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?

A prominent leader in the American civil rights movement known for his nonviolent protests.

What was the significance of the Little Rock Nine?

A group of African American students who enrolled at Little Rock Central High School during the desegregation crisis.

What was Sputnik?

The first artificial Earth satellite launched by the Soviet Union.

What does conformity refer to in the context of post-World War II America?

The social phenomenon where individuals align their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to social norms.

What is consumerism?

The cultural trend of purchasing and consuming goods and services in ever-increasing amounts.

Who were the Beatniks?

A group of American writers and artists in the 1950s known for their rejection of conventional society.

What is Rock n’ Roll?

A genre of popular music that originated in the 1950s and has roots in African American musical styles.

What did the Federal Highway Act establish?

A system of interstate highways across the United States.

What was the outcome of the Election of 1960?

John F. Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon to become President of the United States.

What was the Berlin Wall?

A barrier that divided East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989.

What was the Bay of Pigs invasion?

A failed military invasion of Cuba by CIA-sponsored paramilitary group in 1961.

What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?

A 13-day confrontation in 1962 between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over Soviet ballistic missiles in Cuba.

What major event occurred with the assassination of President Kennedy?

John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963.

What is the significance of 'The Other America'?

A book by Michael Harrington that highlighted poverty in the United States during the 1960s.

What was Freedom Summer?

A 1964 campaign to increase voter registration among African Americans in Mississippi.

What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 accomplish?

It prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Who was Malcolm X?

A civil rights activist known for his advocacy for the rights of African Americans and his critique of nonviolence.

What was the Great Society?

A series of domestic programs launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson aimed at eliminating poverty and racial injustice.

What did the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution authorize?

It authorized President Johnson to use military force in Vietnam without a formal declaration of war.

What was the Vietnam War?

A conflict that occurred from 1955 to 1975 involving North Vietnam and South Vietnam, supported by their allies.

What significant events occurred in 1968?

A year marked by widespread protests, the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, and the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.

What characterized the 1960s Counter-Culture?

A movement that rejected conventional social norms, particularly related to war, traditional values, and consumerism.

What event is known as the Kent State shooting?

The shooting of four college students by the Ohio National Guard during a protest against the Vietnam War in 1970.

What does détente refer to?

A period of eased tensions and improved relations between the United States and the Soviet Union during the 1970s.

What is 'Silent Spring' known for?

A book by Rachel Carson that highlighted the dangers of pesticides and environmental degradation.

What was the OPEC Embargo and Energy Crisis?

A 1973 oil embargo by OPEC that caused significant increases in oil prices and fuel shortages in the U.S.

What was the Watergate scandal?

A political scandal involving a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and the subsequent cover-up by the Nixon administration.

What was the ruling in Roe v. Wade?

A landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States in 1973.

What was the outcome of Bakke v. Board of Regents?

The Supreme Court ruled that racial quotas were unconstitutional but upheld the consideration of race in admissions.

What was the Iranian Hostage Crisis?

The 1979-1981 crisis where 52 American diplomats and citizens were held hostage in Iran.

Who was Ronald Reagan?

The 40th President of the United States, serving from 1981 to 1989.

What is Reaganomics?

An economic policy associated with President Ronald Reagan that emphasized tax cuts and deregulation.

What was the Iran-Contra Affair?

A political scandal in the 1980s involving the secret sale of arms to Iran to fund Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

What is the Persian Gulf War?

A conflict in 1990-1991 to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

Who was Bill Clinton?

The 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001.

What was significant about the Clinton Impeachment?

Bill Clinton was impeached by the House for perjury and obstruction of justice, but acquitted by the Senate.