HIST 106 Final Bach -- TAMU

Cause of Cold War

Erupted as a result of the difference in the values & systems of the US & USSR

Yalta Conference

Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met to make plans for the postwar world

Yalta Conference Agreements

Formed the United Nations (UN)

Divide Germany into 4 occupation zones

Allow free elections in the countries they liberated from German rule

Containment

Under this policy Truman & future US presidents aimed to prevent the spread of communism in the world

Truman Doctrine

an American foreign policy whose stated purpose was to counter Soviet geopolitical expansion during the Cold War. It was announced to Congress by President Harry S. Truman on March 12, 1947, and further developed on July 12, 1948, when he pledged to contain threats in Greece and Turkey.

Marshall Plan

Offered economic aid to help rebuild the countries of Europe after the war

Berlin Airlift

when Stalin ordered the Berlin Blockade in 1948, the US organized a massive airlift to feed & supply the city. Within a year, Stalin lifted the blockade

NATO

In 1949, the US & its Western allies formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to provide collective security and protection

Red China

In 1949, Mao Zedong led a successful Communist revolution in China

Korean War

In 1950, Communist North Korea invaded South Korea. Truman chose to aid South Korea to stop the spread of Communism. He sent troops into the war under the command of General Douglas MacArthur. The war didn't end until 1953, when Eisenhower arranged an Armistice

Arms Race

The US & USSR entered into a nuclear arms race when the USSR developed its own atomic bomb during the CW

Space Race

A space race between the US & USSR which began in 1957 when the Soviets launched the first man-made satellite, Sputnik, into space. This made Americans fear Soviet missile power.

Organizations that the US developed because of Space Race

new programs in science education (National Defense Education Act) and began developing its own space technology (NASA)

The House on Un-American Activities Committee

investigated "un-American" activities such as participation in the Communist Party. They questioned actors, directors, writers, & others about their involvement with Communism. Those found "guilty" were "blacklisted" and lost their jobs

McCarthyism

Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed he knew the names of hundreds of Communists who were working in the US government

Eisenhower Doctrine

plan to send US forces to any Middle Eastern nation that needed help fighting against communism

GI Bill

law passed in 1944 to help returning veterans buy homes and pay for higher educations

Jonas Salk

invented polio vaccine

Interstate Highways Act

created a system of federal highways and connected the nation. Many middle-class Americans moved to the suburbs, which led to a decline in the condition of America's inner cities

Harry S. Truman

President responsible for the end of racial segregation in the military and in the federal government

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 - The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated.

Significance of Brown v. Board of Education

Integration even though it didn't happen right away

Challenged segregated school system

Triumph for NAACP

Little Rock 9 (1957)

Arkansas Gov. uses National Guard to block black students from attending school; Eisenhower uses federal troops to allow students to attend

Rosa Parks

United States civil rights leader who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery (Alabama) and so triggered the national civil rights movement (born in 1913)

Montgomery Bus Boycott

In 1955, after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus, Dr. Martin L. King led a boycott of city busses. After 11 months the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public transportation was illegal.

Sit-ins

protests by black college students, 1960-1961, who took seats at "whites only" lunch counters and refused to leave until served; in 1960 over 50,000 participated in sit-ins across the South. Their success prompted the formation of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.

Freedom Rides

a series of political protests against segregation by Blacks and Whites who rode buses together through the American South in 1961

Civil Disobedience

A form of political participation that reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer the consequences.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

A letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. after he had been arrested when he took part in a nonviolent march against segregation. He was disappointed more Christians didn't speak out against racism.

March on Washington

In August 1963, civil rights leaders organized a massive rally in Washington to urge passage of President Kennedy's civil rights bill. The high point came when MLK Jr., gave his "I Have a Dream" speech to more than 200,000 marchers in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

prohibited discrimination in public places and in employment based on race, color, religion, or ethnic origin

24th Amendment

eliminate poll taxes, literacy tests, and other tactics used to discourage African American voters

Affirmative Action

begun by Lyndon B. Johnson, required employers to actively recruit minority workers. These programs increased minority representation in colleges, some professions, and many businesses

John F. Kennedy

elected in 1960

He supported civil rights, the space program, and freedom around the world

He promised to land a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s

Kennedy's Foreign Policy

flexible response

continued to focus on CW issues

Bay of Pigs

In April 1961, a group of Cuban exiles organized and supported by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency landed on the southern coast of Cuba in an effort to overthrow Fidel Castro. When the invasion ended in disaster, President Kennedy took full responsibility for the failure.

Alliance for Progress

a program in which the United States provided economic aid to help Latin American countries overcome poverty and other problems

Cuban Missile Crisis

Castro and the Soviets tried to install nuclear missiles in Cuba that could reach large portions of the US. When US spy planes discovered the missiles, Kennedy ordered a blockade around Cuba

Lyndon B. Johnson

President who came up with "The Great Society" program

Great Society

focused on promoting civil rights, fighting poverty, providing medical care and increasing Social Security programs, and giving aid to poor societies

Black Power Movement

African American movement that focused on gaining control of economic and political power to achieve equal rights by force if necessary. (Malcolm X)

Malcom X

leading Black Muslim who believed that violence might be necessary to achieve equal rights

The Black Panthers

demanded equal opportunities and repayment for past oppression. They claimed the right to carry weapons to protect black neighborhoods from the police

American Indian Movement (AIM)

sought greater respect for Native American heritage. They protested against textbooks, TV shows, and movies that showed anti-American Indian bias.

Beat Generation

Group highlighted by writers and artist who stressed spontaneity and spirituality instead of apathy and conformity.

Rock and Roll

became a popular music genre in the fifties with the introduction of Elvis Presley

The Beatles

a British band that had an enormous influence on popular music in the 1960s -- new studio techniques

Hippies

Believed in anti-materalism, free use of drugs, they had a casual attitude toward sex and anti-conformity, (1960s) practiced free love and took drugs, flocked to San Francisco- low rent/interracial, they lived in communal "crash pads", smoked marijuana and took LSD, sexual revolution, new counter culture, Protestors who influenced US involvement in Vietnam

Vietnam War

A prolonged war (1954-1975) between the communist armies of North Vietnam who were supported by the Chinese and the non-communist armies of South Vietnam who were supported by the United States.

Vietcong

a member of the communist guerrilla movement in Vietnam that fought the South Vietnamese government forces 1954-75 with the support of the North Vietnamese army and opposed the South Vietnamese and US forces in the Vietnam War.

Domino Theory

A theory that if one nation comes under Communist control, then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control.

Gulf of Tonkin Incident

Alleged attack of US ships by North Vietnamese torpedoes in the Tonkin Gulf on August 4, 1964. Prompted the escalation of the War in Vietnam.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

LBJ escalated the war when he sent in thousands of US ground troops to help SV and ordered bombing raids on NV

Tet Offensive

1968, during Tet, the Vietnam lunar new year - Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army raiding forces attacked provincial capitals throughout Vietnam, even seizing the U.S. embassy for a time. U.S. opinion began turning against the war.

Challenges US faced in Vietnam War

NV and the Vietcong were willing to suffer large losses to reunite their country

American soldiers were unfamiliar with the Vietnamese language, people or their environment

The war became very divisive

Credibility Gap

The gap between the Johnson Administration and the American public support

Antiwar Movement

Millions of young people burned draft cards, held rallies, and staged demonstrations. American "doves" were people who wanted the US to withdraw; "hawks" supported the war.

Richard Nixon

promised Americans "peace with honor"

moved nation into a more conservative direction

Silent Majority

Term used by President Nixon to describe Americans who opposed the counterculture

Pentagon Papers

These documents showed that several presidents before Nixon had lied to the American people about Vietnam in order to avoid a damaged reputation.

Vietnamization

the US policy of withdrawing its troops and transferring the responsibility and direction of the war effort to the government of South Vietnam.

Outcomes of the War in Vietnam

Over 58K American deaths

The end of some Great Society programs (due to cost) and rising inflation; it also led to a crisis of American self-confidence

Limits on presidential power

60s Counterculture

American youth challenged the conformity of their parent's generation

Literature focused on antiwar messages and became more open in its treatment of human consciousness and sexuality

Nixon Domestic Policy

Nixon cut spending on domestic/social programs and to combat inflation. He also imposed wage and price controls, but these economic measures were not successful.

Tinker v. Des Moines

ruled that students had the right to wear armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War (violation of freedom of speech)

Wisconsin v. Yoder

struck down a state law requiring Amish children to attend school past 8th grade (violation of freedom of religion)

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

created to protect the environment by setting/enforcing air and water pollution standards

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

a proposed amendment to the US Constitution stating that civil rights may not be denied on the basis of one's sex.

Nixon Foreign Policy

reopened relations with Communist China, began a policy of detente with the USSR, and began withdrawing troops from Vietnam.

Détente

relaxing of tensions. Nixon signed an agreement with Soviet leaders to limit the development of missile systems

Watergate Scandal

a group of men working for Nixon's reelection campaign was caught breaking into Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington D.C. This led to a major scandal when it was discovered that Nixon lied about his participation in a cover-up of the break-in.

Stagflation

President Ford faced this problem: inflation (rising prices) plus stagnation (a slow economy).

OPEC

Rising oil prices, caused by regulations imposed by...

Panama Canal Treaty

returned control of the Canal Zone to Panama.

Camp David Accords

Carter negotiated an agreement between Egypt and Israel

Iran Hostage Crisis

When the ruler of Iran was overthrown, Iranian students held members of the US Embassy staff in Tehran hostage for more than a year. They were not released until Carter left office

Ronald Reagan

Conservative president

National Rifle Association (NRA)

became political in the 1980s when it endorsed Reagan

Moral Majority

made up of fundamentalist Christians who favored a strict interpretation of the Bible and a socially conservative political agenda

The Heritage Foundation

sought to promote conservative policies and attempted to influence legislators to pass conservative legislation

Reagan's Promises

to reduce the role of the federal government in American life. He cut federal programs, cut taxes on businesses, and deregulated the economy to encourage private competition. His strategy, intended to increase supply and drop prices to increase employment, was called Reaganomics or "supply-side" economics.

Sandra Day O'Connor

first woman Justice on the US Supreme Court

Reagan Doctrine

stating that the US would try to "roll back" communism in Middle East Asia

Iran Contra Scandal

officials in the Reagan administration secretly sold weapons to Iran in exchange for the release of American hostages in Lebanon. The profits from these weapons were given in support of anti-Communist "Contra" rebels in Nicaragua against Congressional approval.

George H. W. Bush

continued many of Reagan's policies. In foreign policy, he sent troops to Panama, Kuwait (the Gulf War) and Somalia. The CW ended with the collapse of the USSR during his presidency.

Bill Clinton Promises

promised Americans domestic reforms, including a comprehensive healthcare reform program, which failed. Reduced military spending after the CW and a rise in the computer industry brought prosperity to America during his presidency

Contract with America

program of conservative principles arguing the government was too large. The contract was a promise by Republican candidates to the American people to restore the balance between government and its citizens and was intended to get Republican candidates elected to Congress.

North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA

created a trade association with Mexico and Canada to stimulation the economies

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)

was formed in 1947 to reduce tariff levels on many goods

World Trade Organization (WTO)

GATT was replaced by this organization establish rules for global trade and to settle trade disputes (this contributes to globalization)

National Security Act 1947

Established the Department of Defence to design and coordinated military policy

Presided army, navy, airforce

Created the CIA and the National Security Council to advise president on nation's security

NSC-68 1950

Pushed further for containment policy; America should be prepared to extinguish communism wherever it is born

Increased defense spending 4x; 13-50 billion dollars; Defense budget made up a huge part of the budget

Cold War

"war of words & threats" between the US and Soviet Union (1946 - 1991)

Because of nuclear weapons, the two Superpowers never confronted each other directly in open warfare

Proxy Wars

two opposing countries avoiding dived war and instead supported countries that served their interests

Berlin Crisis & Airlift

As a result of the US & Britain moving closer to occupation zones in Germany, Stalin, halts all traffic in Berlin but then lifted it on May 1949

Significance:

1st test of Truman Doctrine

Risk by the US

US stood up to communism

Increased tensions between US & Soviet Union

Yalta Conference

Roosevelt, Churchill & Stalin met to plan the reorganization of Europe at the end of the war

Agreed on formation of United Nations, Germany divided into 4 occupation zones & follow free elections in the countries they liberated from German rule

Korean War

When/Where: June 25, 1950 - 1953/South Korea

Who: US, North & South Korea, China

What: US Dept. received a cablegram reporting an invasion of South Korea by the communist North. Truman sent troops to defend South Korea due to the UN Pact

Security Council blocked US request for intervention

Why: It is significant because an armistice was signed between US & North Korea in 1953 providing a demilitarized zone between North & South Korea

Reasons US joins Korean War

Truman Doctrine

Containment

US divided Korean peninsula @ 36th Parallel

Korea tries to create a communist nation

Outcomes of the Korean War

Communism spreads

Truman becomes unpopular

Eisenhower = President

1st time UN gets involved

CW expands

MacArthur fired

Armistice leaves Korea

General MacArthur

Fired because he wanted to liberate China from Communist control by invading China willing to use atomic weapons if needed as the US had done in Japan