USII Complete Final Review

Your whole USII career comes down to this...

Imperialism

The extension of a nation's power over other lands.

Open Door Policy

Ensured equal access to the Chinese market for all nations while maintaining China's territorial integrity.

Dollar Diplomacy

A foreign policy strategy used during President Taft's term that used loans and investments to increase American influence abroad.

Missionary Diplomacy

Wilson's policy that the U.S. should spread democratic ideas and refuse recognition to oppressive governments.

Isolationism

A policy of avoiding political or military involvement with other countries.

Neutrality Acts

U.S. laws meant to keep America out of foreign wars in the 1930s.

Fascism

A political system with strong nationalism, dictatorship, militarism, and suppression of opposition.

Totalitarianism

A system in which the government has total control over public and private life.

Hawaiian League

Group of American businessmen who wanted to overthrow the Hawaiian monarchy and annex Hawaii.

Rough Riders

Volunteer cavalry unit led by Theodore Roosevelt and Leonard Wood.

Buffalo Soldiers

African American regiments who fought in the Spanish-American War

Tuskegee Airmen

First African American military pilots in U.S. history who excelled in combat during World War II and helped break racial barriers in the military.

Viet Cong

Communist guerrilla fighters in South Vietnam who supported North Vietnam.

ARVN

Army of the Republic of Vietnam; South Vietnam's military.

Yellow Journalism

Exaggerated and sensationalized news reporting designed to attract readers.

Prohibition

Ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol.

Scopes Trial

1925 trial concerning the teaching of evolution in schools.

Harlem Renaissance

1920s African American cultural movement centered in Harlem.

Hussein-McMahon Agreement

Britain promised Arab independence if Arabs fought the Ottoman Empire during WWI.

Sykes-Picot Agreement

Secret British-French agreement to divide Ottoman lands in the Middle East after WWI.

Brinkmanship

Pushing situations to the edge of war to force an opponent to back down.

17th Amendment

Direct election of U.S. Senators.

18th Amendment

Prohibition; banned alcohol.

19th Amendment

Granted women the right to vote.

22nd Amendment

Limited presidents to two terms.

How did European imperialism affect Africa?

Europe divided Africa into colonies, created new borders, took resources, imposed new political systems, and disrupted native cultures.

How did time prove that the purchase of Alaska by US Secretary of State Seward was not an act of folly?

Alaska proved valuable because of its resources, strategic military location, and contribution to American expansion and economic growth.

What role did the media play in bringing about the Spanish-American War?

Yellow journalism exaggerated events and stirred anti-Spanish sentiment among Americans.

What affect did the de Lome letter have on American public opinion of Spain?

It criticized McKinley and increased American anger toward Spain.

Why did President McKinley send the USS Maine to Havana Harbor in February of 1898?

Not included in the cards you provided.

What did the US acquire as a result of the Span-Am War?

Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.

How did the Filipinos react to the US occupation of the Philippines?

Many resisted and fought the Philippine-American War for independence.

What was the Boxer Rebellion?

An anti-foreign uprising in China directed against foreign influence and Christians.

How did the US acquire the rights to build the Panama Canal?

After Colombia rejected a treaty, the U.S. supported Panama's independence and then signed a treaty with Panama.

What did the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine state?

The U.S. had the right to intervene in Latin American countries that could not maintain order or pay debts.

MAIN causes of WWI?

Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism.

What event lit “the powder keg of Europe”?

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Much of the war was spent enduring what kind of fighting?

Trench warfare.

What mental condition did WWI soldiers suffer from?

Shell Shock (PTSD).

Why did the sinking of the Lusitania anger so many Americans?

A German submarine sank the passenger ship, killing nearly 1,200 people including 128 Americans.

What was the Zimmermann note?

A secret German message asking Mexico to join a war against the United States.

What happened at the Black Tom Armory in 1916?

German agents blew it up to stop U.S. supplies from reaching the Allies.

Why did Russia withdraw from the war?

Food shortages, military defeats, and the Russian Revolution.

Who were the Big Four that ultimately hammered out the details of the Treaty of Versailles?

Wilson (United States), George (Great Britain), Clemenceau (France), Orlando (Italy).

Whose idea were the 14 Points?

Woodrow Wilson.

Why did the Europeans reject most of the 14 Points?

They wanted to punish Germany and gain territory.

What was the concept of self-determination?

The belief that each nation should determine its own affairs.

Who was forced to sign the War Guilt Clause?

Germany.

Why did the US Senate refuse to ratify the Treaty of Versailles?

Fear that the League of Nations would draw the U.S. into future wars.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

32nd President of the United States who led America through the Great Depression and most of WWII.

Winston Churchill

British Prime Minister who warned about the Iron Curtain.

Josef Stalin

Dictator of the Soviet Union who ruled through fear, purges, and forced industrialization.

Benito Mussolini

Fascist dictator of Italy who allied with Hitler and sought to rebuild a new Roman Empire.

Adolph Hitler

Leader of Nazi Germany.

Hideki Tojo

Japanese military leader and Prime Minister during much of WWII who supported expansion in Asia and the attack on Pearl Harbor.

What warning did Ethiopian leader Haile Selassie give the League of Nations in 1935?

If Italy was not stopped in Ethiopia, other nations would be attacked next and the League would fail.

What was the Anschluss?

Germany's annexation of Austria in 1938.

What was the Munich Agreement?

Agreement allowing Germany to take the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia.

What did Britain choose appeasement over action?

Britain chose to give in to Hitler's demands instead of fighting.

What was the Non-Aggression Pact?

A 1939 agreement in which Germany and the Soviet Union promised not to attack one another and secretly divided Poland.

What happened on September 1, 1939, ultimately starting WWII?

Germany invaded Poland.

How did the policy of appeasement fare in the 1930s?

It failed; giving in to Adolf Hitler only encouraged more aggression.

What happened at Dunkirk, France in the Fall of 1940?

Allied troops were trapped but rescued in a massive evacuation from Dunkirk.

Why was the Battle of Stalingrad so difficult on both sides?

Brutal winter, urban combat, and massive casualties on both sides.

What did V-E Day commemorate?

Victory in Europe (Germany's surrender).

What is the purpose of the Selective Service System?

To draft soldiers into the military.

What was the outcome of the North Africa Campaign?

The Allies gained control of North Africa.

What was Operation Overlord?

The D-Day invasion of Normandy

Why was the Battle of the Bulge important?

It was Germany's last major offensive. After its failure, Germany was weakened and near defeat.

As Allied troops approached Germany, who were they encountering and liberating?

Prisoners in Nazi concentration camps.

What was Operation Paper Clip?

A U.S. program to bring German scientists to America.

What are the differences between communism and capitalism?

Communism: government controls property and the economy. Capitalism: private individuals and businesses own property and make economic decisions.

What race did Sputnik start?

The Space Race.

What was the CIA able to achieve in Iran, in 1953?

Overthrew Iran's prime minister and restored the Shah.

What was the CIA able to achieve in Guatemala in 1954?

Overthrew the Guatemalan government.

When offered assistance by the US in 1955, why did Egyptian President Gama Nasser nationalize the Suez Canal?

To gain money and control after losing Western financial support.

What was the basis of the Eisenhower Doctrine?

Aid to Middle Eastern countries resisting communism.

How did the USSR respond to the Hungarian attempt at establishing a democracy behind free elections in 1956?

They sent troops and crushed the uprising.

Why do you think the French failed in Vietnam?

They underestimated Vietnamese nationalism, fought difficult guerrilla warfare, and lacked local support.

During WWII, what kind of relationship did the US and Vietnam have?

The U.S. cooperated with Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh against the Japanese occupation.

How did LBJ feel about sending US troops to Vietnam?

He was reluctant but believed withdrawal would damage U.S. credibility and risk communist expansion.

How did the US public respond to LBJ's decision?

Initially many supported it, but opposition grew as casualties increased.

According to Secretary Rusk, what was the pillar of primary peace throughout the world?

American military strength and commitment to resisting aggression.

Why did General William Westmoreland recommend the aggressive deployment of US troops to Vietnam?

He believed more troops could wear down the enemy through attrition.

How did the war affect President Johnson's domestic programs?

It diverted money and attention away from his Great Society programs.

What role did TV play in the emerging credibility gap?

Graphic coverage contradicted optimistic government reports and exposed the realities of war.

Why had Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. avoided speaking out against the war until 1967?

He feared it would divide the Civil Rights Movement and weaken support for racial equality.

What role did many women play in Vietnam?

They served mainly as nurses and support personnel caring for wounded soldiers.

What two champions of the Civil Rights Movement were assassinated months apart in 1968?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.

How were the VC able to get weapons and supplies into South Vietnam ahead of the Tet Offensive?

They used the Ho Chi Minh Trail and smuggled supplies into cities.