Untitled Flashcards Set

Benito Mussolini

The Italian dictator and founder of Fascism, who ruled Italy from 1922 until his ousting in 1943.

Adolf Hitler

The German leader of the Nazi Party, Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, responsible for World War II and the Holocaust.

Neutrality Act of 1935

A U.S. law that aimed to prevent the country from being drawn into foreign conflicts, enacted in response to the growing tension in Europe.

Neutrality Act of 1937

Legislation that extended the policies of the 1935 Neutrality Act and prohibited the sale of arms to warring nations.

Quarantine Speech of FDR

A 1937 address by President Franklin D. Roosevelt advocating for international action against aggressor nations, marking a shift towards interventionism.

Blitzkrieg

A military tactic used by Germany during WWII characterized by rapid and overwhelming attacks to defeat enemies quickly.

“Cash and carry”

A policy allowing nations at war to purchase goods from the U.S. if they paid cash and transported the goods themselves.

Arsenal of Democracy

A phrase used by FDR to describe the U.S. role in providing military supplies to allies during WWII to combat fascism.

Lend-Lease Act

A program that allowed the U.S. to supply Allied nations with war material in exchange for bases or other benefits.

Atlantic Charter

A pivotal policy statement issued during WWII by FDR and Winston Churchill outlining allied goals for the post-war world.

Pearl Harbor

The U.S. naval base in Hawaii attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, prompting the U.S. to enter WWII.

War Production Board

An agency established during WWII to oversee the conversion of industries to war production.

Office of Price Administration

A U.S. government agency created during WWII to control prices and rents to prevent inflation.

Office of War Information

A U.S. agency responsible for disseminating war-related information to the public and maintaining morale during WWII.

Manhattan Project

The secret U.S. research project that developed the first atomic bombs during WWII.

“Double V” for African Americans

A campaign slogan advocating for victory against fascism abroad and racial discrimination at home during WWII.

Korematsu vs. US 1944

A landmark Supreme Court case that upheld the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII as a wartime necessity.

Rosie the Riveter

A cultural icon representing women who worked in factories and shipyards during WWII, symbolizing female empowerment.

Strategic bombing

Military strategy of bombing key enemy targets to diminish their ability to wage war during WWII.

Island hopping

A military strategy used by the Allies in the Pacific Theater during WWII to capture specific islands and use them as bases.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The Japanese cities where the U.S. dropped atomic bombs in August 1945, leading to Japan's surrender and the end of WWII.

Big Three

The leaders of the Allied powers during WWII: Franklin D. Roosevelt (U.S.), Winston Churchill (UK), and Joseph Stalin (USSR).

Yalta Conference

A meeting in 1945 where the Allied leaders discussed the post-war reorganization of Europe.

United Nations

An international organization founded in 1945 aimed at promoting peace, security, and cooperation among countries.

Iron Curtain

A term used to describe the political and ideological division between Eastern (Soviet) and Western (democratic) Europe during the Cold War.

Cold War

The period of political tension and military rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union after WWII, characterized by ideological conflict.

Satellite nations/Soviet Bloc

Countries in Eastern Europe that were aligned with the Soviet Union during the Cold War and under its influence.

Containment

A U.S. foreign policy strategy aimed at preventing the spread of communism worldwide.

George Kennan Argument

The strategy of containment was articulated by diplomat George Kennan as a means to counter Soviet expansion.

Truman Doctrine

A U.S. policy established in 1947 promising military and economic support to countries resisting communism.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. initiative post-WWII providing financial aid to rebuild European economies to prevent the spread of communism.

Berlin Blockade

A Soviet attempt to blockade West Berlin in 1948-49 to exert control over the city, leading to the Berlin Airlift.

Berlin Airlift

The operation in which the U.S. and its allies supplied West Berlin by air during the Soviet blockade from 1948 to 1949.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance formed in 1949 for mutual defense against aggression.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance formed in 1955 among Soviet-aligned countries in response to NATO.

Arms Race

The competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union to develop and stockpile nuclear weapons during the Cold War.

National Security Act 1947

Legislation that restructured the U.S. military and intelligence services, establishing the Department of Defense and the CIA.

Korean War

A conflict from 1950 to 1953 between North Korea (with Soviet and Chinese support) and South Korea (with U.S. and UN support).

38th Parallel

The latitude line that divided North and South Korea before and after the Korean War.

Eisenhower Doctrine

A U.S. foreign policy promising military and economic aid to Middle Eastern countries resisting communism, articulated in 1957.

Military-Industrial Complex

The relationship between a country's military and the defense industry, which some argue can influence policy decisions.

Dulles’s Brinkmanship

The foreign policy approach of Secretary of State John Foster Dulles that aimed to confront the Soviet Union with the threat of nuclear war to achieve goals.

MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction)

A military strategy where both the U.S. and Soviet Union would use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack, assuring total destruction for both parties.

Sputnik

The first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, which marked the beginning of the space race.

NASA

The U.S. governmental agency responsible for the nation's civilian space program and aeronautics research, established in 1958.

Fidel Castro

The Cuban revolutionary leader who established a communist regime in Cuba after the 1959 revolution.

Bay of Pigs

A failed invasion of Cuba in 1961 by U.S.-backed Cuban exiles aimed at overthrowing Castro.

Berlin Wall

A concrete barrier erected in 1961 to divide East and West Berlin, symbolizing the Cold War divide.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 1962 confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba, bringing the world close to nuclear war.

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 1963

An agreement prohibiting all test detonations of nuclear weapons except underground tests, signed by several nations during the Cold War.

Red Scare

A period of intense fear of communism and anti-communist sentiment in the U.S., particularly after WWII.

The Smith Act (1940)

A U.S. federal law that made it a criminal offense to advocate for the violent overthrow of the government.

McCarran Internal Security Act (1950)

A law aimed at protecting the U.S. against subversive activities, requiring Communist organizations to register.

HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee)

A committee of the U.S. House of Representatives known for investigating alleged disloyalty and subversive activities in the 1940s and 1950s.

Rosenberg Case

The trial and execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for espionage, accused of passing atomic secrets to the Soviets during the Cold War.

McCarthyism

The practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence, associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare.

Employment Act of 1946

Legislation aimed at promoting maximum employment and economic stability in the post-war U.S. economy.

GI Bill

A law that provided a range of benefits to returning World War II veterans, including education and housing assistance.

Baby Boom

A marked increase in the birth rate following WWII, particularly in the U.S., resulting in a demographic shift.

Levittown

A suburban housing development created in the late 1940s, known for its mass production of homes for returning veterans.

Sun Belt

A region in the southern U.S. that experienced significant population growth in the post-war period, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s.

22nd Amendment (1951)

An amendment to the U.S. Constitution that limits a person to serving as President for two terms.

Taft-Hartley Act

A law enacted in 1947 that restricts the activities and power of labor unions in the U.S.

Fair Deal

A plan proposed by President Harry S. Truman aiming to extend social welfare programs and civil rights after WWII.

Modern Republicanism

A political philosophy adopted by President Eisenhower, advocating for moderate policies and a mixed economy during the 1950s.

Interstate Highway Act (1956)

Legislation that authorized the construction of a nationwide network of interstate highways, facilitating road travel and commerce across the U.S.