1960s Flashcards - History

1960 election

The U.S. presidential election where John F. Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon, marking the first televised debates and a shift in campaign strategies.

Fidel Castro

A Cuban revolutionary leader who overthrew the Batista government in 1959 and became the communist leader of Cuba.

Bay of Pigs

A failed 1961 invasion of Cuba by U.S.-backed Cuban exiles, intended to overthrow Fidel Castro’s government.

Berlin Wall

A barrier constructed in 1961 by East Germany to separate East and West Berlin, symbolizing the Cold War division.

Nikita Khrushchev

The leader of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, known for his role in the Cuban Missile Crisis and de-Stalinization.

Peace Corp

A U.S. government program established in 1961 to send volunteers to developing countries for humanitarian and educational assistance.

Brinkmanship

A Cold War strategy where nations pushed dangerous situations to the brink of conflict to achieve their goals.

Cuban Missile Crisis

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

Geneva Conference

A 1954 conference that divided Vietnam into North and South at the 17th parallel, leading to the Vietnam War.

Ho Chi Minh

The communist leader of North Vietnam who fought for Vietnamese independence from colonial rule.

Ngo Dinh Diem

The U.S.-backed leader of South Vietnam from 1955 to 1963, whose authoritarian rule led to his assassination.

Vietminh/Vietcong

The Vietminh was a Vietnamese independence movement, while the Vietcong were communist guerrillas in South Vietnam.

Battle of Dien Bien Phu

A 1954 battle where Vietnamese forces defeated French colonial troops, leading to Vietnam’s independence.

Ho Chi Minh Trail

A supply route used by North Vietnam to transport troops and supplies to the Vietcong in South Vietnam.

Gulf of Tonkin Incident/Resolution

A 1964 confrontation between the U.S. and North Vietnam that led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, escalating U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Operation Rolling Thunder

A U.S. bombing campaign in North Vietnam from 1965 to 1968 during the Vietnam War.

Guerrilla warfare

A type of irregular warfare where small groups use ambushes, sabotage, and hit-and-run tactics.

Greenboro Sit-Ins

A 1960 protest where Black students sat at a segregated lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, sparking a wave of sit-ins.

Freedom Riders

Activists who rode buses in 1961 to challenge segregation in interstate bus terminals.

Bull Connor

The segregationist public safety commissioner of Birmingham, Alabama, known for violent responses to civil rights protests.

Children’s March

A 1963 civil rights protest in Birmingham, Alabama, where children marched against segregation and were met with police brutality.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

A landmark law that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.