WWII to Reagan Era Flashcards

Flashcards for WWII, Cold War, Rights Movements, Vietnam War, and Reagan Era review.

Four Freedoms

FDR’s vision of freedom of speech, worship, from want, and from fear for all.

Interim Committee

Advised President Truman on using the atomic bomb.

Appeasement Policy

Giving in to aggressive demands to avoid war.

Fred Korematsu

Challenged Japanese internment camps in Korematsu v. U.S.

Manhattan Project

Secret U.S. project to build atomic bombs during WWII.

Sudetenland

Region of Czechoslovakia annexed by Hitler in 1938 as part of appeasement.

Poland

Germany’s invasion of this country in 1939 started WWII in Europe.

Alien Land Act

Barred Asian immigrants from owning land in several U.S. states.

A. Philip Randolph

Black labor leader who pressured FDR to ban defense job discrimination.

Dresden

German city devastated by Allied bombing in 1945.

EO 9066

Executive order that authorized Japanese-American internment.

EO 9417

Created the War Refugee Board to help Holocaust victims.

EO 8802

Banned racial discrimination in defense industries during WWII.

Fair Employment Practices Committee

Enforced EO 8802 and promoted workplace equality.

Pearl Harbor

Japanese attack on U.S. naval base that led to U.S. entry into WWII.

Guernica

Spanish town bombed by Nazis; inspired Picasso’s famous painting.

Neutrality Acts

Laws meant to keep the U.S. out of foreign wars.

Cash and Carry

Allowed the U.S. to sell arms if countries paid cash and transported goods.

Lend-Lease Act

Allowed the U.S. to send military aid to Allies before entering WWII.

Double V Campaign

African American call for victory against fascism abroad and racism at home.

Battle of Britain

Air battle where Britain defended itself against German invasion.

Geneva Conventions

International rules for humane treatment of war prisoners.

J. Robert Oppenheimer

Lead scientist of the Manhattan Project.

Lebensraum

Hitler’s policy of territorial expansion for “living space” for Germans.

NATO

Military alliance of Western nations formed to counter Soviet power.

Containment

U.S. policy to stop the spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine

Promised aid to countries resisting communism.

Marshall Plan

U.S. economic aid to rebuild post-WWII Europe.

Massive retaliation

U.S. policy threatening nuclear response to Soviet aggression.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

Investigated suspected communists in the U.S.

Joseph McCarthy

Senator who led anti-communist witch hunts during the Red Scare.

Potsdam Conference

Post-WWII meeting where Allies discussed Europe’s future.

Korean War

Conflict between communist North Korea and U.S.-backed South Korea (1950–1953).

William Levitt

Built affordable suburban homes, sparking suburban growth.

Baby boom

Surge in U.S. birth rates following WWII.

Berlin Airlift

U.S. and Allies flew supplies into West Berlin during Soviet blockade.

George Kennan

Diplomat who authored the policy of containment.

Warsaw Pact

Soviet-led military alliance countering NATO.

Lavender Scare

Campaign to remove suspected LGBTQ+ individuals from government jobs.

NASA

U.S. space agency created in response to Soviet space achievements.

CDC

U.S. agency for disease control and prevention.

NIH

National Institutes of Health; supports medical research in the U.S.

NSF

National Science Foundation; funds scientific research and education.

Brown v Board

Supreme Court case that ended school segregation (1954).

Jim Crow

Laws enforcing racial segregation in the South.

Little Rock/Central HS

Site of school integration crisis involving federal troops (1957).

Emmett Till

Black teen murdered in Mississippi, sparking national outrage.

Martin Luther King

Civil rights leader who advocated nonviolent protest.

Project C (Birmingham Protests)

MLK-led protests against segregation in Birmingham, AL.

March on Washington

1963 civil rights rally where MLK gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Malcolm X

Black nationalist leader who criticized nonviolence and integration.

Selma March

Civil rights march that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

24th Amendment

Banned poll taxes in federal elections.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Outlawed discriminatory voting practices.

Loving v Virginia

Struck down laws banning interracial marriage.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Banned discrimination in public places and employment.

Title VII

Part of Civil Rights Act banning employment discrimination.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

Enforces anti-discrimination laws in workplaces.

Title IX

Banned sex discrimination in federally funded education.

Sexual Revolution

Cultural shift toward openness about sex and gender roles.

Women’s liberation movement

Feminist movement advocating equality in jobs, education, and law.

Environmental movement

Activism aimed at protecting the environment.

Roe v Wade

Supreme Court case legalizing abortion (1973).

Birth control pill

Gave women control over reproduction and family planning.

EPA

Environmental Protection Agency; enforces pollution control laws.

JFK

President known for the New Frontier, Cold War crises, and civil rights support.

Space program

NASA’s effort to beat the USSR in space exploration.

Banana Wars

U.S. military interventions in Latin America to protect business interests.

Peace Corps

Program sending Americans abroad to promote development and goodwill.

USAID

U.S. agency providing foreign aid and development support.

Vietnam War

U.S. conflict to prevent communist takeover of South Vietnam.

Lyndon B. Johnson

President who escalated the Vietnam War and launched the Great Society.

Domino Theory

Belief that if one country fell to communism, neighbors would follow.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Gave LBJ broad war powers in Vietnam without declaring war.

Operation Rolling Thunder

Sustained U.S. bombing campaign in North Vietnam.

Tet Offensive

Surprise attack by Viet Cong that turned U.S. public opinion against the war.

War on Poverty

LBJ’s domestic effort to reduce poverty through social programs.

Great Society Programs

LBJ’s initiatives for education, healthcare, and civil rights.

Medicare/Medicaid

Health insurance programs for the elderly and poor.

Barry Goldwater

Conservative politician who opposed New Deal liberalism.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

Proposed amendment for gender equality that failed ratification.

Phyllis Schlafly

Conservative activist who opposed the ERA.

Howard Jarvis

Taxpayer advocate behind California’s Proposition 13 tax revolt.