WWII and Cold War History Review Flashcards

Flashcards covering vocabulary, key figures, and major events from WWII to the modern era based on the provided lecture notes.

Aryan

Nazi idea of a “superior” white race.

Jewish

Group heavily persecuted by Nazis during the Holocaust.

Concentration Camp

Prison camps where millions were imprisoned and killed by Nazis.

Hiroshima

Japanese city hit by the first atomic bomb.

Nagasaki

Japanese city hit by the second atomic bomb.

Oppenheimer

Lead scientist of the Manhattan Project.

Korematsu v. United States

Supreme Court case that upheld Japanese internment during WWII.

Allied Powers

Mainly the U.S., Great Britain, Soviet Union, and France.

Axis Powers

Germany, Italy, and Japan.

GI Bill

Helped veterans pay for college, homes, and businesses.

Lend-Lease

U.S. program sending supplies and weapons to allies.

Truman

President who ordered atomic bombs dropped on Japan.

Roosevelt

President during most of WWII.

D-Day

Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

Stalin

Leader of the Soviet Union during WWII.

Fred Korematsu

Japanese American who challenged internment in court.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 confrontation over Soviet missiles in Cuba.

Containment

Policy stopping spread of communism.

Baby Boom

Large increase in births after WWII.

Domino Theory

If one country became communist, nearby countries would follow.

Joseph McCarthy

Senator who accused people of being communists.

NATO

Military alliance between U.S. and Western allies.

Marshall Plan

U.S. aid to rebuild Europe after WWII.

Suburbs

Residential communities outside cities.

Cold War

Political and ideological conflict between the U.S. and USSR without direct war.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

Both sides could destroy each other with nuclear weapons.

Warsaw Pact

Military alliance of Soviet Union and communist allies.

Truman Doctrine

Stop spread of communism by helping threatened countries.

Immigration Act of 1965

Ended quotas favoring European immigrants.

Civil Disobedience

Peacefully breaking unjust laws.

Brown v. Board of Education

Ended school segregation.

Thurgood Marshall

Lawyer in Brown case and the first Black Supreme Court justice.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Protest against bus segregation.

Children’s March

Civil rights protest by students in Birmingham.

Rosa Parks

Refused to give up bus seat.

Malcolm X

Civil rights leader advocating Black empowerment.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Leader promoting nonviolent protest.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Banned segregation and discrimination.

Betty Friedan

Women’s rights activist and author.

Gloria Steinem

Feminist leader and activist.

Cesar Chavez

Labor leader for farm workers.

Roe v. Wade

Supreme Court case protecting abortion rights.

De jure segregation

Segregation by law.

De facto segregation

Segregation in practice or socially.

Living Room War

Vietnam War shown on TV in homes.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Gave president broad military powers in Vietnam.

Kent State Shootings

National Guard killed protesting students in 1970.

Détente

Relaxed tensions between U.S. and USSR.

Iran Hostage Crisis

Americans held hostage in Iran for 444 days from 1979–1981.

Ho Chi Minh Trail

Route used by the Viet Cong to move supplies.

Stagflation

Economic period of high inflation, unemployment, and a slow economy.

Supply-Side Economics

Tax cuts meant to boost economy.

Deficits

Government spends more than it collects.

Iran-Contra

Secret arms sales scandal under Reagan.

Desert Storm

1st Persian Gulf War to remove Iraq from Kuwait.

Rodney King

Police beating case that sparked riots.

NAFTA

Free trade agreement between U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

USA PATRIOT Act

Expanded government surveillance after 9/11.

Osama bin Laden

Leader of al-Qaeda; killed by U.S. forces in 2011.

Affordable Care Act

Expanded access to health insurance.

Great Recession

Economic downturn caused by housing market crash and risky bank lending.