APUSH: Period 8

Civil Rights

Desegregated the military and appointed more blacks to high government offices.

Cold War

A period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States from 1945 to 1991.

McCarthyism

The practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper evidence, associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Containment

US policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine

1947 policy that provided aid to Greece and Turkey to combat communism.

Marshall Plan

US initiative to aid in the reconstruction of European countries post-WWII to prevent the spread of communism.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a military alliance between Western European countries and the US.

Warsaw Pact

Alliance formed in 1955 between the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries.

Douglas MacArthur

US General who oversaw the rebuilding of Japan and led forces in the Korean War.

Korean War

Conflict between North and South Korea (1950-1953), ending in a stalemate.

NASA

Space agency established in 1958 under Eisenhower to compete in the Space Race.

Vietnam War

Conflict in Vietnam (1955-1975) resulting from efforts to prevent the spread of communism.

Thurgood Marshall

Civil rights leader who fought against segregation, later appointed to the Supreme Court.

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 Supreme Court ruling declaring that segregated schools were unconstitutional.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

A protest against racial segregation on public buses sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Baby Boom

Significant increase in the birth rate following WWII, leading to various social changes.

GI Bill

Legislation providing veterans with benefits such as housing loans and education.

Interstate Highway Act

1956 law that funded the construction of a nationwide network of interstate highways.

Suburbia

The residential areas on the outskirts of cities that grew rapidly in the 1950s.

Watergate Scandal

Political scandal involving President Nixon's attempt to cover up his administration's involvement in a break-in.