APUSH PEDLIGS

George Kennan (Mr. X)

US diplomat who proposed containment; His Long Telegram shaped US Cold War foreign policy by arguing the USSR must be contained through firm resistance.

George C. Marshall

US Secretary of State; Created the Marshall Plan, which rebuilt Europe and strengthened alliances against communism.

Douglas MacArthur

US general who led UN forces in Korea; Fired by Truman for insubordination, showing civilian control of the military.

Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek)

Leader of Chinese Nationalists; His defeat by Mao led to communist China and heightened US fears of communism.

Mao Zedong

Chinese Communist leader; His victory in 1949 intensified the Cold War and shifted global power.

Alger Hiss

US official accused of spying for the USSR; His trial increased anti-communist hysteria during the Red Scare.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Accused Soviet spies executed for sharing atomic secrets; Their case symbolized Cold War fear and controversy.

Thomas Dewey

Republican candidate who ran against Truman in 1948; His expected victory showed polling unreliability.

J. Strom Thurmond

Dixiecrat who supported segregation; His candidacy signaled Southern backlash to civil rights.

Henry Wallace

Progressive Party candidate critical of Truman’s Cold War policies; Highlighted divisions in the Democratic Party.

Kim Il Sung

Leader of North Korea; Invaded South Korea, causing the Korean War.

Winston Churchill

British PM who coined “Iron Curtain”; Helped frame Cold War ideological divide.

Yalta Conference (1945)

Allied meeting dividing postwar Europe; Set the stage for Cold War tensions over Eastern Europe.

Potsdam Conference (1945)

Final WWII conference; Disagreements over Germany deepened the Cold War.

Bretton Woods Conference (1944)

Created IMF/World Bank; Established global economic order led by the US.

Recognition of Israel (1948)

US recognized Israel quickly; Increased US involvement in Middle East politics.

Berlin Airlift (1948)

US supplied West Berlin after Soviet blockade; Major Cold War victory for containment.

Fall of China (1949)

China became communist; Increased US fears and led to stronger containment policies.

Korean War (1950)

First major Cold War conflict; US fought to stop communist expansion.

Second Red Scare

Intense fear of communism inside the US; Led to loyalty tests and McCarthyism.

Containment Doctrine (1947)

Policy to stop spread of communism; Foundation of US Cold War strategy.

Truman Doctrine (1947)

Pledged aid to nations resisting communism; Marked US commitment to global containment.

World Bank (1944)

Institution providing loans to developing nations; Promoted US-led economic order.

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1947)

Promoted free trade; Helped rebuild global economy.

National Security Act (1947)

Reorganized US defense system; Created DOD, CIA, NSC.

Marshall Plan (1948)

Massive economic aid to Europe; Contained communism and strengthened allies.

McCarran Internal Security Act (1950)

Required communist registration; Reflected domestic Cold War fears.

NSC-68 (1950)

Major Cold War memo calling for military buildup; Militarized containment worldwide.

Spheres of Influence

Areas dominated by one superpower; USSR used this in Eastern Europe.

Open World

US aim for free markets globally; Countered Soviet control.

Arms Race

US–USSR competition for nuclear weapons; Increased Cold War tensions.

Containment

Preventing spread of communism; Basis of Truman-era foreign policy.

Imperial Presidency

Expansion of executive power; Grew during Cold War conflicts.

Iron Curtain

Division between communist East and democratic West Europe.

Industrial Military Complex

Warning about alliance between military and industry; Eisenhower cautioned against excessive militarization.

McCarthyism

Accusations of communism without evidence; Ruined careers and increased fear.

Covert

Secret CIA operations; Used heavily to fight communism.

United Nations – Big Five Security Council

Postwar peace organization; US used it to support Cold War goals.

National Security Council

Advises president on foreign policy; Central to Cold War planning.

Satellite Nations

Eastern European countries controlled by USSR; Symbol of Soviet expansion.

CIA

US intelligence agency; Led covert operations to stop communism.

NATO

Military alliance against the USSR; Major Cold War institution.

HUAC

Congressional committee investigating communism; Targeted Hollywood and dissent.

Federal Employee Loyalty Program

Tested federal workers for communist ties; Increased domestic suspicion.

Dennis v. United States (1951)

Allowed prosecution of communists; Strengthened government power during Red Scare.

Yates v. United States (1957)

Limited communist prosecution; Distinguished advocacy from action.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

President in the 1950s; Promoted containment, highways, and moderate conservatism.

Betty Friedan

Author of The Feminine Mystique; Sparked second-wave feminism.

Elvis Presley

Cultural icon; Represented youth rebellion and rise of rock ’n’ roll.

Marilyn Monroe

Major cultural figure; Symbol of 1950s entertainment and celebrity culture.

Joseph McCarthy

Senator leading anti-communist witch hunts; Symbol of paranoia and abuse of power.

Emmett Till

Teen killed in 1955; His murder galvanized the Civil Rights Movement.

Rosa Parks

Sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott; Key civil rights figure.

Thurgood Marshall

NAACP lawyer; Won Brown case, later first Black Supreme Court justice.

Orval Faubus

Arkansas governor who resisted Little Rock integration.

Nikita Khrushchev

Soviet leader during height of Cold War; Met Eisenhower and confronted US.

Baby Boom

Massive increase in births after WWII; Shaped American culture and economy.

Levittowns

Suburban housing developments; Symbol of postwar growth and conformity.

White Flight

Whites leaving cities for suburbs; Increased segregation.

Rock ’n’ Roll

New music blending Black and white influences; Shaped youth identity.

McCarthyism/Second Red Scare

Political repression targeting suspected communists.

Checkers Speech (1952)

Nixon defended himself on TV; Showed power of television politics.

Operation Wetback (1954)

Mass deportation of Mexican immigrants; Reflected anti-immigrant policy.

Space Race (1955)

US–USSR competition in space technology.

Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955)

Major civil rights protest; Led to desegregation ruling.

Little Rock Nine (1957)

Black students integrating Central High; Major civil rights battle.

Sputnik (1957)

First satellite launched by USSR; Sparked education reforms and space race pressure.

Kitchen Debate (1959)

Nixon vs. Khrushchev debate; Symbolized Cold War ideology.

U-2 Incident (1960)

US spy plane shot down; Increased US–Soviet tensions.

Woolworth’s Greensboro Sit-In (1960)

Student-led protest; Expanded sit-in movement.

Migration to the Sun Belt

Population shift to South/West; Changed US economy and politics.

Southern Manifesto (1956)

Document opposing Brown; Symbolized Southern resistance.

Jim Crow Laws

State laws enforcing segregation; Target of civil rights activism.

Federal Highway Act (1956)

Built interstate system; Boosted economy and suburbs.

Eisenhower Doctrine (1957)

US pledged to defend Middle East from communism.

National Defense Education Act (1958)

Funded math/science education after Sputnik.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (1958)

Created NASA; Led US space effort.

Nuclear Family

Traditional family structure promoted in the 1950s.

Asch Experiments on Conformity (1951)

Psychology studies showing social conformity; Reflected 1950s culture.

Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD)

Nuclear deterrence strategy between US/USSR.

Nuclear Fear

Widely held fear of atomic war; Shaped culture and policy.

New Look Strategy

Eisenhower’s policy focusing on nukes over conventional forces.

Desegregation in Armed Forces

Truman’s order ending segregation in military (1948).

Sit-in Movement

Nonviolent protests challenging segregation; Spread nationwide.

Television

Rapidly spreading technology; Shaped culture, politics, and advertising.

Redlining

Bank practice denying loans to minorities; Reinforced segregation.

Doll Test

Psychological experiment showing harm of segregation; Influenced Brown.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

MLK-led civil rights group using nonviolence.

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Major youth-led civil rights organization.

NAACP

Civil rights legal organization; Key in Brown and other cases.

Beat Generation (Beats)

Countercultural writers rejecting conformity.

Juvenile Delinquency/Teenage Rebellion

Growing youth culture challenging norms.

Dixiecrats

Southern Democrats opposing civil rights reforms.

Young Women’s Christian Association (YMCA)

Social organization active in community reforms.

White Citizens’ Council (WCC)

White supremacist group resisting integration.

League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)

Civil rights group for Mexican Americans.

Modern Republicanism

Eisenhower’s moderate conservatism mixing business support with social programs.

Mendez v. Westminster (1947)

Ended segregation of Mexican American students in CA schools.

Sweatt v. Painter (1950)

Challenged “separate but equal” in law schools; Precursor to Brown.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Ended school segregation; Major civil rights victory.