Unit 8: The Cold War (1945-1980)

Mutually Assured Destruction

why the United States and the Soviet Union never attacked each other during the Cold War; both possessed enough nuclear weapons to destroy the entire population of the world

Arms Race

competition between nations to develop the largest supply of weapons; goal to intimidate the other side

Space Race

a Cold War competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to achieve technological superiority in space exploration, including artificial satellites, unmanned space probes, and human spaceflight; Sputnik, first space satellite to USSR, Laika the Space Dog; United States has first landing on moon

NATO and Warsaw Pact

alliances that the USSR and United States led; NATO was United States; Warsaw Pact USSR

proxy wars

a conflict between two nations where neither country directly attacks the other; United States and Soviet Union supported opposing sides of civil in countries around the world

origins of the Cold War

distrust growing between the United States and the Soviet Union; Soviet Union held elections in the Eastern European countries it occupied and manipulated the results to put communist dictators in power; Berlin Wall; Berlin Airlift

Iron Curtain

a political metaphor, popularized by Winston Churchill, that describes the division of Europe after World War II, primarily between the Soviet-influenced Eastern bloc and the Western democracies

Berlin Airlift

a major Cold War event where the United States and its allies responded to a Soviet blockade of West Berlin in 1948-1949 by airlifting supplies to the city

Berlin Wall

a fortified barrier constructed by the Communist government of East Germany (German Democratic Republic, GDR) in 1961 to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin

containment

the idea that Soviet expansion needed to be carefully contained to make sure the Soviet Union didn’t get too powerful

Truman Doctrine

Truman asks Congress to aid groups fighting against communism in their own nations

Marshall Plan

lends $12 billion to Western Europe, helping countries recover economically

Communist China

led by Mao Zedong; worried the United States because there was now a second major communist country

Second Red Scare

panics about communism led to the rise of Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee; accusations of communism, people jailed, government officials fired, loyalty oaths, convictions of spies

Smith Act

made it illegal to advocate for or organize groups that advocated for the violent overthrow of the U.S. government; targeted leaders of the Socialist Workers Party and the American Communist Party

Truman’s domestic policy

tried and failed to enact national health insurance, higher minimum wage, government commitment to maintaining full employment; ended segregation in the United States military

Taft-Hartley Act

a US federal law that significantly limited the power of labor unions

Fair Deal

Truman tries again to pass a set of liberal reforms; national health insurance, federal funding for school system, increased minimum wage, construction of affordable public housing, civil rights legislation, more inclusion in social security; most were not approved

post-war boom

rationing had forced to save during war time, and now they had lots of money saved up to spend, stimulating the economy; unions still weak so wages were low still

growth of the Sunbelt

people moved South and West in search of lower taxes, better weather, and jobs in defense industries; shift in political power

GI Bill

the government would pay veterans college tuition and give them low-interest loans to buy homes and start businesses; led to increases in college attendance and massive growth of suburbs

Baby Boom

the economic stability led people to have more children; birthrate in the United States soared

White Flight

white families move out to the suburbs; demand for housing in cities goes down, leading to value of housing, lower property tax revenue, lack of funding for public utilities and spaces, lack of resources

The Korean War

fighting broke out between communist North Korea and capitalist South Korea

Dwight D. Eisenhower

considered a moderate Republican; accepted New Deal programs and supported increase in minimum wage and building of public housing; did not support national health care or federal financial support for higher education

Interstate Highway Act

funds construction of 40,000 miles of highways; project creates jobs and fuels suburbanization but contributes to environmental pollution and lack of funding to public transportation

National Defense in Education Act

provided funding for schools and low-interest loans for students to attend college and study math, science, and foreign language; made in response to Soviets winning space race

Eisenhower Deportations

the government deported hundreds of thousands of Mexican-American immigrants; many were citizens who had contributed to the World War II war effort

The Lavender Scare

the persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly gay men and lesbians, in the federal government during the post-World War II and Cold War era

decolonization after World War II

the Soviet Union and the United States sensed opportunities to convert new countries to capitalism or communism

The CIA

made in order to push countries towards capitalism; led by John Foster Dulles to conduct espionage

Eisenhower Doctrine

United States promised money to any country in the Middle East that agreed to resist communist influence

The Guatemalan Coup D’État

a CIA-backed coup that overthrew the democratically elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz in June 1954; instructions on how to assassinate someone

Levittown

the first truly mass-produced suburb

rock n’ roll

developed from blues and country music; promoted ideas of rebelliousness, sexuality, and resistance to conformity; brought together black and white musicians and audiences; brought music invented by black people into mainstream white society

Mendez v. Westminster

decision by California State Supreme Court outlawing segregation in California public schools

Brown v. Board of Education

legal challenge filed by the NAACP against school segregation; unanimous decision to outlaw school segregation

Thurgood Marshall

key figure in the fight to end racial segregation and was the lead attorney in the landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education; first African American to serve on the Supreme Court

Little Rock NIne

nine African American students who desegregated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957; national guard initially blocked their entry but President Eisenhower ordered federal troops to escort them into the school

Emmett Till

a symbol of the brutal racism and injustice faced by African Americans in the Jim Crow South, particularly during the Civil Rights Movement; brutally murdered for no reason at all and murderers acquitted despite evidence; sparked activism

Montgomery Bus Boycott

a civil rights protest in 1955-56 where African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama refused to ride city buses to protest segregated seating

Eisenhower’s Farewell Warning

left office fearing that the United States was falling into the trap of the military-industrial complex; weapon manufacturers are gaining too much power and pushing the United States to support violence to make a profit; military budget growing

John F. Kennedy

the first Catholic president, youngest in history, extremely popular; administration called “Camelot”

Kennedy’s “New Frontier”

increase the government’s support for education, health care, and civil rights; promise to land on moon

Equal Pay Act

prohibits wage discrimination based on race or sex

Executive Order 10925

prohibits federal contractors from racial discrimination in hiring

Kennedy’s foreign policy

Peace Corps; promised continued support for capitalist West Berlin

Peace Corps

an organization that sent young American volunteers to provide “technical aid” to communities in developing countries

Domino Theory

if one country falls to communism in Southeast Asia, the rest will too; enables Kennedy to send military aid to South Vietnam and thousands of troops to serve as “military advisers”

The Bay of Pigs

fearful of communist Cuba; CIA and the Kennedy administration planned to train a group of Cuban exiles and drop them off at the Bay of Bigs in Cuba to start a revolution against Fidel Castro’s regime

The Cuban Missile Crisis

a 1962 confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, when the Soviets secretly placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, 90 miles from the US

the Kennedy assassination

Kennedy is shot in Dallas Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald; no connections found to larger group; watershed moment

goals of Civil Rights Movements

end Jim Crow segregation, restore voting rights for people of color, end employment and educational discrimination, end police brutality and violence against black people, increase economic opportunity and end poverty, fight discrimination and stereotyping

The March on Washington

a large-scale peaceful demonstration held in Washington, D.C., primarily advocating for civil and economic rights for African Americans; “I Have a Dream”

Selma to Montgomery marches

a series of three protest marches held in 1965 from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, the state capital, to advocate for African American voting rights

Loving v. Virginia

legalized interracial marriage

Freedom Summer

the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee worked to register thousands of black voters in the South

student sit-ins

a form of nonviolent protest, primarily during the civil rights movement, where students, often college students, would sit at segregated lunch counters and refuse to leave when denied service, thereby disrupting the status quo

Civil Rights Act

outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; dismantled Jim Crow segregation

Voting Rights Act

outlawed discriminatory practices in the voting booth, particularly in the Southern states; targeted literary tests and poll taxes

Fair Housing Act

a federal law that prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, sex, familial status, and disability

nonviolence supporters in the Civil Rights Movement

led by people like Martin Luther King Jr., Ella Baker, and Fannie Lou Hamer; groups like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; advocated only for nonviolent civil disobedience

“radicals” in the Civil Rights Movement

Malcolm X and the Black Panther Party; did not advocate for starting violence, but argued that self-defense was acceptable if attacked

The Black Panther Party

a revolutionary, militant Black Power organization founded in 1966, advocating for Black self-determination, community empowerment, and social justice

The Johnson Treatment

Lyndon B. Johnson's forceful and persuasive political style, often described as a combination of charm, intimidation, and emotional manipulation

Anti-Poverty and Great Society

anti-poverty Office of Economic Opportunity had a billion dollars to eliminate poverty entirely; free preschool for low-income families, job training programs, literacy programs, Community Action Program so people could run anti-poverty programs locally; funding for public transit, fund construction of public housing, rent subsidies, environmental regulation

Rachel Carson

a marine biologist and author known from her book “Silent Spring,” which sparked the modern environmental movement

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

a congressional authorization passed in 1964 allowing President Lyndon B. Johnson to take military action in Vietnam without a formal declaration of war; stemmed from alleged attack on a United States ship in the Gulf of Tonkin

Hawks vs. Doves

the conflict between “Hawks” who supported the war and the “Doves” who thought the war was unethical

Tet Offensive

a coordinated series of surprise attacks launched by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) against South Vietnam, including major cities and military installations, in January 1968

Anti-Vietnam War Movement

a widespread campaign in the United States, primarily led by students and young people, that opposed the country's involvement in the Vietnam War

1960s student movement

a period of significant political activism and social change, primarily fueled by college students who protested against issues like the Vietnam War, racism, and the perceived shortcomings of American society; demanding freedom of speech on college campuses, freedom of student political activity, end to university alcohol bans, more voice in university decision-making, end to Vietnam War

New Left

a political and social movement that emerged in the 1960s, advocating for civil rights, social justice, and anti-war sentiments

counterculture

a social and cultural movement, primarily in the 1960s and early 1970s, that challenged traditional norms and values, especially those related to consumerism, social structures, and the Vietnam War; ie. hippies

Martin Luther King Jr. assassination

in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was shot and killed while standing on the balcony of his hotel room; led to widespread unrest in Civil Rights Movement

assassination of Robert F. Kennedy

shot on June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California primary; acted out of his pro-Israel stance

goals of Women’s Liberation Movement

end discrimination against women in colleges, graduate schools, workplaces, and government; end sexism in religious institutions; more professional opportunities and equal pay for equal work; end to sexual assault, sexual harassment, and rape; better working conditions and healthcare for women; access to abortion and birth control; increased access to affordable child care

consciousness raising groups

a key tactic used by feminists in the Women's Liberation Movement to raise awareness of women's oppression and promote feminist consciousness

The Jane Collective

provided abortions in secret in defiance of state laws banning the right to abortion

Griswold v. Connecticut

important Supreme Court case that clarified that it was illegal to ban married couples from using contraception

Roe v. Wade

court case that legalized abortions for the first time since the 1800s

Title IX

bans discrimination in any education program receiving federal funds

Chicano Movement

Mexican-American activists fought for fair working conditions and pay, end to educational and employment discrimination, end to police brutality, increased economic opportunity, end to disproportionate drafting to fight in Vietnam

American Indian Movement

Native American groups nationwide begin organizing en masse; Occupation of Alcatraz and Occupation of Wounded Knee

Indian Self Determination Act

gave tribes more power over education, law enforcement, and other internal programs on reservations

Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act

provided grants to community colleges on reservations

Asian American Movement

primarily led by young people on West coast; wanted end to Vietnam War, promoting cultural pride, end evictions of elderly people who didn’t speak English, stopping racism in institutions

Gay Liberation Movement

sparked by infamous police raid on Stonewall Inn, leading to Stonewall riots; challenged with court cases and legislation; wanted homosexuality to not be classified as a mental illness

Environmental Movement

Clear Air Act, creation of Environmental Protection Agency, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act

backlash against counterculture

many socially conservative groups of Americans viewed hippies as lazy and unpatriotic, and thought the women’s liberation movement was undermining American traditions

Phyllis Schlafly

led the STOP ERA Campaign to stop the Equal Rights Amendment, and the ERA was never ratified

Equal Rights Amendment

equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex; never ratified

rise of evangelical Christianity

major resurgence of conservative evangelical Christianity because of Roe v. Wade, Jerry Falwell, Soviet anti-religion, reaction against changing gender roles

perceived failure of Great Society

economy began to falter and people turned against the Great Society; economists and politicians began to say the government should not be involved in the economy

stagflastion

economic stagnation and inflation

perceived weakness of United States foreign policy

loss of Vietnam War, Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1980s, etc.; wanted “peace through strength”

Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg

required school districts to integrate schools by busing children across cities

dog-whistle politics

the use of coded or suggestive language in political messaging to garner support from a particular group without provoking opposition

Vietnamization

the United States policy, initiated by President Richard Nixon, aimed at gradually withdrawing American troops from the Vietnam War while simultaneously equipping, training, and increasing the combat role of the South Vietnamese military; but he also invaded bases and conducted bombing raids

Nixon Doctrine

in the future, the United States would support anti-communist allies in Asia with money, but not with troops