American History WWII & The Cold War Begins 45-50s Unit

Key Concepts: Time, Place, and Space. Related Concepts: Conflict, Ideology, and Perceptive. Global Context: Identities & Relationships

Allied Powers

Alliance of Great Britain, Soviet Union, United States, and France during World War II.

Axis Powers

Alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan

W. Churchill

Brit. prime Minister during WWII; ally of FDR and Stalin (Big 3) "Iron Curtain Speech"; ally during Cold War

Ngo Dinh Diem

American ally in South Vietnam from 1954 to 1963; his repressive regime caused the Communist Viet Cong to thrive in the South and required increasing American military aid to stop a Communist takeover. he was killed in a coup in 1963.

Dwight Eisenhower

United States general who supervised the invasion of Normandy and the defeat of Nazi Germany

Adolf Hitler

Austrian born Dictator of Germany, implement Fascism and caused WWII and Holocoust.

D. MacArthur

WW2 general in the pacific in the philipians and was a major person in the post world war 2 occurrings

Joseph McCarthy

1950s; Wisconsin senator claimed to have list of communists in American gov't, but no credible evidence; took advantage of fears of communism post WWII to become incredibly influential; "McCarthyism" was the fearful accusation of any dissenters of being communists

Ho Chi Minh

Communist leader of North Vietnam

Benito Mussolini

Fascist Dictator of Italy that at first used bullying to gain power, then never had full power.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

President of the US during Great Depression and World War II

Julius & Ethel Rosenberg

Arrested in the Summer of 1950 and executed in 1953, they were convicted of conspiring to commit espionage by passing plans for the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union.

Joseph Stalin

Bolshevik revolutionary, head of the Soviet Communists after 1924, and dictator of the Soviet Union from 1928 to 1953. He led the Soviet Union with an iron fist, using Five-Year Plans to increase industrial production and terror to crush opposition

The "Big Three"

allies during WWII; Soviet Union - Stalin, United Kingdom - Churchill, United States - Roosevelt

Harry S. Truman

Became president when FDR died; gave the order to drop the atomic bomb

Appeasement

Accepting demands in order to avoid conflict

Atlantic Charter

1941-Pledge signed by US president FDR and British prime minister Winston Churchill not to acquire new territory as a result of WWII amd to work for peace after the war

Baby Boom

A cohort of individuals born in the United States between 1946 and 1964, which was just after World War II in a time of relative peace and prosperity. These conditions allowed for better education and job opportunities, encouraging high rates of both marriage and fertility.

Berlin Airlift

airlift in 1948 that supplied food and fuel to citizens of west Berlin when the Russians closed off land access to Berlin

Bracero Program

Plan that brought laborers from Mexico to work on American farms

Brown vs. Board of Education

1954- court decision that declared state laws segregating schools to be unconstitutional. Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Cash & Carry

policy adopted by the United States in 1939 to preserve neutrality while aiding the Allies. Britain and France could buy goods from the United States if they paid in full and transported them.

Cold War

A conflict that was between the US and the Soviet Union. The nations never directly confronted each other on the battlefield but deadly threats went on for years.

Conformity

Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

Containment

American policy of resisting further expansion of communism around the world

CORE

civil rights organization founded in 1942 that played a pivotal role in the fight against racial segregation and inequality.

What does CORE stand for?

Congress of Racial Equality

D-Day

Allied invasion of France on June 6, 1944

Double V

emerged from the contradiction faced by African Americans who fought for freedom overseas while experiencing discrimination and inequality at home.

Dynamic Conservatism

Eisenhower's philosophy of being liberal in all things human and being conservative with all things fiscal. Appealed to both Republicans and Democrats.

Modern Republicanism

President Eisenhower's views. Claiming he was liberal toward people but conservative about spending money, he helped balance the federal budget and lower taxes without destroying existing social programs.

Eisenhower Doctrine

Policy of the US that it would defend the Middle East against attack by any Communist country

equality

the property of distributing economic prosperity uniformly among the members of society

Executive Order 8802

prohibited discriminatory employment practices by fed agencies and all unions and companies engaged in war related work

Executive Order 9066

112,000 Japanese-Americans forced into camps causing loss of homes and businesses

Executive Order 9981

Establishes equality of treatment and opportunity in the Armed Services for people of all race, religions, or national origins

Fair Deal

An economic extension of the New Deal called for higher minimum wage, housing and full employment.

Housing Act of 1949

Act passed by Congress that's goal was to provide a decent home for every family in America, funded by public housing and urban renewal programs. Ended up making things worse

Social Security Act of 1950

increased Social Security benefits to more Americans by expanding coverage for retirement

GI Bill

help returning veterans buy homes and pay for higher educations

Fair Employment Practices Commission

aimed to combat discrimination in employment based on race, color, creed, or national origin in defense industries and federal agencies during World War II

Good Neighbor Policy

promoting better relations w/Latin America by using economic influence rater than military force in the region

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Two Japanese cities on which the U.S. dropped the atomic bombs to end World War II.

Holocaust

A methodical plan orchestrated by Hitler to ensure German supremacy. It called for the elimination of Jews, non-conformists, homosexuals, non-Aryans, and mentally and physically disabled.

House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC)

created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloyalty and subversive activities on the part of private citizens, public employees, and those organizations suspected of having Communist ties

Iron Curtain

a "curtain" split between the democratic nations and communist nations (Soviets Control over Western Countries)

Korean War

The conflict between Communist North Korea and Non-Communist South Korea. The United Nations (led by the United States) helped South Korea.

Lend Lease

allows America to sell, lend, or lease arms or other war supplies to any nation considered "vital to the defense of the U.S."

Manhattan Project

secret U.S. project for the construction of the atomic bomb.

Marshall Plan

A United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe (1948-1952)

McCarthyism

The act of accusing people of disloyalty and communism

Model Minority

the stereotype applied to a minority group that is seen as reaching higher educational, professional, and socioeconomic levels without protest against the majority establishment

NATO

alliance made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country; US, England, France, Canada, Western European countries

What does NATO stand for?

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Neutrality in WWII/Neutrality Acts

Laws passed to keep the US out of foreign conflicts by prohibiting arms sales and loans to belligerent nations.

NSC-68

it called for an increase in the US conventional and nuclear forces to carry out the policy of containment

What does NSC stand for?

National Security Council

Nuremberg Trials

Trials of the Nazi leaders, showed that people are responsible for their actions, even in wartime

Organization of American States

Formed in 1948 to promote democracy, economic cooperation, & human rights; Members pledged not to interfere with one another; The US often dominated this organization

OPEC

An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the production and sale of petroleum.

What does OPEC stand for?

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

Pearl Harbor

US military base in Hawaii bombed by Japan, bringing the United States into World War II

Policy of Boldness

A foreign policy promoted by Secretary of State Dulles that condemned 'containment' of communism.

Point Four

Truman's bold new program to lend money and technical aid to under developed countries so that they would not succumb to communism

Potsdam Conference

The final wartime meeting of the leaders of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union.

Red Lining

A process by which banks draw lines on a map and refuse to lend money or purchase or improve property within the boundries.

Rosie the Riveter

A propaganda character designed to increase production of female workers in the factories. It became a rallying symbol for women to do their part.

SAC

An airfleet of bombers armed with nuclear bombs

What does SAC stand for?

Strategic Air Command

Seventeenth Parallel

-Divide between North Vietnam and South Vietnam as decided by a conference

Sputnik

The first artificial Earth satellite.

Thirty-Eighth Parallel

line dividing Korea into two sections

'To Secure These Rights'

A report by the President's Committee on Civil Rights.

Total War

A war involving the complete mobilization of resources and people.

Truman Doctrine

providing economic and military aid to any country threatened by communism or totalitarian ideology

Tuskegee Airmen

African American squadron that escorted bombers in the air war over Europe during World War II

U-2 Incident

The incident when an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union.

United Nations

An international organization formed after WWII to promote international peace, security, and cooperation.

War Production Board

Converted factories from civilian to military production

Warsaw Pact

An alliance between the Soviet Union and other Eastern European nations.

White Collar

salaried professional or an educated worker typically business

blue collar

refers to manual labor workers, often in industrial or trade jobs, typically paid hourly wages.

pink collar

refers to workers in jobs traditionally associated with women, such as clerical and service positions, typically involving lower salaries.

White Flight

working and middle-class white people moving away from racial-minority suburbs or inner-city neighborhoods.

Yalta Conference

A meeting held between the leaders of the US, UK, and the Soviet Union to discuss post-war reorganization and plans for Europe.

Zoot Suit Riots

A series of riots in Los Angeles during World War II.