APUSH Unit 8 Vocab

Domino Theory

Domino Theory

The idea that if South Vietnam fell to communism then other nearby nations in southeast Asia would also fall. Justification for U.S. involvement.

McCarthyism

The witch hunt for communists led by a fear-mongering senator

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

A military defense pact to protect western Europe which included ten European nations, U.S., and Canada.

Arms Race

Teams of scientists from both the Soviet Union and the U.S. were in engaged in this intense competition to develop superior weapons

Berlin Airlift

The first major crisis of the Cold War happened when in June of 1948 the Soviets cut off all access by land to the German city of Berlin which resulted in this effort by the U.S. government to fly planes filled with supplies to the people of west Berlin.

Kent State

After Nixon sent in forces to bomb Cambodia, it created a wave of anti-war demonstrations at college campuses. At this location four students were killed by National Guard troops. The media coverage ultimately led to the repeal of the Tonkin Gulf Resolution

Camp David Accords

The single greatest achievement of Carter's presidency was the arranging of this framework for peace between Egypt and Israel

March to Montgomery

Civil rights leaders and the SCLC organized this public, peaceful demonstration to help black Americans register to vote but culminated on "Bloody Sunday" which was highly televised and raised more awareness and support for the movement

Eisenhower Doctrine

In 1957, the US pledged to provide economic and military aid to any Middle East country threatened by communism. Used as justification for intervention in Middle East countries too.

Montgomery bus boycott

This mass protest effort in Alabama began when Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat for a white passenger

Great Society

Lyndon B Johnson’s plan to continue and expand upon the New Deal era reforms which included his large agenda item

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT)

US diplomats secured Soviet content to freeze the number of anti ballistic missiles (ABMs). While this agreement did not end the arms race, it was significant step toward reducing the Cold War tensions

baby boom

One sign of post-WWII confidence among young people was the explosion of marriages and births referred to as…

Massive Retaliation

A military doctrine and nuclear strategy in which a country commits itself to retaliate in much greater force in the event of an attack. Though some thought of this as mutual annihilation.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

This legislation made it illegal to segregate in all public places and gave the federal government more power to enforce school desegregation

Warsaw Pact

Nations under the control of a greater power. THe word used to describe the USSR’s relationship with surrounding nations of Poland, Romania, Albania, Hungary, and Chechoslovakia

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

Originally established in 1939 to seek out Nazis, it was activated in the epost-WWII years to find communists. They investigated government officials and other prominent organizations such as Boy Scouts and Hollywood.

Nikita Krushchev

The new leader of the Soviet union who came to power in early 1956 and supported “peaceful coexistence” with the West

New Left

Broad political movement dedicated to activism that promoted liberalism and democracy. Mostly upper.middle class youth movement against closes, racism, violence, materialism, bureaucracy, and War. Students for a Democratic Society promoting the free-speech movement is a prime example of this development.

Flexible Response

After many “brushfire wars” around the world, the Kennedy administration began to rethink their reliance on nuclear weapons. This now foreign policy/ strategy comprised of increasing spending on conventional weapons and reducing nuclear arms

Watergate Scandal

The investigation of President Nixon which resulted in him resigning prior to his impeachment. This event added to the period of malaise and disillusionment within the US

Containment Policy

Early in 1947, Truman adopted this policy to prevent Soviet expansion without starting a war

Little Rock

The location were desegregation hit a boiling point when the local high school refused to allow black students inside. President Eisenhower ordered federal troops to escort the nine students inside

Mao Zedong

This person led the Chinese Communists in a successful civil war to establish the People’s Republic of China.

Pentagon Papers

Further fueling the antiwar sentiments was the publication in the New York Times of this document which consisted of secret government operations and mistakes in vietnam

Voting rights act of 1965

Ended literacy tests and ensured that federal authorities would oversee that blacks were able to rightfully vote in the south

National Security Act (1947)

The US began to modernize its military capability by passing this legislation which created a permanent department of Defense, created the National Security Council to coordinate the making of foreign policy, and the creation of the CIA to gather info on foreign governments

Iron Curtain

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill declared that this had fallen across Europe and was later used to describe the division between the Western Democratic bloc and eastern communist bloc

Marshall Plan

The $17 billion European Recovery Program known by this name was approved in 1948 to begin distributing aid to the countries of western Europe over a four year period. The Soviet Union and its eastern satellites refused to accept it

24th Amendment

The passing of this officially abolished poll taxes, one of the last major barriers to keep African Americans from voting

Truman Doctrine

The foreign policy which began when the president asked Congress in march of 1947 for $400 millinon in economic and miliatry aid to assist the "free people" of Greece and Turkey against "totalitarian" regimes.

Tokin gulf resolution

Stated that the U.S. President can take all necessary measures to prevent further North Vietnam aggression and to defend the U.S. interests in the region. Essentially a "blank check" for war

Levittown

Post-WWII suburbia was made possible with the construction of this. It promoted American values of the nuclear family, segregation and conformity as well.

Cold War

The intense rivalry between the communist Soviet Union and the democratic U.S. which was fought through diplomacy and indirect military action against each other.

Sputnik

In 1957, the Soviet Union shocked the U.S. by launching this into orbit. Suddenly the technological leadership of the U.S. was open to question.

Highway act

This created the interstate highway system with over 42,000 miles of roadway. It created jobs, promoted trucking industry, accelerated the growth of the suburbs, and contributed to a national homogenous culture.