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Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from Unit 7: Cold War, McCarthyism, and Postwar America.
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Cold War
Period of geopolitical tension after World War II between the United States and the Soviet Union (c. 1945–1991).
Containment Strategy
U.S. foreign policy aimed at stopping the spread of Soviet communism worldwide.
Truman Doctrine (1947)
U.S. pledge to provide military and economic aid to nations resisting communism, first applied to Greece and Turkey.
Marshall Plan (1948)
American initiative that sent over $12 billion to rebuild Western Europe and curb Soviet influence.
NSC-68 (1950)
National Security Council document urging a massive peacetime military buildup to confront the USSR.
Berlin Airlift (1948–49)
Allied operation that supplied West Berlin by air after the Soviet Union blocked ground routes.
NATO (1949)
North Atlantic Treaty Organization; a mutual defense alliance of the U.S., Canada, and Western European nations.
Korean War (1950–53)
Conflict in which U.S.-led UN forces fought to defend South Korea from communist North Korean invasion.
Second Red Scare
Late-1940s–1950s period of intense fear of communist infiltration in American life.
McCarthyism
Practice of making unsubstantiated accusations of communist sympathies, named after Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Loyalty-Security Program (EO 9835)
1947 executive order establishing loyalty screenings for federal employees.
HUAC
House Un-American Activities Committee; congressional body investigating alleged subversives.
Wheeling Speech (1950)
McCarthy’s address claiming he had a list of communists in the State Department, sparking hysteria.
Blacklists
Informal lists barring suspected communists from employment, especially in Hollywood.
GI Bill
1944 law giving veterans education benefits and low-interest loans, fueling college attendance and suburban homeownership.
Baby Boom
Surge in U.S. birth rates from 1946 to 1964 following World War II.
Consumerism (1950s)
Culture of mass consumption and buying goods spurred by rising postwar incomes.
Suburbanization
Large-scale movement of Americans to suburban communities, facilitated by GI Bill loans and highway expansion.
Double V Campaign
African American push for victory against fascism abroad and racism at home during and after WWII.
Executive Order 9981 (1948)
Presidential order desegregating the U.S. armed forces.
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Supreme Court ruling declaring racially segregated public schools unconstitutional.
Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-56)
381-day protest in Alabama that ended segregated buses and elevated Martin Luther King Jr.
Sit-ins
Nonviolent protests where activists occupied segregated lunch counters to demand service.
Direct Action
Confrontational but nonviolent tactics (boycotts, marches, sit-ins) used by civil rights activists.
Postwar Prosperity
Era of sustained economic growth and rising living standards in the United States after WWII.
Civil Liberties
Individual freedoms—such as speech and due process—challenged by loyalty programs and anti-communist investigations.