Unit 7 Cold War, McCarthyism, and Postwar America

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Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from Unit 7: Cold War, McCarthyism, and Postwar America.

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26 Terms

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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).

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Containment Strategy

U.S. foreign policy aimed at stopping the spread of Soviet communism worldwide.

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Truman Doctrine (1947)

U.S. pledge to provide military and economic aid to nations resisting communism, first applied to Greece and Turkey.

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Marshall Plan (1948)

American initiative that sent over $12 billion to rebuild Western Europe and curb Soviet influence.

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NSC-68 (1950)

National Security Council document urging a massive peacetime military buildup to confront the USSR.

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Berlin Airlift (1948–49)

Allied operation that supplied West Berlin by air after the Soviet Union blocked ground routes.

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NATO (1949)

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; a mutual defense alliance of the U.S., Canada, and Western European nations.

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Korean War (1950–53)

Conflict in which U.S.-led UN forces fought to defend South Korea from communist North Korean invasion.

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Second Red Scare

Late-1940s–1950s period of intense fear of communist infiltration in American life.

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McCarthyism

Practice of making unsubstantiated accusations of communist sympathies, named after Senator Joseph McCarthy.

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Loyalty-Security Program (EO 9835)

1947 executive order establishing loyalty screenings for federal employees.

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HUAC

House Un-American Activities Committee; congressional body investigating alleged subversives.

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Wheeling Speech (1950)

McCarthy’s address claiming he had a list of communists in the State Department, sparking hysteria.

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Blacklists

Informal lists barring suspected communists from employment, especially in Hollywood.

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GI Bill

1944 law giving veterans education benefits and low-interest loans, fueling college attendance and suburban homeownership.

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Baby Boom

Surge in U.S. birth rates from 1946 to 1964 following World War II.

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Consumerism (1950s)

Culture of mass consumption and buying goods spurred by rising postwar incomes.

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Suburbanization

Large-scale movement of Americans to suburban communities, facilitated by GI Bill loans and highway expansion.

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Double V Campaign

African American push for victory against fascism abroad and racism at home during and after WWII.

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Executive Order 9981 (1948)

Presidential order desegregating the U.S. armed forces.

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Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Supreme Court ruling declaring racially segregated public schools unconstitutional.

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Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-56)

381-day protest in Alabama that ended segregated buses and elevated Martin Luther King Jr.

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Sit-ins

Nonviolent protests where activists occupied segregated lunch counters to demand service.

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Direct Action

Confrontational but nonviolent tactics (boycotts, marches, sit-ins) used by civil rights activists.

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Postwar Prosperity

Era of sustained economic growth and rising living standards in the United States after WWII.

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Civil Liberties

Individual freedoms—such as speech and due process—challenged by loyalty programs and anti-communist investigations.