The Great Depression, WWII, Cold War, Civil Rights and the Americas Flashcards

Flashcards for key vocabulary from lecture notes on the Great Depression, WWII, the Cold War, Civil Rights movements and the Americas (1929-1981)

Overproduction

• great depression and the americas

A cause of the Great Depression; agriculture and industry produced more than markets could absorb.

Stock Market Crash (1929)

• great depression and the americas

A trigger of the Great Depression, leading to financial panic and loss of investor confidence.

Smoot-Hawley Tariff

• 1930

• great depression and the americas

U.S. tariffs that led to retaliation and global trade shrinkage during the Great Depression.

New Deal

• 1933-1938

• great depression and the americas

FDR's program to combat the Great Depression through relief, recovery, and reform.

• aimed to provide relief for the unemployed, promote economic recovery, and reform the financial system to prevent future depressions.

FERA

• great depression and the americas

• relief

Federal Emergency Relief Administration; provided federal relief for the unemployed and poor during the New Deal.

NIRA

• great depression and the americas

• recovery

National Industrial Recovery Act; encouraged fair competition codes and supported labor rights during the New Deal but was struck down by the Supreme Court.

Social Security Act

• great depression and the americas

• reform

A part of FDR's Second New Deal that provided pensions for the elderly, aid to the disabled, and unemployment insurance.

R. B. Bennett

• great depression and the americas

Prime Minister of Canada during the Great Depression; introduced mild reforms but was criticized for a limited response.

Mackenzie King

• great depression and the americas

• prime minister of canada during world war two

Returned to power in Canada in 1935

• introduced the Unemployment Insurance Act in 1935.

Getúlio Vargas

• great depression and the americas

1930: Seized power in Brazil through a coup

• promoted state-led industrialization and established the authoritarian Estado Novo in 1937.

ISI

• great depression and the americas

• Import Substitution Industrialization

• a strategy used by Latin American countries to reduce dependence on foreign markets.

Keynesian Economics

• great depression and the americas

Favored state intervention as means to moderate economic effects of recessions and depressions

Estado Novo

• great depression and the americas

1937 authoritarian regime in Brazil emphasizing national unity and development

• led by Getúlio Vargas

Neutrality Acts (1930s)

• ww2 and the americas

laws adopted by the USA to avoid involvement in WWII

• prohibited the export of arms and ammo to countries involved in the war

IMPACT:

• reflected strong isolationist sentiments among the American public

Lend-Lease Act (1941)

• ww2 and the americas

The act used to shif the USA to support the Allies.

• It provided military aid, including supplies and equipment, to Allied nations during World War II.

IMPACT:

• enabled massive amounts of aid to be sent to allied countries

• boosted Americas industry

Bracero Program (1942)

• ww2 and the americas

• allowed millions of Mexicans to temporarily work in the US under short term labor contracts

IMPACT:

• social: exploitative labor practices, poor working condition, displacement of domestic workers

• economic: provided source of income for Mexican workers and supported us agriculture during and after the war

Cold War

A conflict between the US and the USSR from 1945-1981

• characterized by

  • nuclear arms race

  • space race

  • cuban missile crisis

  • berlin blockade

Truman Doctrine

• cold war and the americas

• 1947

An American foreign policy created to counter Soviet geopolitical expansion during the Cold War.

• committed US to support greece and turkey with economic and military aid to prevent them from falling into soviet sphere of influence

IMPACT:

• symbolized a shift in American foreign policy away from isolationism towards active intervention

Marshall Plan

• 1948

• cold war and the americas

A U.S. program providing aid to Western Europe following the devastation of World War II.

• primary aim was to stop the spread of communism by allieviating hardships and fostering political stability

• successfully stimulated economic recovery in Europe, strengthened ties between US and western europe

NATO

• cold war and the americas

North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a military alliance created by the US in 1949

OAS

• cold war and the americas

Organization of American States; a regional alliance with anti-communist aims founded in 1948.

• included north south and central america

Jacobo Arbenz

• cold war and the americas

The democratically elected president of Guatemala who was ousted in a CIA-backed coup in 1954 due to land reform targeting the United Fruit Company.

• progressive reforms aimed to reduce social inequality and modernize the country

  • clashed with united states interests leading to a cia-backed coup in 1954

Fidel Castro

• cold war and the americas

The leader of the Cuban Revolution in 1959; established a communist state and aligned with the USSR.

Salvador Allende

• cold war and the americas

The socialist president of Chile elected in 1970; ousted in a military coup led by Pinochet with CIA support in 1973.

Pinochet

• cold war and the americas

The military dictator who led the coup in Chile in 1973 with CIA support; established a brutal dictatorship.

NORAD

• cold war and the americas

North American Aerospace Defense Command; symbolizes strong military cooperation between Canada and the U.S. during the Cold War.

Orthodox Perspective

• cold war and the americas

Argues that the USSR was at fault for aggression, resulting in the Cold War

Revisionist Perspective

• cold war and the americas

Argues that the U.S. imperialism provoked Cold War

Post-revisionist Perspective

• cold war and the americas

Argues that misperceptions and mutual distrust caused tension during the Cold War

Civil Rights Act (1964)

• civil rights and the americas

A landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Voting Rights Act (1965)

• civil rights and the americas

A landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting.

cuban revolution

• 1953-1959

• cold war and the americas

Armed revolt led by Fidel Castro against the authoritarian government of Batista resulting in the establishment of a socialist state in Cuba.

cuban missile crisis

• 13 day standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union in October 1962 over Soviet ballistic missiles deployed in Cuba.

TIMELINE:

• U.S. discovery of missile sites via U-2 spy planes.

• President Kennedy's demand for missile removal and naval blockade.

• Negotiations leading to the Soviet Union's agreement to remove missiles from Cuba.

• A secret agreement for the U.S. to remove missiles from Turkey and Italy.

• Averted nuclear war and establishment of a direct hotline between the U.S

IMPACT:

• led to a period of cooperation and relaxed tensions (detente)

castro key policies and events

1. cuban revolution

2. establishment of communist state

3. bay of pigs invasion

4. cuban missile crisis

SOCIAL REFORMS:

• inplemented widespread social programs focused on education, healthcare and housing

  • improved literacy rates and healthcare access for many cubans

• Political repression: silenced dissent and opposition, led to human rights concerns and outflow of refugees