Cold War
A conflict between two belligerents, specifically the US and the Soviet Union, in which neither engages in open warfare with the other. It was a battle of ideologies rather than weapons.
Communism
Ideology pushed by the Soviet Union
Capitalism
Ideology pushed by the United States
Post WWII Germany
Russia wanted to keep this nation weak in order to extract reparations, while the U.S. wanted it to be strong for the sake of Europe.
Iron Curtain
The metaphorical division between the US’s allies in western Europe and the Soviets allies in eastern Europe. This was a large part in the push of containment.
Containment
Term referring to the stopping of the spread of communism.
Truman Doctrine
Offers support to any country that became threatened by soviet communism, particularly Turkey and Greece
Marshall Plan
13 Billion dollars of U.S. money for European countries to rebuild with the idea that if nations had a strong economy they would opt for capitalism over communism
Berlin Blockade
Soviets block United States entry to Berlin. It was split in 4 sections but the city was in Soviet territory.
Berlin Airlift
200,000 U.S. and allied flights of supplies were sent to Berlin, preventing Soviets from taking over the city
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization, it was an alliance formed to combat any soviet aggression
Warsaw Pact
Allied force for communist nations of Europe
Nuclear Proliferation
Arms Race between U.S. and Soviet Union. The U.S. atomic bomb arrived in 1945 and the Soviet Union atomic in 1949. Truman ordered the creation of the Hydrogen bomb in 1952, with the Soviet Union Hydrogen bomb one year later. Both sides realized that these could not be used because the result would be mutual assured destruction
Proxy Wars
Wars that occurred as a result of the Cold War, most notably the Vietnam War and Korean War
Korean War
A Proxy War that was a direct result of Truman’s Containment Policy. Korea was taken from Japan and divided at the 38th parallel after WWII. The Soviets took the North, while the U.S. took the South. North Korea invaded South Korea using Soviet munitions, but MacArthur and American troops pushed back North Korea almost to the Southern border of China. China sent troops to repel Americans back below 18th parallel
38th Parallel
The line that divided Korea into North/South Korea after WWII.
Red Scare
A fear of and effort to root out Communism on the home front
Taft Hartley Act 1947
Pushed loyalty pledges of Labor Unions
Hollywood Ten
10 directors singled out as communist, and subsequently refused to appear before congress, which resulted in jail time and blacklisting from the industry
Joseph McCarthy
This man claimed to have the names of 205 communist that infiltrated the state department, which increased feeling during the Red Scare
McCarthyism
The act of publicizing accusations without sufficient evidence
Rosenberg Case
Belief that Soviet Union could not have developed atomic weapons without stealing plans from the U.S, which led to the execution of many supposed spies, such as Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were indicted for being Soviet spies and both were executed via electric chair. Julius was later proven to be a Soviet spy.
Causes of Economic Boom post 1945
Caused by increased productivity, the interstate highway act, the GI Bill, the Baby Boom, and the mass production of suburbs.
GI Bill
Granted free college and low interest loans for housing to those who served in the army.
Baby Boom
During this period, many people had multiple children. This occurrence was named this afterwards. New families led to increased demand for housing construction. Combined with the automobile, suburbs popped up
Suburbs
New ones of these appeared due to many new families from the Baby Boom. These were constructed with spec houses, which were mass produced and sold as they were finished.
Migration during the 1950s
This action was much easier due to the Interstate Highway Act. Many moved to the sun belt to avoid icy winters. Tax dollars devoted to the arms race led to many economic opportunities in the Sun Belt
Interstate Highway Act
Act that allowed the creation of interstate highways. This led the way for high migration rates during the 1950s.
Sun Belt Migration
Many people migrated to this region in order to avoid icy winters.
Television
90% of households now had one of these, meaning it was now a platform for consumption of mass culture. Aired suburban sitcoms (Leave it to beaver, Father knows best) and promoted the “Ideal American family” (working father, housewife, obedient children)
Advertising
This appealed to consumers emotion and need for societal justification, such as “Keeping up with the Jones” (Matching the purchases/achievements of your neighbors/others around you)
Credit Cards
This “solved” the problem of consumer culture, as people could buy more than they could afford and pay it off over time
Rock’n Roll Movement
Appealed to a younger generation, pushed by those such as Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley.
Beatniks
Group of poets that rebelled against conformity of the age, including Jack Kerouac and J.D. Salinger (Author of the Catcher in the Rye). They both called for spontaneity and truthful living
Executive Order 9981
Banned segregation in the U.S. armed forces
Committee on Civil Rights
Tasked with examining the real conditions of civil rights in America and to give recommendations on how to address it
24th Amendment
abolished the poll tax in 1962
Brown v Board of Education
Argument of Oliver Brown was that segregation of schools violated the 14th amendment granting all citizens equal protection under the law. It resulted in the Supreme court overturning Plessy vs. Ferguson unanimously arguing that separate WAS NOT equal
Southern Manifesto
Argued that supreme court ruled in a gross misuse of power in this decision, leading to some southern schools shutting down instead of integrating
Orval Faubus
Governor of Arkansas that ordered the state national guard to prevent black students from entering a Little Rock school
Little Rock Nine
Nine students who Eisenhower sent federal troops to protect as they entered school.
Decolonization
European nations and the United States began to limit colonization, which created a frenzy for the United States and Soviet Union in the Capitalism vs. Communism race with the abundance of newly independent nations
Fidel Castro
A communist who overthrew the government and rose to power in Cuba
Bay of Pigs
Plan that Eisenhower started and Kennedy carried out. It armed and trained Cuban rebels who were against Castro’s regime. Massive failure created higher tensions and Cuba’s alliance to the Soviet Union
Cuban Missile Crisis
Stockpiling nuclear weapons by the Soviets in Cuba. Nuclear weapons launched from Russia are not as big a deal as Cuba’s close proximity. We were doing the same in Turkey. Negotiations led to both sides backing up
Vietnam
North Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh was communist, Southern Vietnam remained democratic. Very similar to the Korean conflict. Under Eisenhower over a billion dollars of economic aid was given to south vietnam
Domino Theory
Theory stating that if Vietnam became Democratic Capitalist it would knock over all surrounding nations would follow and vice versa
Military Industrial Complex
Economic Boom was closely related to military industry and Eisenhower was afraid that policy decisions would be made on Military intervention to stabilize the economy.
John F. Kennedy
Agreed with Domino Theory and sent 16,000 “military advisors” into South Vietnam to combat Northern aggression. After his assassination, Lyndon B. Johnson took over.
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
North Vietnamese fired on a U.S. battleship in the Gulf of Tonkin, and Johnson used this for military intervention
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Blank check to the president to use whatever powers necessary to protect American interests. This was NOT A DECLARATION OF WAR
Vietnam War
The executive branch had conducted military operations overseas without Congressional approval. “Military advisors” mobilized and North Vietnam sent 40,000 troops to fight South Vietnam. It was the nation's first televised war. Johnson painted a rosy picture of what was going on while reporters on the ground sent footage of the atrocities occurring to American troops, leading to Vietnam being violently protested along with the raging civil rights movement
Step by step escalation
Belief that because the North Vietnamese were primitive, Johnson applied this and continued sending more and more troops. By 1965 U.S. had 200,000 troops, two years later that number doubled
Credibility Gap
Belief that Johnson was lying to Americans about the progress of the War
Tet Offensive
Massive surprise attack carried out by the North Vietnamese and inflicted heavy casualties. The U.S. countered and inflicted heavier losses on the Vietcong. Johnson requested 200,000 more troops and was denied so he ended escalation in Vietnam
Richard Nixon
Elected on promise to reduce U.S. involvement in Vietnam without looking like we conceded defeat
Vietnamization
The pulling out of U.S. troops while still sending financial aid to South Vietnam. This effectively ended Vietnam War
Lyndon Johnson
Supported the Escalation of Vietnam War
Great Society
Programs that were supposed to correct the societal ills in the U.S., was an extension of FDR’s New Deal. These included the Office of Economic Opportunity, the Medicare Program, the Medicaid Program, and the Abolition of Immigration Quotas.
Warren Court
A period of time in which Earl Warren served as Chief Justice, it was one of the most liberal courts in US history. Notable court cases included Gideon vs. Wainwright 1963 (court appointed attorneys), Griswold vs Connecticut 1965 (made forbidden birth control unconstitutional), Engel vs Vitale 1962 (made school prayer unconstitutional), and Baker vs Carr 1962 (allowed redrawing of legislative zones to reflect population density).
Montgomery Bus Boycott 1955
Many protested the segregation of public transport by the Alabama State Law. This lasted for a year and put intense financial pressure on the transportation department. It led to the end of the policy of black passengers yielding their seats.
Rosa Parks
Woman who refused to give her bus seat to a white passenger, and was subsequently arrested, which led to a citywide bus boycott.
Martin Luther King
A leader of the civil rights movement, he was one of the most powerful voices for non violent movement to cure civil rights
Civil Disobedience
The peaceful protest of unjust laws. The most notable example were sit in movements, in which African Americans sat in business areas designated for white customers and demanded service
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Civil rights group that gathered for peaceful protest
Children’s Crusade
Children were not immune to brutal treatment during protest, as the brutalization of children who were peacefully protesting enraged Americans and lawmakers to create change
March on Washington
200,000 civil rights activists gathered near the Washington Monument to protest, where Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, one of the most famous civil rights speeches in American History.
Malcom X
A great speaker that preached the way to freedom was not desegregation but separatism and militarism. He countered violence with violence.
Black Panthers
A group formed to secure black rights by violence if it was necessary
Civil Rights Act 1964
Illegalized discrimination based on race, religion, or sex.
Voting Rights Act
Act that outlawed literacy tests and the poll tax.
Loving vs. Virginia
This case struck down state laws that made interracial marriage illegal.
Women’s Movement
1950s culture taught women that their place was in the home and to make the home a haven of rest for their husband, however this was struck down by the publication of The Feminine Mystique in 1963.
Betty Friedan
Author of The Feminine Mystique, her research and interviews of suburban housewives showed the boredom and imprisonment of home making.
Gloria Stienem
Cofounder of Ms. Magazine, it led to many sweeping changes including Title IX 1972, which banned discrimination on the basis of gender and funding for women’s sports teams.
Equal Rights Amendment
A proposed amendment that would stop discrimination on the basis of sex. However, this was protested and would not be ratified.
Stop ERA
Movement led by Phyllis Schlafy, which said that the government should not take women’s privileges such as avoiding the draft and separate bathrooms.
Sexual Revolution
The widespread use of birth control and antibiotics to treat STDS led to casual sex with multiple partners becoming the norm.
Roe vs Wade
Said that states could not prohibit women from having abortions in the first two trimesters.
Cesar Chaves
A Latino man who helped create the United Farm Workers in order to protect migrant workers.
Delores Huerta
A Latino woman who helped create the United Farm Workers in order to protect workers.
United Farm Workers
An organization created by Delores Huerta and Cesar Chaves created in order to protect the interest of migrant workers.
Occupation of Alcatraz
The American Indian Movement occupied Alcatraz Island for around 19 months because any abandoned land would be returned to Native Americans
Gay Liberation Movement
A raid on a New York Bar named the Stonewall Inn, a place known as a gathering place for gay people, led to many other protests at the same time. This caused activists to expand gay rights and laws. This encouragement of openness caused people to believe that homosexuality was a sexual orientation instead of a mental illness.
Kent State Massacre of 1970
Protestors gathered at this college to protest against the Vietnam War, and the national guard was sent to keep the peace. However, when protesters began throwing rocks, the national guard opened fire, killing 4 and injuring 10.
Hippie
Those who supported communal living and encouraged counter cultural ideals. These people were often associated with drugs such as Marijuana and LSD.
Woodstock
A music festival held in 1969 with 400,000 attendees, most of whom were hippies.
Oil
Most of this was in the Middle East, but the U.S. had a strained relationship at best with these middle eastern countries. In 1948, however, Israel became a country to which many middle easterners opposed but the U.S. remained an ally, allowing them an easier way to obtain this material.
Nuclear Energy
Often seen as a cleaner and safer energy alternative than oil. Disastrous events in the 70s/80s led to many doubting the advantages of this power source.
Three Mile Island
In 1979, a nuclear reactor melted down in Pennsylvania, expelling radioactive material into the surrounding environment.
OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
A group of countries that controlled the transportation of oil. The countries involved were not fans of the US, leading to higher gas prices in the country.
Environmental Movement
In the 60s/70s, Americans put a heavier emphasis on protecting the environment from pollution and such. This push is the reason Earth Day was made official in 1970.
Silent Spring
Novel by Rachel Carson in which she explained how modern society was ruining the natural environment with DDT pesticides
Nixon’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Association founded due to a demand for protection of the environment in response to an Ohio river catching fire many times thanks in part to pollution from an upstream factory.
Young Americans for Freedom
A group who were proud of their religious backgrounds, resisted protestors and counterculture, and supported designated roles for men and women.
Birch Society
Group of conservatives that opposed communism, advocated for limited government, and spun right conspiracies
Religious Right
Religious conservatives that opposed liberal trends and counterculture. They took a major issue with the case of Roe V. Wade.
Moral Majority
Pushed by Jerry Falwell, this idea argued separation of church and state was the reason for the moral downfall and sough to marry the two
Watergate Scandal
Nixon’s reelection committee hired men to break into the democratic party headquarters and bug phones and steal documents. Nixon knew about and endorsed this behavior, lied about it, was subsequently impeached and forced to resign
Affirmative Action
Ideas in which race would be a factor in the hiring process and college admissions, and that a certain number of positions and applicants had to be of a certain race. This was opposed by Conservatives.