50’s Cold War Test

Define the Cold War

Define the Cold War

A war of espionage, nuclear arms race and political messaging between US and the Soviet Union from 1945–when WWII ends—till 1989–when the Berlin Wall falls. The Cold War turns hot 2 times: The Korean and Vietnam War.

Yalta

Churchill (England) FDR (US) and Stalin (Soviet Union) meet at Yalta before WWII ends to discuss future of Eastern Europe. Stalin promises Eastern Europe can decide to be free or not when the war ends but fails to fulfill his promise. Resulting in an Iron Curtain falling across Eastern Europe.

Berlin Airlift

Berlin is surrounded and we airlift supplies to the Germans so they can eat. Eventually, in 1961 the Berlin Wall is built to keep eastern Germans from freeing west.

The Marshal Plan

United States sends aid to rebuild Western Europe so socialism and communism doesn’t take them over. It helps American business as well as they supply material to Europe.

The Truman Doctrine

Truman says any country seeking to stop becoming a communist country will receive aid from the US. The 1st 2 Countries to receive the doctrine are Greece and Turkey. We did this to contain the spread of communism. We also feared the Domino Theory, the belief that if one country fell to communism then the next one would and so on.

Containment

Stoping the spread of communism

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is a military alliance of the US and Western Europe, if the Soviets attack a country under NATO, it is seen as an attack on everyone.

Warsaw Pact

Eastern European countries like Poland and Czechoslovakia who depended on the Soviet Union and were in the “Iron Cutrain”

Dixiecrats

Southern Democrats who left the party because Pres. Truman had integrated the US Military in 1948. Lead by S.C. Strom Thurmond. Truman still won re-election but the Republicans gained control of Congress in 1946.

Korean War

1950-1953) 1st time the Cold War turns “Hot.” We got there to stop the spread of North Korea communism into South Korea. We triumph and settle an armistice on July 1953. Eisenhower ended the Korean War by threatening to drop a nuclear bomb on North Korea.

Election of 1952

Republican Eisenhower defeats Democrat Aldi Stevenson in part because he says he will end Korean War—which he does. Eisenhower is the former General who defeated Nazi Germany in WWII. Helped calm America during Nuclear Warfare hysteria of the 50’s.

“More Bang for the Buck”

Eisenhower turns the military into mainly nuclear weapons as a cheaper alternative to having men. Also, as a deterrent to the spread of communism.

Describe Brinksmanship

The willingness to go to the brink of war. Telling the Soviets that we would use massive retaliation in order to prevent them from wanting to attack us. If they launch one missile, we will launch as many as we can in retaliation.

The U-2 incident

The U-2 incident was a 1960 event where the Soviet Union shot down a US spy plane, heightening Cold War tensions.

Sputnik 1

Sputnik 1 was the first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. It marked the beginning of the space age and the space race. If they can put a satellite into space they can launch nuclear missiles. It caused the United States to spend more Federal Money on more Science, Math and Engineering.

The Rosenbergs

The Rosenbergs were convicted of selling Atomic Bomb secrets to the Soviets. Resulting in them being executed.

The Red Scare

In the 50s we feared the communists were infiltrating our government and Hollywood. Sen. Joe McCarthy falsely accused many of communism and ruined many people’s careers and lives. Instead of him proving your guilt you would instead have to prove innocence. Although he was right about a few State Dept. officials, McCarthy’s ultimate demise came when he accused the Army of being communists.

The House UnAmerican Activities Committee

investigated Hollywood (also known as the Hollywood 10–who refused to testify) was trying to be communists. Resulting in many people being blacklisted and unable to work unless they changed their names.

Sci-Fi

Outer-space movies that were a metaphor for the communist invasion we feared in the 50s.

The Crucible

Play wrote by Arthur Miller about the Salem Witchcraft trials that was like the Red Scare of the 50s, in the play the accused had to show their innocents instead of being proven guilty, similarly like the Red Scare.

Levittown

WWII Bill Levitt builds cheap housing for returning WWII GI’s, it is criticized because it’s all the same but it’s like heaven for the new families being created by the baby boom from 1945-1960. It was much better since they had grown up in the Great Depression and fought in WWII.

The GI Bill

Bill-paid for returning WWII servicemen to go to college. This lead to an increase in the white collar and specialized jobs of the 50s and 60s as people became better educated. This helped the US build better roads, buildings, win the Space Race and make many medical and other scientific and engineering achievements

Interstate Highway System

Pres. Eisenhower also has the Interstate Highway System built which allows people to move more and the economy to grow as we are better able to move goods around the country. It does hurt downtown businesses as they move out to where the Interstate exits are as they bypass the cities. It would also help move people in the event of a nuclear attack.

Consumerism

TV in the 50s sells goods to people that they think they have to have to be happy, certain cigarettes, soft drinks, toothpaste, soap etc.

Brown vs. Board of Education

1954, segregation found illegal, it overturned the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson

Little Rock Nine

Group of African American students who integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957, facing significant opposition and sparking national attention.

Rosa Parks

Civil rights activist who refused to give up her bus seat to a white person in 1955, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott and becoming a symbol of the civil rights movement.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

• Civil rights protest in 1955

• Sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest

• Led by Martin Luther King Jr.

• Ended segregation on buses

Emmitt Till

Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy, was brutally murdered in 1955 in Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a white woman in a store. The incident sparked outrage and violence in the segregated South. The two white men accused of killing him were acquitted by an all-white jury, highlighting racial injustice. Images of Till's mutilated body shocked the nation and fueled the civil rights movement. His mother's decision to have an open casket funeral for him brought international attention to racism and violence against African Americans. Till's death became a catalyst for the fight for racial equality and justice, leaving a lasting legacy.

Betty Friedan

Wrote the Feminine Mystique about unsatisfied housewives in the 50’s.

Jack Kerouac

Wrote “On the Road” on about the early beat or hippie movement.

Thomas Salk

Founded the Cure for Polio and ended this fear of paralysis among youth.

The Fair Deal

Economic plan where he is trying to turn the country from a wartime economy to a peacetime economy. Attempted to extend New Deal:

• Raise Minimum Wage, Unemployment Benefits, National Health Insurance and other measures.

• Lost support among Democrats

• Most people thought he would lose the election but he didn’t.

Conformity

1950s where everyone was the same. The book, “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit” and “Happy Days” show this.

What were the 3 Cold War fears that Americans held after WWII

1) Return of depression as the economy wasn’t based on making war goods

2) Nuclear War

3) Spread of Communism

What were the 3 C’s?

Communism, Conformity, and Containment

Hidden Hand Presidency

A term referring to a style of presidential leadership where the president works subtly behind the scenes through advisors and aides. Helped calm the American People down during Nuclear war hysteria by making seem like everything’s calm and okay.

How does Eisenhower deal with McCarthy?

He signed an executive order forbidding any Fed. Employee to answer a subpoena from McCarthy

Explain the importance of Eisenhower cutting taxes, and increasing Fed funding in education, and how it grows the economy.

• Eisenhower's tax cuts boosted consumer spending, stimulating the economy.

• Increased education funding improved workforce skills, enhancing productivity.

• Both actions contributed to economic growth and prosperity.

The Fears and Explanation:

Nuclear War - Eisenhower spent more on Nuclear weapons—Eisenhower turns the military into mainly nuclear weapons as a cheaper alternative to having men. Also, as a deterrent to the spread of communism. Brinksmanship - The willingness to go to the brink of war. Telling the Soviets that we would use massive retaliation in order to prevent them from wanting to attack us. If they launch one missile, we will launch as many as we can in retaliation. He also practiced hidden hand Presidency.

Communism at home and abroad. Ends Korean War by threatening a nuclear bomb, he deals with McCarthy by signing an executive order forbidding any Fed employee to answer subpoena from McCarthy, and containment is limiting, or stopping the spread of communism.

Economy- Interstate Hwy which allows people to move more and the economy to grow as we are better able to move goods around the country. It does hurt downtown businesses as they move out to where the Interstate exits are as they bypass the cities. It would also help move people in the event of a nuclear attack. Eisenhower's tax cuts boosted consumer spending, stimulating the economy. Increased education funding improved workforce skills, enhancing productivity. Both actions contributed to economic growth and prosperity.

Explain the 3 C’s of the 50’s : Communism, Conformity, and Containment

“3 C’s of the 50’s: Communism, Conformity, and Containment" - Refers to the dominant themes of the 1950s, focusing on the fear of communism, societal pressure to conform, and containment policy against Soviet influence.Flashcard: "3 C’s of the 50’s: Communism, Conformity, and Containment"

During the 1950s, a period marked by post-World War II recovery and the beginning of the Cold War, the three prominent themes that defined the era were Communism, Conformity, and Containment.

Communism was a significant fear that gripped the United States during this time. The rise of the Soviet Union as a superpower and the spread of communism in Eastern Europe led to widespread paranoia about communist infiltration into American society. This fear was fueled by events such as the Korean War and the McCarthy era, where individuals suspected of communist sympathies were targeted and persecuted.

Conformity was another key aspect of the 1950s. The post-war economic boom and the rise of consumer culture encouraged a homogenized society where individuals were expected to conform to societal norms. This pressure to fit in and adhere to mainstream values was evident in the idealized image of the “man in a gray flannel suit,” suburban living, and gender roles of the time.

Containment refers to the foreign policy strategy adopted by the United States to prevent the spread of communism, particularly Soviet influence. The containment policy, articulated by George F. Kennan and implemented by President Harry S. Truman, aimed to stop the expansion of communism beyond its existing borders. This led to U.S. involvement in conflicts such as the Korean War and the Vietnam War as part of efforts to contain communist influence.

Understanding the 3 C’s of the 1950s provides insight into the political, social, and cultural dynamics of the era, highlighting the impact of Cold War tensions, societal expectations, and foreign policy decisions on American life during this transformative decade.

Describe the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s

Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s - A social movement in the United States aimed at ending racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans, marked by events like the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, the Emmitt Till Case, and the Little Rock Nine.

What did Eisenhower warn us about in his Farewell Address

In his Farewell Address, Eisenhower warned about the influence of the military-industrial complex on the nation's policies and economy.

Presidents of the 50s

Flashcard: Presidents of the 50s Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961) and Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) served as Presidents of the United States during the 1950s.