Cold War Unit

United Nations(1945)

An intergovernmental organization founded on October 24, 1945, replacing the failed League of Nations, with the goal of maintaining international peace and security, ofstering cooperation among nations, and preventing future world wars.

“Iron Curtain”

A term popularized by british prime minister winston churchill in his march 5, 1946 speech in Fulton, Missouri, describing the ideological and physical division separating soviet-dominated eastern europe from the democratic west

Truman Doctrine(1947)

A foreign policy announced by president harry s. truman on march 12,1947, pledging US political, military, and economic support to any free nation threatened by communist takeover or soviet pressure, initially directed at greece and turkey.

Marshall Plan(1948)

formallly the european recovery program, proposed by secretary of state george c. marshall in june 1947 and enacted in 1948, providing over $13 billion in american economic aid to rebuild war-devasted western european economies

NATO(1949)

the north atlantic treaty organization, a military alliance established on april 4, 1949, among the US, canada, and ten western european nations, based on the principle of collective defense— an attack on one member is an attack on all

Fair Deal

president trumans domestic legislative program, announced in his january 1949 state of the union address, calling for expanded social security, national health insurance, civil rights legislation, housing assistance, and federal aid to education— building upon FDR’s new deal

Executive Order #9981(1948)

signed by president truman on july 26, 1948, this executive order desegregated the US armed forces, declaring equality of treatment and opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, or national origin.

Mao Zedong(1949)

The communist revolutionary leader who led the chinese communist party(CCP) to victory over chiang kai-shek’s nationlist forces, proclaiming the peoples republic of china on october 1,1949, establishing the world’s most populous communist state

Joseph McCarthy

republican senator from wisconsin who, beginning with a february 1950 speech in wheeling, west virginia, launched a sensational campaign claiming to have lists of known communists operating within the US government, lending his name to the era of “McCarthyism”— a period of intense anti-communist paranoia and political persecution

Korean War(1950-1953)

a military conflict that began on june 25,1950, when soviet-backed north korea invaded US-backed south korea, drawing in united nations forces and later communist china. it ended in an armistice on july 27,1953, restoring the pre-war border near the 38th parallel— with no formal peace treaty ever signed.

Kim il Sung

the soviet-backed communist leader who became the first premier of the democratic people’s republic of korea in 1948, and who ordered the invasion of south korea on june 25,1950, triggering the korean war.

Douglas MacArthur

five-star US army general and UN commander in the korean war, celebrated for the daring inchon landing that reversed the war’s course, but who was relieved of command by president truman on april 11,1951, for publicly contradicting US policy by advocating expanding the war against china.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

five-star general and suprieme allied commander during WWII, “Ike” won the 1952 presidential election in a landslide as the republican candidate, serving two terms as the 34th president of the US during one of america’s most prosperous and anxious decades simultaneously

Suez Crisis(1956)

an international crisis triggered when egyptian president gamal abdel nasser nationalized the suez canal in july 1956, prompting a military invasion by britain, france, and israel. the US and USSR jointly pressured the invaders to withdraw, humiliating america’s european allies and reshaping the milddle east

Eisenhower Doctrine(1947)

a foreign policy decalred by presdient eisenhower in january 1957, stating the US would use military force to assist any middle eastern nation threatened by communist aggression or influence, and pledging economic and military aid to the region

Dynamic Conservatism

eisenhower’s governing philosophy— also calling “modern republicanism”— which sought to balance fiscal conservatism with acceptance of existing new deal social programs, rejecting both FDR-style liberalism and the extreme right wing of the republican party

National Highway Act

formally the federal aid highway act of 1956, signed by eisenhower on june29,1956, authorizing the construction of 41000 miles of interstate highways at a federal cost of $25 billion— the largest public works project in american history to that point

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka(1954)

a landmark unanimous US supreme court decision of may 17,1954, in which chief justice earl warren declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, directly overturning the 1896 plessy v. ferguson “separate but equal” doctrine

Little Rock Nine(1957)

nine african american students who enrolled in the all-white central high school in little rock, arkansas in september 1957, facing violent mobs and requiring federal military escort

Baby Boomers

the generation born during the dramatic postwar surge in birth rates, roughly between 1946 and 1964, as returning WWII veterans married and started families in record numbers. approximately 76 million maericans were born during this period

Elvis Presley

a white singer from tupelo, mississippi who, beginning with his recordings at sun studio in 1954 and his national television appearances in 1956, fused balck rhythm and blues, gospel, and country into rock‘n’roll, becoming the decade’s defining cultural icon and the best selling solo music artist in history

Jonas Salk

an american virologist and medical researcher who developed the first safe and effective polio vaccine, announced to the world on april 12,1955— ten years after the death of president franklin d. roosevelt, polio’s most famous victim— effectively ending one of the most feared diseases in american history