Unit 6: 1950s - 1960s (History)

Communism (3)

• Communism: Community owns resources or factors of production.

• Allows gov to answer all questions regarding goods (what product, how)

• No private property

Yalta Conference (2)

• Stalin agrees to go to war with Japan for land.

• Germany is divided into 4 parts & US gets West Germany for trade.

Stalin (specifically why he broke an alliance from US) (3)

• Encourage communism in other countries

• Rebuild economy using Eastern Europe’s industrial equip. & raw materials.

• Keep Germany divided & weak so would never again threaten Soviet Union.

Chinese Civil War (US involvement & outcome) (5)

• Civil war Between communist north (Mao Zedong) & nationalist South (Chiang Kai Shek)

• US supported nationalist South.

• US sent Nationalists $3 billion to fight & contain communism.

• Communists emerged victorious & US failed to contain spread of communism.

• Communist China created new gov: People’s Republic of China.

Korean War (US involvement & outcome) (4)

• After WWII, Japanese troops surrender 38th parallel to Americas & 2 nations develop.

• Soviets assume US won’t defend SK to take over entire peninsula.

• US supports South Koreans.

• July 1953, two sides sign armistice.

Red Scare

1940s-50s where accusations & unfair arrests were made based on fear of alleged communist sympathizers & spies.

HUAC & Joseph McCarthy (2)

• House Un-American Activities Commitee = investigate ALL radical groups & potential communist threats.

• Joseph McCarthy known for being an anti-communist US Senator who claimed commies were taking over gov by using sensationalism, public accusations & bullying.

Hollywood Ten (2)

• Group of screenwriters accused of being communists & they refused to cooperate with HUAC.

• Went to jail for 1 year & was blacklisted from film until 1960s.

Emmett Till (2)

• 14 year old African American boy who was murdered by White men.

• The white men were declared innocent of the murder by an all white jury despite admitting to it later.

Montgomery Bus Boycott (3)

• Boycott of buses, initiated by Rosa Park’s arrest.

• Lasted more than a year and ended in the end of segregation in public transport.

• Used carpooling, walking & had white people drive them to work.

14th amendment (3)

• Equality, equal protection clause

• Granted citizenship to everyone and even former slaves that were born or naturalized in US.

• Guaranteed all citizens “equal protection of the laws”

Brown v. Board (2)

• Supreme Court Case where Brown sought to end segregation in schools.

• Outcome: ended segregation in public schooling system.

Little Rock Nine

• 9 African American students who were sent to school to learn with white kids.

• US Army had to escort them to school daily due to mob riots.

“Strange Fruit”

• Song that protests against lynching and racism against African Americans, especially in the south.

Presidents of the 1950s and 1960s (where did they stand with communism and civil rights)

• Harry S. Truman believed that communism was biggest threat to US.

• Dwight Eisenhower believed that communism was biggest threat to US.

• John F. Kennedy: Communism was big threat but Civil rights was important too.

• Lyndon B. Johnson: Higher priority for Civil rights but communism is important too.

• Richard M. Nixon: believed that communism was biggest threat to US.

Capitalism (3)

• Private person or entity owns resources.

• Made by private owners, govt role = to regulate.

• Yes, private property

Potsdam Conference (2)

• Allied leaders decide Germany in occupation zones will pay reparations

• Stalin breaks promise that allows free elections in territory.

Bay of Pigs (2)

• Unsuccessful CIA attempt for Cuban exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro.

• Gave Cuba legitimate reason to hate US.

Civil Rights Act of 1964, who signed it in, consequences (3)

• LBJ continued it

• Prevents discrimination

• Take away $ from states who do NOT comply

Letter from Birmingham Jail (5)

• Written by MLK from jail

• Just vs unjust laws

• negative peace

• more time & waiting = more unlikely action

• injustice anywhere = injustice everywhere

Black Panthers

Militant group that made demands & fought against police brutality.

Malcom X (3)

• Wanted Black rights & complete separation of races

• “By any means necessary”

• Believed in self defense for Black Americans against racist society

SNCC & SCLC (2)

• Two civil rights organiz.

• Practice nonviolent seminars

Brinkmanship (2)

• Cuban Missile Crisis: Brink of nuclear war.

• “Playing chicken”

Freedom Summer (2)

• Civil rights workers go around attempting to register African American voters

• Go missing & get murdered.

Gulf of Tonkin Incident & Resolution (2)

• Vietnam got attacked by battleship

• Congress granted LBJ with a Blank Check to escalate Vietnam conflict into war.

Draft (2)

• Forceful enrollment for Vietnam War.

• Many tried to dodge draft

Effects of Vietnam War (geographical & psychological) (3)

• Napalm = flammable substance to burn dense areas. Destroyed land.

• Agent Orange: Caused deformations

• Many soldiers gained PTSD

Arms Race

US and Soviet Union try to outdo each other in race to prove that they have more superior nuclear weapons.

Space Race (2)

• USSR launches first sattelite

• US scared to see how they can launch things from far away and have it be accurate.

Elvis & Beatniks

Used counterculture (rock n roll was deemed as vulgar)

Dwight Eisenhower (7)

• ✅ Anti-Communism: HIGH priority

  • Focused on the Cold War and containing communism (Arms race, space race after Sputnik).

  • Expanded nuclear weapons programs.

  🟡 Civil Rights: Moderate

  • Sent troops to enforce school integration in Little Rock (1957).

  • Signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 (first in decades, but weak).

  🔺 Prioritized: Communism

John F. Kennedy (6)

• ✅ Anti-Communism: HIGH priority

  • Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs Invasion, Vietnam buildup.

  🟢 Civil Rights: Growing support

  • Initially cautious, later pushed for stronger civil rights action (after seeing violence against activists).

  • Proposed Civil Rights Act before assassination.

  🔺 Prioritized: Communism early on, but civil rights grew more important by 1963.

Lyndon B. Johnson (6)

🟢 Civil Rights: VERY high priority

• Signed Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965).

• Launched “Great Society” programs to fight poverty and racial injustice.

✅ Anti-Communism: Also high

• Escalated the Vietnam War massively to stop communism in Asia.

🔺 Prioritized: Both, but he made civil rights a historic legacy.

Harry S. Truman (7)

✅ Anti-Communism: VERY high priority

• Started the Cold War strategy with the Truman Doctrine (U.S. helps countries resist communism).

• Launched the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe and stop communism.

• Started U.S. involvement in the Korean War to fight communist North Korea.

🟡 Civil Rights: Some action

• Spoke out for civil rights but didn’t pass major laws.

🔺 Prioritized: Communism, but civil rights started gaining attention under him.

Richard Nixon (8)

✅ Anti-Communism: High priority, but used diplomacy

• Shifted Cold War strategy: visited China (1972) and talked with the Soviet Union (détente = easing tensions).

• Still involved in the Vietnam War, but aimed to withdraw with “peace with honor.”

🟡 Civil Rights: Low priority

• Didn’t push for new civil rights laws.

• Focused more on keeping the peace (law and order) than pushing for equality.

• Opposed forced busing to integrate schools.

🔺 Prioritized: Communism (with diplomacy)

Civil rights progress slowed under him.

Election of 1960 (2)

• Kennedy wins against Nixon.

• First televised debate. Many think Kennedy carried himself better, which might’ve led to more success.

Cuban Missile Crisis (2)

• Standoff between US and USSR over nuclear missiles in Cuba.

• Closest the world came to nuclear war = potential end of world.

Kennedy Assasination (3)

• JFK killed by Lee Harry Oswald (Oswald was later killed in police basement by Jack Ruby)

• Very difficult to figure out who did it first (intense manhunt)

• Lyndon B. Johnson

LBJ & Great Society (6)

Wanted to end poverty & improve civil rights.

• Clean Air Act

• War on Poverty

• Civil Rights Act of 1964

• Elementary & Secondary Education Act

• Medicare & Medicaid

Sit-ins

Nonviolent protest where Black students sat in “white only” places like lunch counters & refused to leave

Freedom Rides

Black & White activists rode buses into South to protest segregated bus terminals.

Watts Riots (3)

The arrest of an African American man, by police.

Led to over 34 deaths & riots all over neighborhood

Showed growing anger over police brutality

MLK Assasination

Sparked national riots since civil rights leader was assasinated

Anti- War Music (3)

• Revealed hypocrisy and general rebellion against Vietnam War draft.

• Solidified how war was not correct answer.

• Became a part of counterculture

Social Political Movement Goals

Anti-War Movement: End Vietnam War & draft & atrocities associated with it.

Chicano Movement: Bring attention to drafting of Chicano Americans of lower wages & social class inequalities.

Environmental Movement: Protect Earth’s natural ecosystems from pollution & raise awareness by advocating for laws.

LGBTQ+ Movement: Equal rights in marriage, employment, housing, healthcare & military.

Women’s Rights Movement: Equal treatment in workforce, society & reproductive rights.