Final notes

Appeasement

Giving in to avoid war (ex: to Hitler).

Joseph Stalin

Dictator of the Soviet Union during WWII.

Pearl Harbor

Surprise Japanese attack on U.S. base; U.S. enters WWII.

Nazi Party

Fascist German party led by Hitler.

Holocaust

Nazi genocide of 6+ million Jews.

Kristallnacht

'Night of Broken Glass,' attacks on Jews in Germany.

Blitzkrieg

Fast, surprise attacks by Germany using tanks and planes.

Manhattan Project

Secret U.S. project to build the atomic bomb.

Yalta Conference

WWII meeting to plan post-war Europe.

Hiroshima/Nagasaki

Japanese cities where U.S. dropped atomic bombs, ending WWII.

Cold War

Tension between U.S. (democracy) and USSR (communism).

Women in 1950s

Mostly homemakers; few in workforce.

Sacco & Vanzetti

Immigrants executed in unfair trial.

Marshall Plan

U.S. gave money to rebuild Europe and fight communism.

Iron Curtain

Churchill’s term for Soviet control over Eastern Europe.

McCarthyism

False accusations of communism in the U.S.

Television

Became popular, changed news and entertainment.

Truman & the A-bomb

Ordered bombs on Japan to end WWII.

U.S.-Soviet Relations

Got worse after WWII (start of Cold War).

Korean War

U.S. helped South Korea fight communist North; ended in a tie.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. helps countries fight communism.

Red Scare

Fear of communists in U.S. government.

Containment

U.S. plan to stop spread of communism.

Berlin Airlift

U.S./UK flew supplies to West Berlin after USSR blocked roads.

M.A.D.

Mutually Assured Destruction; nuclear war would destroy both sides.

G.I. Bill

Helped WWII vets with college and home loans (mainly for white men).

NATO

U.S. and Western Europe military alliance.

Levittown

Suburban housing developments post-WWII.

Brown v. Board

Ended school segregation.

Birmingham Riots

Police attacked peaceful civil rights protesters.

Little Rock Nine

Black students integrated a white high school.

Jackie Robinson

Broke MLB color barrier.

Nonviolent Protest

Peaceful actions like marches and boycotts.

Malcolm X

Black leader who promoted self-defense and pride.

MLK Jr.

Civil Rights leader, gave 'I Have a Dream' speech.

March on Washington

1963 rally where MLK gave his speech.

Black Power

Movement focused on Black pride and independence.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Rosa Parks; led to desegregation of buses.

Freedom Riders

Rode buses to challenge segregation in the South.

1960 Election

First televised; JFK won over Nixon.

JFK Assassination

Killed in Dallas, 1963 by Lee Harvey Oswald.

Great Society

LBJ’s anti-poverty and civil rights programs.

Berlin Wall

Divided East/West Berlin; symbol of Cold War.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Gave LBJ power to fight in Vietnam.

Domino Theory

If one country falls to communism, others will too.

Viet Cong

Communist fighters in South Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh

Communist leader of North Vietnam.

Tet Offensive

Surprise attack that changed U.S. views on Vietnam.

Vietnamization

Nixon’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops.

Nixon

Ended Vietnam War; resigned after Watergate.

My Lai Massacre

U.S. soldiers killed civilians in Vietnam.

Guerilla Warfare

Surprise attacks used by Viet Cong.

Walter Cronkite

Trusted newsman who turned people against the war.

Woodstock

1969 music festival; symbol of peace & counterculture.

Counterculture

Youth movement rejecting traditional values.

Nixon (again)

Resigned after Watergate scandal.

Watergate

Break-in and cover-up by Nixon’s team.

Gerald Ford

Became president; pardoned Nixon.

OPEC

Oil group that caused 1970s gas crisis.

Apollo 11

First moon landing; Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin.

Camp David Accords

Peace treaty between Egypt & Israel.

Jimmy Carter

39th president; focused on human rights.

Iran Hostage Crisis

52 Americans held hostage for 444 days.

Crisis of Confidence

Carter’s speech about low morale in America.

Soviet-Afghanistan War

U.S. supported rebels against USSR.

SALT

Agreements to reduce nuclear weapons.

Three Mile Island

Nuclear accident in Pennsylvania.

Reagan

40th president; conservative policies.

Reaganomics

Tax cuts for rich to help economy grow.

SDI ('Star Wars')

Proposed space-based missile defense.

'Evil Empire'

Reagan called USSR this; worsened Cold War.

Iran-Contra Affair

Secret weapons sales to Iran.

Mikhail Gorbachev

Last Soviet leader; worked with Reagan. Glasnost – Openness in Soviet government. Perestroika – Economic reforms.

Tiananmen Square

China crushed student protests.

Fall of Berlin Wall

Symbolized end of Cold War.

Miracle on Ice

U.S. beat USSR in 1980 Olympic hockey.

CIA

U.S. spy agency.

George H.W. Bush

41st president; led Gulf War.

Saddam Hussein

Iraqi dictator who invaded Kuwait.

Gulf War

U.S. pushed Iraq out of Kuwait (1991).

1992 L.A. Riots

After police beat Rodney King and were acquitted.

Bill Clinton

42nd president; focused on economy; impeached.

Lewinsky Scandal

Clinton lied about affair; impeached for perjury.

2000 Election

Bush vs. Gore; very close; Bush won by Supreme Court ruling.

George W. Bush

43rd president; son of George H.W. Bush.

9/11

Terrorist attacks by Al-Qaeda on U.S.

Osama bin Laden

Leader of Al-Qaeda; planned 9/11.

Al-Qaeda

Terrorist group; U.S. invaded Afghanistan to stop them.

Patriot Act

Gave government more power to fight terrorism; raised privacy concerns.

Iraq Invasion (2003)

U.S. invaded Iraq, claimed they had WMDs.

Hurricane Katrina

2005 storm; huge damage in New Orleans; criticized Bush/FEMA response.