US History Final

Benito Mussolini - Fascism

Original fascist leader of Italy, promoting the ideals of a strong state and government.

Adolf Hitler - Fascism

Fascist leader of Germany, associated with the Nazi party. Started the Holocaust mostly targeting Jewish people.

Japan's aggression during 1930s

Japan invaded China after staging the Mukden Incident, where an explosion was staged in Manchuria to justify invasion.

League of Nations

The League of Nations had a weak response to WW2, with the main strategy being appeasement and rarely enforced sanctions.

Treaty of Versailles

Forced Germany to pay reparations (War Guilt), created several new countries and decreased German territory, and limited the size of their military; when violated by Germany there was a lack of international response. Caused humiliation as well as hyperinflation as the government printed currency to meet the growing debt, and assisted Adolf Hitler in his rise to power.

Territorial Expansion

Hitler desired to expand Germany for Lebensraum, or living space, causing him to target Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland before the outbreak of the war. Japan also expanded its territory to meet the need for raw resources after a US oil embargo, seizing various Pacific islands as well as attacking China.

Appeasement - Neville Chamberlain vs. Winston Churchill

Chamberlain -> pursued appeasement, as a result lost the election after the Munich Agreement where Germany was allowed to annex the Sudetenland for the weak promise of no further action

Churchill -> Opposed appeasement, stood against Germany. Was popular throughout the war but not after.

Invasion of Poland

September 1st, 1939, sparks WWII in Europe as both France and the UK declared war on Germany.

Pearl Harbor

Japan wanted to eliminate the US as a competitor in the Pacific by eliminating their fleet, led to the US declaring war on Japan and Germany declaring war on the US and leading to war in the Pacific front

American Isolationism

America mostly avoided entangling alliances with other countries or involvement in foreign affairs until Pearl Harbor.

Lend-Lease Act

Allowed the US to give aid in the form of military equipment to Allied powers.

The Battle of Stalingrad

Turning point of the Eastern Front, around a million deaths. Soviet victory, forcing Germans to retreat and lose their advantage.

American Home Front Unity

Propaganda was able to promote homefront efforts in labor force participation, war bonds, and a rationing system.

Battle of the Atlantic

U-boats, in groups known as "wolf packs", were used to sink Allied shipping routes. Convoy systems, better technology, and the interception of German intelligence led to the Allies being able to secure their shipping routes.

Manhattan Project

Secret American project from 1942-1945 where nuclear weapons were developed. The Soviets infiltrated it allowing them to test their own nuclear weapon in 1949.

Women's Roles During the War

Women moved into manufacturing and other jobs that were male-dominated during the war.

American Propaganda Tools

Demonization

Emotional Appeals

Name Calling

Patriotic Appeals

Half-truths or lies

Catchy Slogans

Evocative Visual Symbols

Humor or Caricatures

American Propaganda Objectives

Raise funds for the war effort

Recruit soldiers

Conserve resources

Eliminate dissent

Participation in home front organizations

Executive Order 9066

Rounded up 120,000 Japanese-Americans on the West Coast into internment camps without evidence of widespread espionage.

D-Day

June 6, 1944. Largest amphibious landing, where the Allies invaded German-held France and opened a Western Front.

Holocaust

Genocide of over 6 million Jews. The government rounded up Jews into concentration camps where they were systematically murdered.

Island Hopping

US strategy of invading Japan that involved invading various Pacific islands approaching Japan

Arguments for and against use of the Atomic Bombs

For -> a costly invasion in Japan would cause more lives than a bomb

The Soviets would be intimidated

Against - >

Nuclear weapons and radiation could have far-reaching consequences

Entire cities would be indiscriminately destroyed, mostly including civilians

Japanese Surrender

Two nuclear weapons led the tenacious Japanese forces, who were planning to arm all civilians to defend the larger islands of Japan, to surrender. Their country was occupied by American forces.

Statistics of WW2

-70 million casualties - civilians + soldiers

-Soviet Union - 24 million, US - 420,000

-China - 12-20 million deaths

-Germany - 8.9 million

-WW2 cost - 4 trillion

-fought on 5 continents + largest global conflict in world history

-Majority of casualties on the Eastern Front

- Around 2 million civilian Poles died, or 16% of the population, 11 million total

G.I. Bill of Rights

Provides education, unemployment benefits, and low-interest loans to veterans of WWII.

Levittowns/Suburbanization

Levittown was the first suburban community of many, originating from a trend of easier credit and the development of improved cars and highways.

Baby Boom

Massive increase in fertility rates following postwar economic boom, resulted in largest generation until Millennials

Women in the 1950s

Societal norms about women still restricted mostly to caretakers of the home, pilloried by The Feminine Mystique in 1963

Containment

A policy of preventing the spread of Communism by backing anti-Communist forces and opposing Communist forces through proxy wars.

Berlin Airlift

Soviets cut off supplies to West Berlin, ultimately lifted when the US brought supplies in by plane.

United Nations

Created after WWII to ensure international cooperation

MAD

Mutually assured destruction -> nuclear war would lead to the destruction of the world

HUAC

Investigated suspected Communists in entertainment industry, criticized for being overly probing and not relying on high enough standards of proof.

McCarthyism

Investigations into Communists, often lacked proof and utilized overly invasive investigative methods.

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Executed, accused of espionage on the part of the Soviets.

Interstate Highway System

Inspired by Germany's autobahn, Eisenhower created highways to link the nation which led to the boom of suburbs and franchises.

Postwar Economic Boom

Conversion of industry to production (mainly automobile) + increased demand post rationing + technological advancement

1960 Election

Kennedy defeated Nixon, first moment where TV appearance was useful

Bay of Pigs

Failed invasion of Cuba with American-trained Cuban exiles backed by the CIA attempting to replace the regime of Fidel Castro.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Both US and USSR had nukes pointed at each other, Kennedy able to reach a deal with Krushchev where the USSR would withdraw Cuban missiles if the US withdrew Turkish missiles. The world was one submarine officer away from nuclear destruction.

Reasons for anti-Vietnam Movement

The draft

Moral objections to incidents such as the My Lai Massacre or the Kent State protests.

Counterculture

Media coverage (leaking of Pentagon Papers) and the feeling of hopelessness over the long war

Gulf of Tonkin Incident

USS Maddox falsely reported being hit by Vietnamese forces. The incident was used to justify the war.

Tet Offensive

A North Vietnamese attack on the holiday of Tet, although unsuccessful it showed the weakness in American defense and was covered by the media in a negative light.

MLK Viewpoint on Vietnam

Hypocritical to fight for freedom abroad when at home there is no freedom for many. Resources used to fight a war could not be used to fix poverty or form a more equal US.

Vietnamization

A transfer, by Nixon, of responsibility for the war effort from the US to South Vietnam. Led to the loss of South Vietnam.

Kent State University

Protest in which anti-war protestors were killed by law enforcement.

Effect on Soldiers from Vietnam

Many suffered from PTSD, some suffered from cancer due to Agent Orange.

Cold War and Civil Rights

Civil rights was seen as a way to prove that the US was superior to the Soviets

Brown vs. Board of Ed

Case that desegregated the school system and struck down the precedent of "separate but equal" established in Plessy v. Ferguson

Brown vs. Board in HoCo

Howard took 11 years to fully integrate

Initial Involvement in Vietnam (Eisenhower, Kennedy)

US funded France against the Viet Minh to combat Communism.

Little Rock 9

Nine children attending an integrated school in Little Rock, AR, met with heavy opposition from local white people but they were guarded by the National Guard sent by Eisenhower.

Emmett Till Murder Case

Unfair case where all-white jury knew and were friendly with the people who lynched Till, immediate acquittal although they admitted to the crime later. Till was a 14 year old boy who was lynched by two white men for being accusing of attracting the attention of a white woman. Unfairness sparked the Civil Rights movement.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Refusal of bus services in Montgomery, Alabama, for over a year. Since most passengers were black, bus companies obliged to integrated public transport.

Sit-Ins

Initially started with a few college students at a Woolworth's, eventually spread through the South in a mass movement where businesses faced either losing business or integrating their stores. (SNCC)

Freedom Riders

Black and white bus riders boarding a bus to test Southern attitudes towards the Supreme Court outlawing segregation on buses between states. Resulted in a bus burning down in Anniston, Alabama. (CORE)

Lyndon Johnson

President who signed Civil Rights Act and Great Society programs (term: 1963-1969). VP of Kennedy, moved into power after Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

Freedom Summers

volunteers moved south to help African-Americans register to vote, with two white people and black person being lynched as a result.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Banned discrimination based on race in public spaces, major victory. Did not cover the right to vote.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Guaranteed right to vote as in 15th Amendment by banning poll taxes or literacy tests. Effectively ended the Jim Crow era along with the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Malcolm X

Initially part of Black Islam, which advocated for Black Nationalism. Believed that nonviolence was ineffective. Assassinated by Black Islam's people after he left.

Media and the Civil Rights Movement

Media spread the Civil Rights Movement across the nation to a wider audience, where people could listen to speeches by figures like MLK

Black Power

Self-determination and Black nationalism, with black people being encouraged to be proud of their culture. Some advocated for self-defense from African-Americans considering the police brutality at the time.

CointelPro

A counterintelligence operation mostly focusing on civil rights organizations, used underhanded methods of infiltration and intimidation to weaken the movement.

Stokeley Carmichael

Founder of the Black Panthers and a key figure in the Black Power movement, believed in helping black people but also used their weapons as a form of self-defense and policing the police. Advocated for equality and an end to racism.

Effects of the Civil Rights Movement

Led to a legal backbone of rights that last to this day for minority groups, established discrimination as a major problem in the American conscience

The Great Society

LBJ's program against inequality, creating government programs to provide aid to the impoverished.

Nixon & Detente

Helsinki Accords as well as arms treaties improved Soviet relations, but eventually relations between the countries deteriorated

Watergate Scandal

Nixon's henchmen, also known as "plumbers", were found to have broke into the DNC to obtain information about opposing candidates. Massive scandal causing Nixon to resign under threat of impeachment.

Nixon Tapes

Nixon recorded all conversations in his office, which were then used as evidence against him.

Fords pardon of Nixon

Ford pardoned Nixon, claiming that it was necessary to move on. This pardon was unpopular and contributed to his failure in being re-elected

Jimmy Carter

Economic policies failed to stop stagflation. Most notable foreign policy achievement was the Camp David Accords, which was an agreement between Egypt and Israel.

Love Canal

Dump site for a chemical company, causing long term health complications for residents, eventually becoming the first Superfund site.

Major Environmental Legislation of the 1970s

Clean Air Act

Endangered Species Act

Clean Water Act

National Environmental Policy Act

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

Marine Mammal Protection Act

Three Mile Island

Nuclear accident in Pennsylvania with a partial meltdown, discouraging future investment into nuclear power (not as major of an accident as Chernobyl or Fukushima).

Environment vs. Economy

Environmentalists opposed free markets as they could lead to pollution and environmental degradation, while business interests opposed regulation because it meant higher costs for production

Americans with Disabilities Act

Mandated public accommodations for disabled people and prevented discrimination against them in hiring.

Vincent Chin

A Chinese person killed in Detroit because he was assumed to be Japanese and from a country that was competing with the US auto industry. Sparked Asian American activism

Asian American Activism and Model Minority Stereotype

Asian Americans were seen as a complacent and successful "model minority", which Asians protested as it pitted them against other minorities.

Chicano Movement

Movement that focused on educational equality, better working conditions for farmworkers, cultural pride for Mexican Americans, and voting rights.

Women in the 1960s and 1970s

Second wave of feminism leading to equal pay laws, and especially different gender norms that last to the present day

Equal Rights Amendment

Amendment proposing equal rights for women, did not meet ratification number of states in time.

Alcatraz and Red Power Movement

Occupation of Alcatraz sparked the Red Power movement, where Native Americans seeked to address the problems they faced on reservations and force Americans to reclaim their history of colonization

Immigration Act of 1965

Lifted immigration quotas, increasing the population of Asian and Latino Americans.

Stonewall Riots

Riots at a gay bar in New York, sparked the LGTBQ+ movement

Ronald Reagan

Republican of the 1980s who campaigned on the slogan "Let's Make America Great Again", aiming at addressing the major problem of stagflation in the 1970s.

Strategic Defense Initiative

"Star Wars", a system that intercepted nuclear weapons with forces in space but never was realized. Part of Reagan's increased defense spending.

End of the Cold War

The Soviet Union collapsed on December 26th, 1991, after democratization of eastern Europe

Fall of Berlin Wall

Seen as the symbolic end to the Cold War, reunited East and West Berlin when they had previously both been separated with East Berliners threatened by Soviet guards.

Reaganomics

Supply-side economics involving investment tax credits and tax cuts for businesses, credited with the end of stagflation. "Trickle-down" policies criticized for exacerbating inequality.

Rap in the 1980s

Discussed social issues especially caused by Reagan's cuts to social spending as well as the crack epidemic

AIDS

STD common among gay community, caused anger because of a lack of government (Reagan administration) response.

George HW Bush

One event was operation Desert Storm, where Iraq was attacked for invading Kuwait. Failed foreign policy included intervening in Somalia and not intervening in Yugoslavia. He also signed the ADA (passed by a more liberal Congress), negotiated NAFTA and START, and presided over the end of the Cold War. Rodney King beating occurred during his term, as well as a recession, causing him to lose the election of 1992. Bush also raised taxes despite the promise: "Read my lips. No new taxes"

Bill Clinton Presidency

Successful economic policies, helped recover from end of Bush's term. Also signed NAFTA. Plagued by Lewinsky scandal.

Monica Lewinsky Scandal

Clinton had an affair with an intern, Monica Lewinsky, and lied about it to Congress. He was then impeached but was acquitted.

Contract with America

Republican Party platform in 1994, still influences Republican ideas to this day. Includes balanced budget, welfare reform, tougher law enforcement, and congressional term limits. Popular enough that it brought Republicans to control both houses and Gingrich to become Speaker of the House

Oklahoma City Bombing

Terrorist incident where a truck full of explosives was blown up to avenge the FBI raid on the Branch Davidians

George W. Bush Presidency

Fought the War on Terror, starting conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as supporting humanitarian efforts to stop AIDS.

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane that swept Louisiana in 2005, devastating New Orleans, with the government criticized for its slow response. Flooding of New Orleans caused by low levees, which did not prevent water from filling the city.