US History Study Guide: The Cold War and America as a global superpower 1945-1960

Modern U.S. History - Mr. McGuire (11th gr.)

(Vocab) Harry S. Truman

Became president when FDR died; gave the order to drop the atomic bomb- designs U.S. Cold War foreign policy

(Vocab) Dwight D. Eisenhower

President; Commander of D-Day, Peace, Balanced budget, Father of the Interstate Highway System; "I like Ike"

(Vocab) Joseph McCarthy

Wisconsin senator claimed to have list of communists in American gov't, but no credible evidence; took advantage of fears of communism post WWII to become incredibly influential. Promote himself.

(Vocab) Alger Hiss

(Hiss Case) Trader, Spy for Soviet Union- proved that the Soviet Union could get access to people with authority in the United States.

(Vocab) Satellite Nations

Captive nations; countries near the Soviet Union that became puppets to Soviet Union. For example, Romania, Hungary, and Ukraine.

(Vocab) Loyalty Review Program

A policy established by President Truman that authorized the screening of all federal employees to determine their loyalty to the U.S. government.
-Response to the Hiss Case to track down Communists.

(Vocab) McCarran Act

Required all communist organizations to register with the government and to provide lists of members

(Vocab) Marshall Plan

A United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe, prevent famine, afraid of communist influence in italy and france.

(Vocab) The Berlin Aircraft

First Battle of Cold War; Germany was split into 4 quadrants- Soviet Union blockaded- Truman sent airlift into Berlin; win for USA.

(Vocab) NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an alliance made to defend one another if they were attacked by any other country; ATTACK ON ONE IS AN ATTACK ON ALL.

(Vocab) SEATO

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization

(Vocab) Limited War

Korean war; can never be completed because of nuclear war.

(Vocab) Massive Retaliation

Too much $ spent on military, must have strong economy. The "new look" defense policy of the Eisenhower administration of the 1950's was to threaten "massive retaliation" with nuclear weapons in response to any act of aggression by a potential enemy.

(Vocab) Covert

hidden; undercover missions ; balanced budget, forms CIA.

(Vocab) Military-Industrial Complex

People who make weapons have interest in making more so we as a society believe that we NEED more weapons = WAR!
-Don't spend more than NEEDED.

(Vocab) GI Bill

Law passed in 1944 to help returning veterans buy homes and pay for higher educations,

(Vocab) Right-to-work laws

Statutes that prohibit employees from being required to join a union as a condition of employment.

(Vocab) Fair Deal

President Truman's program to expand New Deal reforms enacted national health insurance and minimum wage.

(Vocab) Federal Highway Act

1956-largest public works project in the United States history; Eisenhower signed the law, which built over 40,000 miles of highways in the United States at a cost of $25 billion and created the interstate highway system; ostensibly to create routes for moving military supplies and for emergency evacuation in case of nuclear attack. The highway system made coast-to-coast driving a more common occurrence, and car-oriented vacations became a reality. - The growth of interstate highways allowed for a demographic shift as people vacationed, visited, and moved to areas in the south and southwest—the Sunbelt, from Florida through the deep South, all the way through Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

(Vocab) Levittown

Subdivision in Long Island, New York- Similar models of homes, more affordable for middle class.

(Vocab) Jonas Salk

Physician at University of Pittsburgh; developed polio vaccine

(Vocab) White-collar work

a person who performs professional, managerial or administrative work, may be performed in an office or other administrative setting- new normal for middle class; college educated.

(Vocab) Franchises

Consequence of Federal Highway Act; ex. Fast Food (signs, etc... on highways) also known as chains.

(Vocab) Rock n Roll

New sound of the age- Elvis Presley was most famous during this time.

(Vocab) Brown v. Board of Education

Supreme Court case in 1954 that said separate schools can never be equal, and that all public schools must desegregate as quickly as possible.

(Vocab) Montgomery Bus Boycott

protest in 1955-1956 by African Americans against racial segregation in bus system of Montgomery, Alabama.
-MLK more known

(Vocab) Juvenile Delinquency

Crime, gangs, concern for young people; going in the wrong direction (treating young people differently because acting out became more common)... "comic books were almost banned because many people were saying that they were the reason that caused juvenile delinquency."

(Vocab) Urban Renewal

Decline of great cities- because more people started to move to the suburbs.

(Vocab) Poverty Line

A method used to count the number of poor people, it considers what a family must spend for an "austere" standard of living.
-Public housing (rent)

(Vocab) Appalachia

Poorest region in the US (located throughout the Appalachian Mountains) -hillbilly-poverty
-J.D. Vance lived there.

(Key Question) What caused the Cold War? How did it change American national security policy?

The Cold War happened because the U.S. and the Soviet Union had different ideas about how countries should be run. It changed American security by focusing on stopping the spread of communism and building up military power.

(Key Question) How did the Cold War influence life inside the United States?

The Cold War made people in the U.S. worried about spies, nuclear war, and communism taking over. It led to things like the "Red Scare," where people were afraid of communist influences, and the government built bomb shelters just in case.

(Key Question) What were the most important changes in technology and in how people live?

During the Cold War, new technologies like computers, rockets, and nuclear weapons were developed. People also started living with the fear of war, so things like TV shows about spies and bomb drills became common.

(Key Question) Why did the civil rights movement begin to strengthen during this time period? What changes did it begin to bring out?

The Civil Rights Movement grew stronger during the Cold War because people wanted to show America was truly free and equal, especially since it was competing with the Soviet Union. It helped bring about big changes, like laws that stopped segregation and gave African Americans the right to vote.

(Key Question) What are the “social problems” that begin to get attention during this time period?

During this time, social problems like racism, poverty, and inequality started getting more attention. People began fighting for better rights for women, African Americans, and workers.

(Key Question) What were the outstanding achievements of Truman and Eisenhower as president? What were their biggest mistakes?

Truman's big achievements were helping rebuild Europe with the Marshall Plan and leading the U.S. through the end of World War II. His mistake was getting involved in the Korean War, which became a long, tough conflict.
Eisenhower's achievements included building the interstate highway system and keeping the U.S. safe during the Cold War. His mistake was not doing enough to stop the spread of communism in places like Vietnam.