APUSH U8

Cold War

Long period of tension (1945–1991) between the U.S. and the Soviet Union without direct fighting.

Containment

U.S. policy to stop the spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine

Policy by Harry S. Truman giving aid to countries resisting communism.

Marshall Plan

U.S. program that gave money to rebuild Europe after WWII to prevent communism.

NATO

Military alliance between the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe for mutual defense.

Korean War

(1950–1953) War between North Korea (communist) and South Korea (U.S.-supported); ended in a stalemate.

Vietnam War

(1955–1975) War where the U.S. tried to stop communism in Vietnam; ended with a communist victory.

Domino Theory

Belief that if one country became communist, nearby countries would also fall to communism.

McCarthyism

Anti-communist movement led by Joseph McCarthy accusing people of being communists without solid evidence.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 confrontation between the U.S. and Soviet Union over nuclear missiles in Cuba.

Bay of Pigs

Failed 1961 U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba to overthrow Fidel Castro.

Civil Rights Movement

Movement to end racial segregation and gain equal rights for African Americans (1950s–1960s).

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 Supreme Court case that ruled school segregation unconstitutional.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

Protest (1955–1956) against segregated buses in Alabama.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Leader who promoted nonviolent protest for civil rights.

Civil Rights Act (1964)

Law banning discrimination based on race, gender, religion, or national origin.

Voting Rights Act (1965)

Law protecting voting rights and banning discriminatory practices like literacy tests.

Great Society

Programs by Lyndon B. Johnson to reduce poverty and expand education and healthcare.

Medicare & Medicaid

Government healthcare programs: Medicare (elderly) and Medicaid (low-income people).

Feminist movement (2nd wave)

Movement in the 1960s–1970s for women’s equality in jobs, education, and rights.

Environmental movement

Effort to protect nature and reduce pollution (led to laws like Clean Air/Water Acts).

Watergate

Political scandal that led to the resignation of Richard Nixon in 1974.