APUSH Period 8: Cold War, Civil Rights, and Social Change

Cold War

Geopolitical tension post-WWII between U.S. and USSR.

Containment Policy

Strategy to prevent communism's global spread.

Truman Doctrine

1947 policy providing $400 million to Greece and Turkey.

Marshall Plan

U.S. aid to rebuild Western Europe post-WWII.

NATO

1949 military alliance for collective defense.

Domino Theory

Belief that communism spreads like falling dominoes.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

1964 authorization for military action in Vietnam.

Tet Offensive

1968 surprise attack undermining U.S. victory claims.

Vietnamization

Nixon's strategy for South Vietnam to self-fight.

Korean War

Conflict (1950-1953) ending in stalemate at 38th Parallel.

NSC-68

Truman's policy for military buildup during Cold War.

SALT I

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks agreement between U.S. and USSR.

Détente

Period of relaxed tensions between U.S. and USSR.

Eisenhower Doctrine

U.S. support for Middle Eastern nations against communism.

Bay of Pigs

Failed U.S. invasion attempt of Cuba in 1961.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 confrontation nearly leading to nuclear war.

McCarthyism

Anti-communist sentiment and persecution in the 1950s.

Great Society

LBJ's programs aimed at eliminating poverty and racial injustice.

Warren Court Decisions

Landmark Supreme Court rulings expanding civil rights.

Civil Rights Act

1964 law prohibiting discrimination in public spaces.

Voting Rights Act

1965 legislation eliminating literacy tests for voters.

Title IX

1972 law ensuring equal funding for women's education.

Stonewall Riots

1969 protests marking the start of LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Counterculture

1960s movement challenging traditional norms and values.