2024 – 2025 APUSH Vocabulary - Historical Time Period 8 (1945 – 1980)

These flashcards cover key terms and definitions from Historical Time Period 8 (1945-1980), crucial for understanding U.S. history during the Cold War and social changes.

Cold War

The period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States after World War II.

United Nations

An international organization founded in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation among countries.

Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' speech

A speech by Winston Churchill in 1946 which highlighted the division between the Western powers and the Soviet Union.

Containment/Truman Doctrine

A U.S. policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism by providing political, military, and economic assistance to nations threatened by communism.

Marshall Plan

A U.S. program providing aid to Western Europe after World War II to help rebuild economies.

Berlin Airlift

The 1948 operation in which the U.S. and its allies used aircraft to supply West Berlin after the city was blockaded by the Soviet Union.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

A military alliance formed in 1949 between North America and European countries to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.

Warsaw Pact

A military alliance of communist nations in response to NATO, established in 1955.

Arms Race

A competition between nations to achieve superior military capability, particularly in nuclear weapons.

Korean War

A conflict between North Korea (with support from China and the Soviet Union) and South Korea (with support from the United States) from 1950 to 1953.

John Foster Dulles and 'brinkmanship'

The U.S. Secretary of State's policy of pushing dangerous events to the brink of active conflict to coerce opponents.

Sputnik

The first artificial Earth satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, marking the start of the space age.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 13-day confrontation in 1962 over the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba, which brought the two superpowers close to nuclear war.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

The landmark 1954 Supreme Court case that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Civil Rights Act, 1964

Legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

The landmark Supreme Court case that recognized a woman's legal right to have an abortion.

Watergate scandal

A political scandal in the 1970s involving a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and subsequent cover-up by the Nixon administration.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

An agency of the U.S. federal government established in 1970 to regulate and enforce national pollution control laws.