APUSH Period 8

Soviet Union

Communist superpower rivaling the U.S. during the Cold War.

Security Council

Powerful UN body with 5 permanent members (US, USSR, UK, France, China); handles global peace/security.

Satellite States

Eastern European countries controlled by the Soviet Union after WWII.

Iron Curtain

Imaginary division between communist East and capitalist West Europe.

George F. Kennan

U.S. diplomat who created the containment policy to stop Soviet expansion.

Containment Policy

U.S. strategy to prevent the spread of communism during the Cold War.

Truman Doctrine

U.S. pledged military/economic aid to countries resisting communism (starting with Greece & Turkey).

George C. Marshall

Secretary of State who proposed economic aid to rebuild Europe.

Marshall Plan

U.S. gave billions to rebuild Western Europe and stop communism.

Berlin Airlift

U.S. and allies flew in supplies to West Berlin after Soviet blockade (1948-49).

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Military alliance of U.S., Canada, and Western Europe to defend against the USSR.

Warsaw Pact

Soviet-led military alliance of communist Eastern European nations.

National Security Act

1947 law that restructured U.S. military: created CIA, Department of Defense, and NSC.

Douglas MacArthur (Japan)

U.S. general who led postwar reforms and democratization in Japan.

Mao Zedong

Communist leader who took over China in 1949 after defeating Nationalists.

Korean War

1950–1953 war between North (communist) and South (U.S.-backed) Korea.

38th Parallel

Dividing line between North and South Korea, established after WWII.

Stalemate

No clear winner; describes Korean War’s end with unchanged borders.

Brinkmanship

Cold War strategy of pushing conflict to the edge of war to intimidate opponents.

“Spirit of Geneva”

1955 thaw in Cold War tensions after U.S.-USSR summit in Switzerland.

Nikita Khrushchev

Soviet leader after Stalin; led during Cuban Missile Crisis and de-Stalinization.

Sputnik

First satellite launched into space by the USSR in 1957.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

U.S. space agency created after Sputnik to compete with USSR.

U-2 Incident

1960 U.S. spy plane shot down over USSR, worsening Cold War tensions.

Cuba

Island that became communist under Fidel Castro in 1959.

Fidel Castro

Communist leader of Cuba who aligned with the USSR.

military-industrial complex

Eisenhower’s warning about the growing power of defense industries in politics.

Berlin Wall

Barrier built in 1961 to stop East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin.

Bay of Pigs

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

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 standoff between U.S. and USSR over Soviet missiles in Cuba; nearly caused nuclear war.

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

1963 agreement to stop testing nuclear weapons in the atmosphere.

John F Kennedy

35th president; led during Cuban Missile Crisis, supported civil rights and the space race.

Lyndon B. Johnson

36th president; launched Great Society, escalated Vietnam War.

Non-Proliferation Treaty

1968 agreement to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

Henry Kissinger

Nixon’s advisor who led détente and helped open relations with China.

Détente

Easing Cold War tensions in the 1970s between U.S. and USSR.

Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT I)

1972 U.S.-USSR agreement to limit nuclear weapons.

Soviet-Afghan War

1979–1989 conflict where U.S. backed Afghan rebels against Soviet invasion.

McCarran Internal Security Act

1950 law requiring communists to register with the government.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

Congressional group that investigated suspected communists.

Alger Hiss

Government official accused of spying for the USSR; symbol of Red Scare.

Julius Rosenberg

U.S. citizen executed for giving atomic secrets to the Soviets.

Joseph R. McCarthy

Senator who led anti-communist witch hunts without much evidence.

McCarthyism

The practice of making unsupported accusations of communism.

Second Red Scare

1950s fear of communist influence in U.S. government and society.

Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (GI Bill)

Gave WWII vets benefits like education and housing.

Baby Boom

Massive increase in U.S. births after WWII.

Levittown

Suburban housing development; symbol of postwar suburbanization.

Sun Belt

Southern/western U.S. states with growing population and economy post-WWII.

22nd Amendment

Limits presidents to two terms; passed after FDR’s four terms.

Fair Deal

Truman’s plan to extend New Deal programs and help the poor.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

WWII general and president known for moderate politics and highways.

Interstate Highway Act

1956 law creating national highways; boosted economy and suburbs.

New Frontier

JFK’s domestic program focusing on science, civil rights, and poverty.

Great Society

LBJ’s plan to end poverty and racial injustice (Medicare, education, etc.).

New Federalism

Nixon’s policy of giving more power and money to state governments.

Richard Nixon

President who ended Vietnam War, opened China, and resigned after Watergate.

Stagflation

1970s combo of high inflation and unemployment.

Rock and roll

1950s-60s youth music linked with rebellion and cultural change.

Beatniks

1950s writers and artists who rejected conformity and materialism.

Kennedy Assassination

JFK killed in Dallas, TX in 1963; shocked the nation.

Warren Commission

Official investigation that concluded Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.

Committee on Civil Rights

Truman’s group that pushed for federal civil rights laws.

NAACP

Civil rights group that fought segregation through legal challenges.

Jackie Robinson

First Black MLB player; broke the color barrier in 1947.

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 case ending school segregation.

Thurgood Marshall

NAACP lawyer in Brown case; later first Black Supreme Court justice.

Earl Warren

Chief Justice known for expanding civil rights and liberties.

Desegregation

Ending the separation of races, especially in schools.

Little Rock Nine

Black students who integrated an Arkansas high school with federal help.

Rosa Parks

Refused to give up her bus seat; sparked Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

1955 protest that launched MLK and desegregated buses.

Emmett Till

Black teen murdered in Mississippi; his death shocked the nation.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Civil rights leader known for nonviolence and “Dream” speech.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

MLK’s group promoting nonviolent protest.

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Student-led civil rights group using sit-ins and marches.

Covert action

Secret government operations, often by the CIA, during the Cold War.

Suez Canal

Waterway in Egypt; Cold War conflict erupted when Egypt nationalized it.

Eisenhower Doctrine

U.S. would defend Middle East against communism.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

Oil group that influenced prices and caused 1970s embargo.

Yom Kippur War

1973 Arab-Israeli war; led to oil embargo by Arab nations.

Oil Embargo

OPEC stopped selling oil to U.S. in 1973, causing an energy crisis.

Camp David Accords

1978 peace deal between Egypt and Israel brokered by Carter.

Iran Hostage Crisis

1979 seizure of U.S. embassy staff by Iranian revolutionaries; lasted 444 days.

The Peace Corps

JFK program sending Americans abroad to help developing countries.

Panama Canal

U.S. gave control of the canal back to Panama in 1977.

Vietnam War

U.S. fought to stop communism in Southeast Asia (1955

Domino Theory

Belief that if one country fell to communism, nearby ones would too.

Tonkin Gulf Resolution

Gave LBJ broad war powers in Vietnam without a formal declaration.

Credibility Gap

Public distrust of government info during Vietnam War.

Hawks vs. Doves

Hawks supported Vietnam War; doves opposed it.

Tet Offensive

1968 surprise attack by Viet Cong; turned U.S. opinion against the war.

Vietnamization

Nixon’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops and let South Vietnam take over.

Kent State Massacre

1970 shooting of student protesters by National Guard.

My Lai Massacre

U.S. soldiers killed Vietnamese civilians; increased antiwar protests.

Pentagon Papers

Secret documents leaked showing government lied about Vietnam.