APUSH Period 8

Servicemen's Readjustment Act

aka GI Bill; provided a range of benefits for returning World War II veterans (including funding for higher education)

Harry Truman

Democrat who became president after FDR died (at end of WWII) and helped shape postwar world

Committee on Civil Rights

created by Truman via executive order (to bypass southern Democrats), making him the first modern president to use his office to challenge racial discrimination

22nd Amendment

limited president to a max of two full terms

Taft-Hartley Act

Republican-promoted, anti-union legislation passed over Truman's veto; weakened many of labor's New Deal gains by banning closed shop, among other things; required union leaders to take non-communist oath, purging union movement of many of most committed organizers

States-Rights Party

party created by Southern Democrats who broke away during the 1948 election due to conflict with Truman (liberal democrats also broke off); aka Dixiecrats

Fair Deal

President Truman's extensive social program introduced in 1949 message to Congress; Republicans and S Democrats kept much of vision from being enacted, except for raising minimum wage, providing for more public housing, and extending old-age insurance to many more people

Cold War

the 45-year-long diplomatic tension between the US and the Soviet Union that divided much of the world into polarized camps, capitalist against communist; most of international conflicts during that period, esp in developing world, can be traced to competition between US and USSR

United Nations

international body formed in 1945 to bring nations into dialogue in hopes of preventing further world wars; much like former League of Nations in ambition, more realistic in recognizing authority of Big Five Powers in keeping peace, so gave them veto power

World Bank

aka International Bank for Reconstruction and Development; created at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944; initially intended to fund rebuilding of war-torn world; Soviets didn't participate b/c saw as instrument of capitalism

Communist satellites

countries Soviet Union continued to occupy after WWII and during Cold War; though they held elections, often manipulated in favor of Communist candidates; alarmed US and GB (esp w/Poland)

Iron Curtain

name Churchill gave to Communist satellites in Eastern Europe

containment policy

Sec of State George Marshall formulated; idea was to get Soviets to back off plans for world domination and settle for peace

Truman Doctrine

President Truman's universal pledge of support for any people fighting any communist or communist-inspired threat; Truman presented the doctrine to Congress in support of his request for $400 million to defend Greece and Turkey against Soviet-backed insurgencies

Marshall Plan

massive transfer of aid money to help rebuild postwar Western Europe, intended to bolster capitalist and democratic governments and prevent domestic communist groups from riding poverty and misery to power; first announced by Secretary of State George Marshall at Harvard's commencement in June 1947

Berlin Airlift

year-long mission of flying food and supplies to blockaded West Berliners, whom the Soviet Union cut off from access to the West in the first major crisis of the Cold War

NATO

military alliance for defending members from outside attack; included US, GB, and Canada, along with 9 other nations

National Security Act

provided for centralized Department of Defense to coordinate operations of army, navy, and air force; creation of National Security Council to coordinate foreign policy in Cold War; and creation of CIA to gather information on foreign governments

NSC-68

58 pg paper issued by National Security Council; involved decision to increase pressure of Containment policy; called for significant increase in military spending

Chinese Civil War and "the loss of China"

Mao Zedong and Communists took over after Nationalist gov't fell apart due to inflation and corruption; Nationalists retreated to Taiwan

1946

Employment Act of ____

1948

Truman desegregates Armed Forces

Brown v. Board

landmark Supreme Court decision that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and and abolished racial segregation in public schools; Court reasoned "separate" is inherently "unequal," rejecting foundation of Jim Crow; first major step toward legal end of racial discrimination; major accomplishment for the Civil Rights Movement

Emmett Till Case

14 year old African-American boy murdered after reportedly flirting with white woman (kid was from Chicago and visiting relatives in MS); extremely gruesome

Montgomery Bus Boycott

protest, sparked by Rosa Parks's defiant refusal to move to the back of the bus, by black Alabamians against segregated seating on city buses; lasted from December 1 until December 26; became one of the foundational moments of the Civil Rights Movement; one of foundational moments of the Civil Rights Movement; led to rise of Martin Luther King, Jr., and ultimately to Supreme Court decision opposing segregated busing

Little Rock Nine

nine African American students kept from entering high school by National Guard; Eisenhower intervened and put under protection of federal troops

Interstate Highway System

created under Highway Act (Eisenhower); 42000 miles of highways linking nation's major cities; created jobs, promoted trucking, accelerated suburban growth, homogenized nat'l culture, hurt railroads and environment

"modern Republicanism"

name Eisenhower gave to his balanced and moderate approach (accepted New Deal programs, extended Social Security, raised minimum wage, built public housing, consolidated welfare into Dept of HEW under first woman in Republican cabinet)

Second Red Scare

began after US victory in WWII b/c of Truman administration's tendency to see Communist conspiracy behind civil wars in Euro and Asia; feared Communist conspirators and spies had American society (including State Department and military)

Hydrogen Bomb

created first by US and then USSR copied; more powerful than fission bomb

domino theory

Eisenhower's theory that, if S Vietnam fell under Communist control, other nations would fall, eventually threatening Australia and New Zealand

"brinkmanship"

name for John Foster Dulles's policy of pushing Communist powers to brink of war but using nuclear weapons as deterrent

Iran and Guatemala

notable countries in which the CIA intervened to establish a government that favored the US

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)

formed to protect South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from communism; nations agreed to protect one another if attack in SE Asia; signed by US, GB, Fr, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan

Suez Crisis

international crisis launched when Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalize Suez Canal (previously owned mostly by French and British stockholders); GB and Fr attacked Egypt but failed to reclaim w/o help from US; important turning point in post-colonial Middle East and highlighted rising importance of oil in world affairs

Eisenhower Doctrine

US pledged economic and military aid to any Middle Eastern country threatened by communism

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

organization created by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, Iran, and Venezuela; one sign of oil's growing importance

Sputnik

Soviet satellite first launched into Earth orbit October 4, 1957; pushed USSR noticeably ahead of US in Space Race; ______ II (larger than first) sent up a month later; prompted US to redouble space exploration efforts and raise American fears of Soviet superiority

1958

NASA

The Affluent Society

written by economist John Kenneth Galbraith; about failure of wealthy Americans to address need for increased social spending for common good

Levittown

suburban communities with mass-produced tract houses built in NY and Philadelphia metro areas in 1950s by William and Sons; typically inhabited by white middle-class who fled cities for homes for growing families

David Reisman and John Kenneth Galbraith

critics of social trends in 1950's; included Harvard sociologist and an economist

TV

helped unify nat'l culture while creating concerns about children raised watching it

The Catcher in the Rye, Catch-22

novels written in 1950's about individual's struggle against conformity

the Beatniks / Beat Generation

included Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg

rock'n'roll

"crossover" music style which rose to dominance in 1950s, merging black rhythm and blues with white bluegrass and country; featuring heavy beat and driving rhythm, became defining feature of 1950s youth culture

Rebellious Youth

name for teens in 1950s

1945

Yalta Conference, WWII ends in Europe, US drops A-Bomb on Japan, Potsdam conference

1946

First E Euro Communist gov't set up in Albania

1947

Communists seize power in Poland, Truman Doctrine announced

1949

NATO established, Soviets explode first A-Bomb, Communists win Chinese Civil War

1950

US and other UN members fight N Korean forces

1953

Korean War Ends, US sponsored coup overthrows Iranian gov't

1954

US sponsored coup overthrows Guatemalan gov't, SEATO formed

1955

Warsaw Pact formed, first summit meeting b/w Eisenhower and Premier Khrushchev

1956

Red Army crushes Hungarian Revolution

1957

Soviets launch first man-made satellite (SPUTNIK!)

1959

Fidel Castro becomes premier of Cuba, installs Communist gov't

1960

first TV debate in US history

New Frontier

name for JFK's plan for federal aid to education, federal health care, urban renewal, civil rights; liberally idealistic but politically unrealistic b/c most of programs couldn't get out of Congress

1961

Bay of Pigs Invasion

Bay of Pigs

name for CIA scheme to train Cuban exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro; in April, landed in Bay of Pigs but failed to set off uprising; forced to surrender after JFK didn't send US aid

1961-1989

Berlin Wall

1962

Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuban Missile Crisis

name for mess which unfolded after US reconnaissance planes uncovered Russians building underground missile bases in Cuba; JFK responded w/ naval blockade; many afraid of nuclear war; missiles withdrawn after US agreed to withdraw missiles from Turkey and to not invade Cuba

Flexible Response

name for JFK administration's policy of increasing spending on conventional arms and mobile military forces to reduce the possibility of nuclear war; in contrast to Dulles's "brinkmanship"

1961-1963

JFK

1963-1965

Lyndon B Johnson

Great Society Reforms

major part of LBJ's domestic program; sort of an extension of New Deal; included expanded Civil Rights legislation, income tax cut, and "War on Poverty"; one of most active and successful legislative eras in Congressional history (LBJ had Congress on his side)

Food Stamp Act

Great Society program; expanded the federal program to help poor people buy food

1964

Food Stamp Act

National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities

Great Society program; provided federal funding for arts and for creative and scholarly projects

1965

National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities

Medicare

Great Society program; provided health insurance for all people 65 and older

1965

Medicare

Medicaid

Great Society program; provided funds to states to pay for medical care for the poor and disabled

1965

Medicaid

Elementary and Secondary Education Act

Great Society program; provided federal funds to poor school districts, funds for special educations, and funds to expand Head Start (and early childhood education program)

1965

Elementary and Secondary Education Act

Higher Education Act

Great Society program; provided federal scholarships for post-secondary education

1965

Higher Education Act

Immigration Act

Great Society program; abolished discriminatory quotas based on national origins

1965

Immigration Act

Child Nutrition Act

Great Society program; added breakfasts to the school lunch program

1966

Child Nutrition Act

Mapp v. Ohio

Warren Court case in which the Court ruled that illegally seized evidence cannot be used in court against the accused

1961

Mapp v. Ohio

Gideon v. Wainwright

Warren Court case; required that state courts provide counsel (services of an attorney) for indigent (poor) defendants

1963

Gideon v. Wainwright

Escobedo v. Illinois

Warren Court case; required police to inform arrested person of right to remain silent

1964

Escobedo v. Illinois

Miranda v. Arizona

Warren Court case; extended ruling in Escobedo to include the right to a lawyer being present during questioning by the police

1966

Miranda v. Arizona

Baker v. Carr

Warren Court case; Warren Court declared division of districts to favor rural areas unconstitutional

Warren Court

name for Supreme Court with Earl Warren as chief justice; made a series of decisions profoundly affecting criminal justice system, state political systems, and the definition of individual rights

1953-1969

Warren Court

1962

Baker v. Carr

Yates v. United States

Warren Court case; said that 1st Amendment protected radical and revolutionary speech, even by Communists, unless it was a "clear and present danger" to the safety of the country

1957

Yates v. United States

Engel v. Vitale

Warren Court case; ruled that state laws requiring prayers and Bible readings in the public schools violated the 1st Amendment's provision for separation of church and state