CPUSH Second Semester Final Study Guide Terms

Causes of the Great Depression

Overproduction, uneven wealth distribution, stock market speculation, high tariffs, and bank failures contributed to the 1929 economic collapse.

Stock Market Crash

The 1929 collapse of stock prices that marked the beginning of the Great Depression; also known as Black Tuesday.

FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)

A New Deal agency that insures bank deposits, restoring trust in the American banking system.

Speculation

The practice of buying high-risk stocks in hopes of quick profit, contributing to the 1929 crash.

Plight of Farmers

Farmers faced falling crop prices, mounting debt, and environmental disasters like the Dust Bowl.

Bonus Army

WWI veterans who marched on Washington in 1932 demanding early bonus payments; dispersed by military force.

Laissez-Faire Economic Policies

Minimal government interference in business, contributing to unchecked speculation and economic instability before the Depression.

Fireside Chats

Radio addresses by FDR to explain policies and reassure the public during the Depression and WWII.

Unemployment Rates

Skyrocketed to around 25% during the Great Depression, leaving millions without jobs.

FDR Court Packing

Roosevelt's failed 1937 plan to add more justices to the Supreme Court to support New Deal legislation.

New Deal Programs

A series of federal initiatives by FDR aimed at relief, recovery, and reform during the Great Depression.

Demagogues

Leaders who gained popularity by exploiting public fears and making unrealistic promises during the Depression era (e.g., Huey Long).

Women’s Roles

Took on factory, military, and support roles (e.g., “Rosie the Riveter”) while men were at war.

Code Talkers

Navajo soldiers who used their language to create an unbreakable code used in the Pacific theater.

Manhattan Project

Secret U.S. project during WWII that developed the atomic bomb.

Key Dates

1939: WWII begins; 1941: Pearl Harbor; 1944: D-Day; 1945: VE Day & Hiroshima/Nagasaki.

Munich Conference

1938 meeting where Britain and France appeased Hitler by allowing him to annex the Sudetenland.

Island Hopping

Allied military strategy in the Pacific of capturing key islands to get closer to Japan.

Allies v Axis

Allies: U.S., Britain, USSR; Axis: Germany, Italy, Japan.

Non-Aggression Pact

1939 agreement between Nazi Germany and the USSR to not attack each other; later broken by Hitler.

Top Generals

Eisenhower (Europe), MacArthur (Pacific), Patton (U.S.); Rommel (Germany), Yamamoto (Japan).

Neutrality Acts

1930s laws aimed at keeping the U.S. out of foreign wars by restricting arms sales and loans.

Nye Report

1934 investigation suggesting U.S. entered WWI for arms industry profits; increased isolationism.

Charles Lindbergh

Aviator and isolationist who opposed U.S. involvement in WWII.

Tuskegee Airmen

First Black military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps; highly decorated.

US Army 442nd

Japanese American unit in WWII, one of the most decorated despite facing internment at home.

Manzanar

One of the internment camps where Japanese Americans were held during WWII.

Vichy

Collaborative French government that cooperated with Nazi Germany during WWII.

GI Bill of Rights

1944 law providing WWII veterans with benefits like education and home loans.

Men v Women Gender Roles

Men returned to work; women were pushed back into domestic roles, leading to tension and early feminism.

Jonas Salk

Doctor who developed the first successful polio vaccine in the 1950s.

Beatniks

Countercultural group rejecting 1950s materialism; precursors to the hippies.

Billy Graham

Influential evangelical preacher during the Cold War era; promoted Christian values in politics.

Rise of Television

TV became a dominant medium, shaping culture, politics, and family life.

Betty Friedan

Author of The Feminine Mystique; sparked second-wave feminism.

Conformity v Rebellion

1950s tension between societal expectations and youth-driven cultural rebellion.

Keeping Up with the Joneses

Phrase capturing postwar consumerism and the drive to match neighbors' lifestyles.

HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee)

Congressional committee investigating suspected communist activities in the U.S.

Sandinistas v Contras

U.S.-backed Contras fought against Nicaragua’s leftist Sandinista government in the 1980s.

Mao Zedong v Jiang Jieshi

Chinese Civil War: Mao led communists; Jiang (Chiang Kai-shek) led nationalists.

NATO v Warsaw Pact

NATO: Western military alliance; Warsaw Pact: Soviet-led response in Eastern Europe.

Sputnik

First artificial satellite, launched by the USSR in 1957; started the Space Race.

Rise of Soviet Union

USSR emerged as a superpower after WWII, challenging U.S. global influence.

Berlin Airlift

1948–49 U.S./Allied effort to supply West Berlin during Soviet blockade.

Iron Curtain

Churchill’s term for the division between communist East and democratic West Europe.

United Nations

International body formed in 1945 to promote peace, replacing the League of Nations.

Korean War

1950–1953 conflict between communist North Korea and U.S.-backed South Korea.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

1964 measure giving LBJ broad military powers in Vietnam after disputed naval incident.

Pentagon Papers

Leaked documents showing U.S. government misled public about Vietnam War.

Ho Chi Minh v Ngo Dinh Diem

Ho: Communist leader of North Vietnam; Diem: anti-communist leader of South Vietnam.

Tet Offensive

1968 surprise attack by Viet Cong; shifted U.S. public opinion on Vietnam War.

Bay of Pigs

Failed 1961 CIA invasion of Cuba to overthrow Fidel Castro.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 confrontation between U.S. and USSR over Soviet missiles in Cuba.

NASA (Moon Landing)

U.S. space agency; landed Apollo 11 on the moon in 1969, winning the Space Race.

1980 Summer Olympics

U.S. boycotted Moscow Olympics to protest Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Iranian Revolution

1979 overthrow of U.S.-backed Shah; established Islamic Republic under Ayatollah Khomeini.

The Feminine Mystique

Book by Betty Friedan criticizing gender roles; pivotal in women’s liberation.

Montgomery Improvement Association

Group led by MLK Jr. to coordinate Montgomery Bus Boycott after Rosa Parks' arrest.

Black Panthers

Militant civil rights group advocating for self-defense and community programs.

Plessy v. Ferguson

1896 Supreme Court case upholding racial segregation ("separate but equal").

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 decision overturning Plessy; declared segregated schools unconstitutional.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark law banning discrimination based on race, color, sex, or religion.

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

MLK-led group promoting nonviolent civil rights activism.

Malcolm X

Black nationalist leader who advocated self-defense and later Pan-African unity.

Little Rock Nine

Black students who integrated Little Rock Central High School in 1957.

James Meredith

First Black student to integrate the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss).

Rosa Parks

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

Charles Houston

NAACP lawyer who laid groundwork for Brown v. Board; mentor to Thurgood Marshall.

Jackie Robinson

First African American to play Major League Baseball in the modern era.

Harry Truman

Desegregated the armed forces in 1948; supported civil rights reform.

Medgar Evers

Civil rights activist murdered in 1963 for organizing voter registration drives.

Thurgood Marshall

NAACP lawyer in Brown v. Board; first Black Supreme Court justice.

Bayard Rustin

Key organizer of the 1963 March on Washington; advocate of nonviolence.

Earl Warren

Chief Justice whose court issued major civil rights rulings, including Brown v. Board.

Watergate

Scandal involving break-in at DNC HQ and Nixon’s cover-up; led to his resignation.

The Plumbers

Nixon’s covert team created to stop leaks and sabotage political opponents.

Gerald Ford

38th President; pardoned Nixon, faced economic troubles and falling trust in government.

E. Howard Hunt

Member of the Plumbers; involved in the Watergate break-in and cover-up.

Hush Money

Bribes paid to keep individuals silent about illegal or scandalous activities.