Chapter. 34 Key Terms

Yalta Conference: A 1945 meeting between Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin to plan post-war Europe and the division of Germany.

Bretton Woods Conference: A 1944 conference establishing the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank to stabilize the global economy.

United Nations: An international organization founded in 1945 to promote peace, security, and cooperation among nations.

Nuremberg Trials: Post-World War II military tribunals prosecuting Nazi leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Berlin Airlift: A 1948–1949 operation in which the U.S. and allies supplied West Berlin by air after the Soviet blockade.

Containment: A U.S. Cold War policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine: A 1947 policy pledging U.S. support for nations resisting communism, particularly in Greece and Turkey.

Marshall Plan: A U.S. program providing economic aid to rebuild European economies after World War II.

NATO: A military alliance formed in 1949 to counter Soviet expansion and ensure collective security among Western nations.

NSC-68: A 1950 U.S. policy document advocating increased military spending to combat Soviet influence during the Cold War.

House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC): A congressional committee that investigated alleged communist influence in the U.S. during the Cold War.

McCarthyism: A period of intense anti-communist suspicion and accusations in the U.S., led by Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Executive Order 9981: A 1948 order by President Truman desegregating the U.S. military.

Taft-Hartley Act: A 1947 law restricting the power of labor unions and allowing the president to intervene in strikes.

Operation Dixie: A failed post-WWII effort to unionize workers in the Southern United States.

Employment Act of 1946: A U.S. law aimed at promoting economic stability and full employment.

GI Bill: A 1944 law providing education and housing benefits to World War II veterans.

Fair Deal: President Truman’s domestic program advocating social reforms, civil rights, and economic expansion.

Sunbelt: A region in the southern and western U.S. that experienced rapid population and economic growth after WWII.

Levittown: A post-WWII suburban housing development symbolizing mass-produced affordable homes.

Redlining: A discriminatory banking practice denying loans to certain racial or ethnic groups, contributing to segregation.

Baby Boom: A significant increase in birth rates from the mid-1940s to the 1960s following World War II.

Joseph Stalin: The leader of the Soviet Union from the 1920s to 1953, overseeing its role in World War II and the Cold War.

Jiang Jieshi: The leader of China’s Nationalist government, who fled to Taiwan after losing to the Communists in 1949.

Alger Hiss: A U.S. government official accused of being a Soviet spy, convicted of perjury in 1950.

George Kennan: A U.S. diplomat and strategist who developed the Cold War policy of containment.

Benjamin Spock: An influential pediatrician whose book on child care shaped parenting in the mid-20th century.