APUSH:Unit 8 ( 1954-1980) Early Cold War & Post-War Transition

• Yalta Conference (1945) – Meeting of Allied leaders; shaped postwar Europe.

• United Nations (1945) – Created to replace League of Nations.

• Containment (1946–1947) – George Kennan’s idea to stop communism from spreading.

• Iron Curtain Speech (1946) – Winston Churchill's warning about Soviet expansion.

• Truman Doctrine (1947) – US promises to support nations resisting communism.

• Marshall Plan (1948) – Economic aid to rebuild Western Europe.

• Berlin Airlift (1948–1949) – US and British planes fly supplies to West Berlin during Soviet blockade.

• NATO (1949) – Military alliance between the US and Western Europe.

1950s: Cold War Escalation & Domestic Tensions

• Korean War (1950–1953) – North Korea invades South Korea; ends in stalemate.

• Second Red Scare / McCarthyism – Fear of communists in government; Sen. McCarthy’s accusations.

• House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) – Investigated suspected communists.

• Julius and Ethel Rosenberg (1953) – Executed for allegedly spying for the Soviets.

• Eisenhower Doctrine (1957) – Promised US aid to Middle East against communism.

• Interstate Highway Act (1956) – Funded road-building, boosted suburbs and defense.

• Military-Industrial Complex (Eisenhower's Farewell, 1961) – Warned about the influence of defense spending.

1950s–1960s: Civil Rights Movement

• Brown v. Board of Education (1954) – Declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

• Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956) – Sparked by Rosa Parks; MLK rises as leader.

• Little Rock Nine (1957) – Eisenhower sends troops to enforce school integration.

• Civil Rights Act of 1957 – First since Reconstruction; focused on voting rights (weak).

• Sit-in Movement (1960) – Begins in Greensboro; nonviolent protests spread.

1960s: Liberalism, Civil Rights, & Vietnam

• Kennedy’s New Frontier (1960–1963) – Domestic reform and space race.

• Bay of Pigs (1961) – Failed CIA-backed invasion of Cuba.

• Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) – 13-day standoff; US & USSR avoid nuclear war.

• March on Washington (1963) – MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech.

• Civil Rights Act of 1964 – Outlawed discrimination based on race, sex, religion.

• Voting Rights Act of 1965 – Ended literacy tests, allowed federal oversight of elections.

• Great Society (1964–1967) – LBJ's programs: Medicare, Medicaid, War on Poverty.

• Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964) – Gave LBJ authority to escalate Vietnam.

• Selma to Montgomery March (1965) – Led to Voting Rights Act.

• Watts Riots (1965) – Urban racial unrest in LA.

• Black Power Movement – Shift from integration to racial pride (e.g., SNCC, Malcolm X).

• Tet Offensive (1968) – Turning point; public turns against Vietnam War.

• Assassinations of MLK and RFK (1968) – Major social unrest.

• Democratic National Convention (1968) – Riots over Vietnam War split party.

1970s: Disillusionment & Conservatism Rising

• Vietnamization (1969–1973) – Nixon's plan to withdraw US troops, train South Vietnam.

• Invasion of Cambodia (1970) – Sparks protests like Kent State shootings.

• Pentagon Papers (1971) – Exposed government deception about Vietnam.

• Detente (1970s) – Easing of Cold War tensions; Nixon visits China (1972).

• SALT I Treaty (1972) – Strategic Arms Limitation Talks with USSR.

• Watergate Scandal (1972–1974) – Nixon resigns due to cover-up of break-in.

• War Powers Act (1973) – Limits president’s power to wage war.

• Roe v. Wade (1973) – Legalized abortion; right to privacy.

• OPEC Oil Embargo (1973) – Causes energy crisis and inflation.

• Stagflation – High inflation + unemployment + stagnant growth.

• Iran Hostage Crisis (1979–1981) – 52 Americans held during Carter's presidency.

Key Social Movements (1950s–1970s)

• Feminist Movement – Led by Betty Friedan, NOW, Title IX, Roe v. Wade.

• Environmental Movement – Silent Spring (1962) by Rachel Carson, EPA (1970).

• Chicano Movement – Cesar Chavez and United Farm Workers.

• Gay Rights Movement – Stonewall Riots (1969).

American Indian Movement (AIM) – Activism for tribal rights and sovereignty