Chapter 27 & 28 Review Sheet: The 1950’s

Cold War - Foreign Policy

• United Nations: Established after WWII to promote peace and cooperation among countries.

• General Assembly - UN policy-making body

• Security Council - US, USSR, France, China, and GB - made decisions for setting disputes among nations.

• 6 other nations rotated in terms.

3 sources of the war

• Friction - competition between the US and the USSR.

• Beliefs - believed their nations represented international justice and a better life for humanity.

• Leaders - Stalin was a ruthless dictator who arrested thousands of enemies of the nation.

Differences between USSR and the US:

• The USSR promoted communism, with no freedom and determination to achieve a rightful position.

• The US advocated for democracy and freedom and felt like a successor to European power.

Satellite Nations/Buffer Zone:

• Countries in Eastern Europe that were aligned with the USSR, serving as a buffer against Western influence.

• Satellite Nations - countries formally independent but heavily influenced and controlled by the USSR.

• Buffer zones - areas physically separating 2 or more powers for peace and stability.

Containment Policy:

• Aims to prevent the spread of communism.

Truman Doctrine:

• Provided military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey to help them resist communism. Truman wanted to assist nations to help rid them of communism.

Berlin Blockade (1948-1949):

• USSR blocked access to West Berlin, resulting in the Berlin Airlift by Western Allies.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization):

• Military alliance established in 1949 by the US and its European allies.

Warsaw Pact:

• Military alliance of communist nations formed in response to NATO in 1955.

Korean War (1950-1953):

• Conflict between North Korea (supported by China and USSR) and South Korea (supported by UN forces led by the US); ended in a stalemate and division at the 38th parallel.

• Starts from the end of World War 2 when Korea was occupied by the Soviet Union in the north and the United States in the south.

• UN Intervention (June 27, 1950): The United Nations, led by the U.S., intervenes to support South Korea.

• Chinese Intervention (Oct.-Nov. 1950): China sends troops across the Yalu River, driving UN forces south and recapturing Seoul.

• June 25th, 1950 - North Korean forces launched a surprise attack on South Korea, initiating the conflict.

• June 1950 - outbreak of the war.

• Battle of Chosin Reservoir.

• Conflict ended in 1953 with stalemate and armistice.

Sputnik (1957):

• The first artificial satellite launched by the USSR, which led to the Space Race.

U-2 Spy Plane Affair (1960):

• American U-2 plane shot down over the USSR, worsening US-Soviet relations.

Domestic Policies

Red Scare:

• The first red scare took place in the late 1910s and early 1920s.

• It was a reaction to:

  • The Russian revolution.

  • Labor unrest/strikes in the US.

  • The Palmer Raids.

  • Anti-immigrant feeling.

• After Palmer was discredited, the first red scare died down.

Second Red Scare:

• Post-WW2

• US and USSR emerged as the only 2 superpowers. The subsequent cold war helped to start a second-longer and more intense Red Scare.

• 1945 - 1955 - The Red Scare was an assault on civil liberties.

3 Ways to root out suspected traitors:

• Employee loyalty program.

• Congressional investigations.

• Criminal prosecutions.

• Fear of communism; led to loyalty tests and investigations.

Role of Senator McCarthy:

• He became infamous for accusing many of being communists, leading to widespread paranoia.

Elections:

• 1948: Harry Truman (Democrat) won against Thomas Dewey (Republican).

• 1952: Dwight Eisenhower (Republican) won against Adlai Stevenson (Democrat).

• 1956: Eisenhower was re-elected against Stevenson.

HUAC - House Un-American Activities Committee:

• Investigated alleged communist activities in the United States during the Red Scare.

• 1950 - McCarran internal security act required all communist parties to register with the Attorney general and show member lists.

• HUAC targeted Hollywood, which had a reputation for leaning left, and made sure no un-American messages were in the movies.

Hollywood 10:

• Refused to discuss their past political associations.

• Many were blacklisted and banned from jobs.

• HUAC changed politics in Hollywood from leaning left to right.

McCarthyism:

• Fear: Fear of Communism reached deep into American Society.

• Facts: 2 factors made Americans afraid of Communists.

  • Legitimate but exaggerated concerns about atomic spread.

  • Widespread fear that the world was spinning out of control.

Truman’s Fair Deal:

• Proposals for social welfare programs; including the GI Bill for veterans.

Domestic Issues:

GI Bill:

• Provided benefits for returning WWII veterans.

Housing:

• Increased demand for affordable housing after the war.

TV:

• Became a significant aspect of American culture.

Religion:

• Influenced societal norms and politics.

Roles of Men and Women:

• Traditional roles for men as breadwinners and for women as homemakers were prevalent.

Civil Rights Movement

Getting to the Supreme Court:

• 1953 - Earl Warren (white man) was appointed as Chief Justice and his court was known to be more liberal.

• NAACP - led by Thurgood Marshall.

• Fought to overturn the Plessy v. Ferguson decision.

Problems minorities faced:

• Systematic discrimination, segregation, and violence.

Brown vs Board of Education (1954):

• Supreme Court case that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional.

Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956):

• Sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest, it was a pivotal protest against racial segregation in public transportation.

• Blacks refused to use buses as public transport for 381 days, causing bus companies to lose money.

• Supreme Court ruled that segregated buses were illegal.

Little Rock Nine (1957):

• Group of African American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School, facing severe resistance and requiring federal intervention for protection.

Inventing teenagers:

• Teenagers joined adults as consumers, and activism tapped into a growing market by promoting a distinct youth culture.

• Rock and roll was a huge market and a love all teenagers shared.

• Technology allowed teenagers to enjoy music away from their families.

Ruby Bridges - Elementary

• 1956 - Autherine Lucy - university of Alabama.

Provocative Dancing:

• Jive - bouncy, jumpy, and upbeat. Provocative and very different from tradition.

• Adults hated it.

Rock and Roll:

• Buddy Holly.

• Elvis Presley.

• Chuck Berry.

Turning to Religion:

• Many Americans flocked back to religion in the 1950s.

• Evangelist Billy Graham used the media to spread religion.

2 Reasons for interest in Religion:

• Cold war struggle against 'godless Communism'.

• Go along with everyone else.

• 1957 - incorporated 'In God We Trust' and the phrase 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance which was not always in it. It was added to the U.S. Pledge.

The struggle for Civil Rights:

• 1947 Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball.

Types of Segregation:

• De Jure Segregation - segregation by law, common in the south; laws forbid African Americans from attending the same churches, swimming pools, or restaurants.

• De Facto Segregation - common in the North; housing discrimination by white community groups; every ethnic group has its own part of town.

Reasons the 1950s brought change:

• WW2 and the Korean War.

• The Cold War.

• Television.

• Redlining - banks wouldn’t give loans to certain areas, forcing people to live in rundown buildings in inner cities.

• Families who tried to find homes in white neighborhoods were often met with violence.