Unit 8: 1945-1980 Notes

The Cold War

• Big Idea 1: The US and the Soviet Union engaged in a decades-long Cold War. The US's main goal was to contain communism.
  • Centered around a rivalry between the US (democratic capitalists) and the Soviet Union (authoritarian communists) after WWII.
  • Mistrust and suspicion began even before the war ended.
  • The "Big Three" agreed on free elections in Central and Eastern Europe, but Stalin kept those countries under Soviet control as a buffer zone.
  • The US viewed this as a violation of self-determination and democracy.
  • The Soviet construction of the Berlin Wall further increased mistrust.
  • Containment: The US policy during the Cold War aimed to prevent the spread of communism.
  • Both democracy and communism seek to expand globally.
  • The Truman Doctrine: The US provided military and economic support to nations threatened by communism.
  • The Marshall Plan: Extensive economic aid from the US to help European nations rebuild after WWII, promoting democracy through economic stability.
  • Mutual Defense Pacts:
    • NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization): Formed by the US and Western European states.
    • Warsaw Pact: Formed by the Soviet Union and communist nations of Eastern Europe.
  • Arms Race: A race to develop superior weapon systems by both sides.
  • Proxy Wars: The US and the Soviet Union supported opposing sides in various proxy wars (e.g., Korea and Vietnam) without directly fighting each other.

The Second Red Scare

• Big Idea 2: Americans debated policies to expose suspected communists within the US, even as both parties supported containing communism.
  • The Second Red Scare: General fear of communist spies infiltrating American society.
  • House Un-American Activities Committee: Searched for communist influence in American society.
  • Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism: A witch hunt for communists, creating hysteria.
  • McCarthy's claims of having a list of 205 communists in the State Department were ultimately unproven, leading to his disgrace.

Post-War Economic Growth and Social Changes

• Big Idea 3: The US economy grew significantly in the 1950s, creating the occasion for the baby boom, cultural conformity, and increased migration.
  • Baby Boom: Postwar explosion of births (50 million added to the population between 1945 and 1960).
    • Increased demand for housing construction, leading to suburbanization (e.g., Levittown).
  • Rise of Mass Culture: American culture became increasingly homogenous.
    • The rise of television replaced radio as the chief entertainment device.

Civil Rights Movement

• Big Idea 4: Continuing a long tradition of black resistance to systemic racism, the civil rights movement used a variety of strategies to challenge racial segregation.
  • Brown v. Board of Education (1954):
    • Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, arguing that segregation in schools was not equal and violated the Fourteenth Amendment.
    • Integration was slow but progressive.
  • Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955):
    • Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus, sparking a boycott.
    • Martin Luther King, Jr. emerged as a leader, advocating civil disobedience and nonviolence.

Civil Rights Victories

• Big Idea 5: Building on progress in the 1940s and 1950s, the civil rights movement won major victories in the 1960s with legislation outlawing racial discrimination.
  • Sit-ins and mass arrests led to the overturning of segregation laws.
  • March on Washington (1963): King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, calling for an end to racial segregation.
  • Civil Rights Act of 1964: Made discrimination based on race, religion, or sex illegal.
  • Voting Rights Act of 1965: Prohibited racial discrimination in voting.
  • Different Voices of Resistance:
    • Martin Luther King Jr.: Advocated nonviolent resistance.
    • Malcolm X: Advocated militarism and separatism, countering white violence with black violence.

Decolonization and Cold War Involvement

• Big Idea 6: Worldwide postwar decolonization was the occasion for increasing Cold War involvement by both the Soviet Union and the United States.
  • Decolonization: Former colonized nations gained independence after WWII.
  • The US and the Soviet Union competed for influence in these new countries.
  • Examples:
    • Guatemala (1954): The US led a coup to overthrow a socialist government encroaching on US business interests.
    • Iran (1953): The CIA aided in overthrowing a socialist government that wanted to nationalize the oil industry and installed a shah sympathetic to American interests.

The Vietnam War

• Big Idea 7: The Vietnam War was fought under the rubric of communist containment, and it created deep divisions among Americans about America's proper place in the world.
  • Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: Congress gave the president a blank check to protect American interests in the region after a questionable firing on US ships.
    • The war was not declared by Congress, leading to debates about executive power.
  • Escalation: Johnson increased the number of American soldiers in Vietnam.
    • In 1965, nearly 200,000 American troops were fighting which doubled in two years.
  • Anti-War Protests: Fueled by secrecy and misinformation about the war.
    • Great mistrust towards the federal government grew.

The Great Society

• Big Idea 8: Lyndon Johnson's Great Society carried on the legacies of the New Deal and is considered the high mark of American liberalism.
  • The Great Society extended reforms introduced by FDR's New Deal.
  • War on Poverty: Aimed to address poverty affecting 40 million Americans.
  • Key Programs:
    • Medicare: Health insurance for people over 65.
    • Medicaid: Health insurance for those in poverty.
    • Immigration Act: Abolished immigration quotas.

Expansion of Civil Rights

• Big Idea 9: The civil rights movement expanded to include Latinos, American Indians, Asian Americans, women, and gay and lesbian Americans.
  • Latino Rights Movement:
    • Led by Cesar Chavez, they organized boycotts and protests to address low wages and won collective bargaining rights in 1975.
  • American Indian Movement (AIM):
    • Founded in 1968, aimed to reclaim tribal traditions, achieve self-determination, and address poverty.
    • Occupation of Alcatraz Island: A significant event that put the movement on display.
  • Gay Liberation Movement:
    • Sparked by the Stonewall Inn police raid in 1969.
    • Homosexuality was officially changed from mental illness to a legitimate sexual orientation in the 1970s.
  • Second Wave of Women's Rights Movement:
    • Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique" explored the dissatisfaction of housewives.
    • National Organization of Women (NOW): Advocated for women's rights and equal opportunity.
    • Equal Rights Amendment (ERA): Aimed to prevent discrimination based on sex but was not passed due to conservative opposition led by Phyllis Schlafly.

Counterculture of the 1960s

• Big Idea 10: Youth culture in the 1960s was defined by a rejection of the social, political, and economic norms of their parents' generation.
  • Rejection of Cultural Norms:
    • Rebellious clothing styles, experimental drug use, and free love.
    • Hippies: Long hair, beards, and countercultural lifestyles.
  • Woodstock Music Festival (1969): Apex of the movement, with 400,000 people in attendance.
  • Decline: The counterculture fizzled out in the 1970s due to excesses, drug addiction, legislation, and lack of motivation.

Environmental Movement

• Big Idea 11: Growing concern over environmental degradation led to the rise of the environmental movement.
  • Increased Awareness:
    • Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring."
    • Exxon Valdez oil spill (1989).
  • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Created in 1970 to regulate and oversee environmental impact.

Decline in Public Trust and Political Clashes

• Big Idea 12: Public trust in the government rapidly declined during the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal, leading to growing clashes between liberals and conservatives over the role of the federal government.
  • Economic Turmoil:
    • Recession in the 1970s with stagflation (inflation and economic stagnation).
  • Watergate Scandal:
    • Richard Nixon's reelection committee caught breaking into the Democratic party headquarters.
    • Nixon resigned due to his involvement.
    • Trust in government at an all-time low.
  • Societal Battle:
    • Conservatism vs. liberalism, especially on the Supreme Court.
  • Roe v. Wade:
    • The Supreme Court decided that women have a right to privacy, legalizing abortion in all 50 states.
    • Based on the Fourth Amendment's provision for a right to privacy.